HB 1267

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to economic development; amending s.
3	288.9602, F.S.; revising legislative findings and
4	declarations of necessity to emphasize the importance of
5	the economic activities in counties and municipalities;
6	providing that the purposes of the Florida Development
7	Finance Corporation Act may be accomplished by legislation
8	implementing constitutional provisions allowing local
9	governments to issue revenue bonds to finance or refinance
10	the cost of certain capital projects and authorizing new
11	and innovative means for the investment of public trust
12	funds; creating s. 366.94, F.S.; authorizing a nonutility
13	producer of renewable energy to sell electricity to
14	electricity customers at retail; requiring the Public
15	Service Commission to adopt rules and submit reports to
16	the Legislature; providing an effective date.
17
18	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20	Section 1.  Section 288.9602, Florida Statutes, is amended
21	to read:
22	288.9602  Findings and declarations of necessity.-The
23	Legislature finds and declares that:
24	(1)  There is a need to enhance economic activity in the
25	counties and municipalities of the state by attracting
26	manufacturing, development, redevelopment of brownfield areas,
27	business enterprise management, and other activities conducive
28	to economic promotion in order to provide a stronger, more
29	balanced, and stable economy in the state.
30	(2)  A significant portion of businesses located in the
31	counties and municipalities of the state or desiring to locate
32	in the state encounter difficulty in obtaining financing on
33	terms competitive with those available to businesses located in
34	other states and nations or are unable to obtain such financing
35	at all.
36	(3)  The difficulty in obtaining such financing impairs the
37	expansion of economic activity and the creation of jobs and
38	income in communities throughout the state.
39	(4)  The businesses most often affected by these financing
40	difficulties are small businesses critical to the economic
41	development of the counties and municipalities of the state.
42	(5)  The economic well-being of the people in, and the
43	commercial and industrial resources of, the counties and
44	municipalities of the state would be enhanced by the provision
45	of financing to businesses on terms competitive with those
46	available in the most developed financial markets worldwide.
47	(6)  In order to improve the prosperity and welfare of the
48	counties and municipalities of the this state and its
49	inhabitants, to improve and promote the financing of projects
50	related to the economic development of the counties and
51	municipalities of the this state, including redevelopment of
52	brownfield areas, and to increase the purchasing power and
53	opportunities for gainful employment of citizens of the counties
54	and municipalities of the this state, it is necessary and in the
55	public interest to facilitate the financing of such projects as
56	provided for in this act and to do so without regard to the
57	boundaries between counties, municipalities, special districts,
58	and other local governmental bodies or agencies in order to more
59	effectively and efficiently serve the interests of the greatest
60	number of people in the widest area practicable.
61	(7)  In order to promote and stimulate development and
62	advance the business prosperity and economic welfare of the
63	counties and municipalities of the this state and its
64	inhabitants; to encourage and assist new business and industry
65	in the this state through loans, investments, or other business
66	transactions; to rehabilitate and assist existing businesses; to
67	stimulate and assist in the expansion of all kinds of for-profit
68	and not-for-profit business activity; and to create maximum
69	opportunities for employment, encouragement of thrift, and
70	improvement of the standard of living of the citizens of
71	Florida, it is necessary and in the public interest to
72	facilitate the cooperation and action between organizations,
73	public and private, in the promotion, development, and conduct
74	of all kinds of for-profit and not-for-profit business activity
75	in the state.
76	(8)  In order to efficiently and effectively achieve the
77	purposes of this act, it is necessary and in the public interest
78	to create a special development finance authority to cooperate
79	and act in conjunction with public agencies of the this state
80	and local governments of the this state, through interlocal
81	agreements pursuant to the Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act of
82	1969, in the promotion and advancement of projects related to
83	economic development, including redevelopment of brownfield
84	areas, throughout the state.
85	(9)  The purposes to be achieved by the special development
86	finance authority through such projects and such financings of
87	business and industry in compliance with the criteria and the
88	requirements of this act are predominantly the public purposes
89	stated in this section, and such purposes implement the
90	governmental purposes under the State Constitution of providing
91	for the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the state.
92	These purposes may be facilitated through legislation fully
93	implementing s. 10(c), Art. VII of the State Constitution to
94	authorize local governments to issue revenue bonds for the
95	financing or refinancing of capital projects, and through
96	legislation authorizing new and innovative means for the
97	investment of public trust funds pursuant to s. 10(a), Art. VII
98	of the State Constitution.
99	Section 2.  Section 366.94, Florida Statutes, is created to
100	read:
101	366.94  Retail sales of renewable energy.-
102	(1)  As used in this section, the term "renewable energy"
103	has the same meaning as provided in s. 366.91.
104	(2)  Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, a
105	nonutility producer of renewable energy may sell electricity
106	directly to one or more retail consumers.
107	(3)  The commission shall adopt rules to administer this
108	section. In adopting such rules, the commission shall establish,
109	at a minimum:
110	(a)  Requirements related to interconnection and metering.
111	(b)  A mechanism for setting rates for any service provided
112	to the consumer by the utility if such service is required by
113	the consumer. These rates shall ensure that the utility's
114	general body of ratepayers does not subsidize the consumer in
115	any way, including any redundant utility generating capacity
116	necessary to serve the consumer.
117	(c)  Requirements for notice to the commission of the size
118	and location of each renewable energy generation facility
119	planned under this section, the identity and historical and
120	projected load characteristics of each host consumer, and any
121	other information deemed necessary by the commission to satisfy
122	its obligations under s. 366.04(5).
123	(4)  Beginning January 1, 2012, and at least once every 6
124	months thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the
125	Legislature of activity under this section which addresses the
126	impacts of such activity on the electric power grid of the
127	state, individual utility systems, and each utility's general
128	body of ratepayers, and includes recommendations concerning
129	implementation of this program.
130	Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.