Florida Senate - 2014                                     SB 978
       
       
        
       By Senator Evers
       
       
       
       
       
       2-01148-14                                             2014978__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Crime Stoppers Trust Fund;
    3         amending s. 16.555, F.S.; authorizing a county that is
    4         awarded funds from the trust fund to use such funds
    5         for promotional items; making technical changes;
    6         providing an effective date.
    7          
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 16.555, Florida
   11  Statutes, is amended to read:
   12         16.555 Crime Stoppers Trust Fund; rulemaking.—
   13         (5)(a) The department shall be the disbursing authority for
   14  the distribution of funding to units of local government that
   15  apply, upon their application to the department for funding
   16  assistance.
   17         (b) Funds deposited in the trust fund pursuant to paragraph
   18  (4)(b) shall be disbursed as provided in this paragraph. A Any
   19  county may apply to the department under s. 938.06 for a grant
   20  from the funds collected in the judicial circuit in which the
   21  county is located under s. 938.06. A grant may be awarded only
   22  to counties that which are served by an official member of the
   23  Florida Association of Crime Stoppers and may only be used only
   24  to support Crime Stoppers and its their crime fighting programs.
   25  Only one such official member is shall be eligible for support
   26  within any county. In order to aid the department in determining
   27  eligibility, the secretary of the Florida Association of Crime
   28  Stoppers shall furnish the department with a schedule of
   29  authorized crime stoppers programs and shall update the schedule
   30  as necessary. The department shall award grants to eligible
   31  counties from available funds and shall distribute funds as
   32  equitably as possible, based on amounts collected within each
   33  county, if when more than one county is eligible within a
   34  judicial circuit.
   35         (c) A county that is awarded funds under this section may
   36  use such funds to purchase and distribute promotional items to
   37  increase public awareness and educate the public about Crime
   38  Stoppers.
   39         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.