Florida Senate - 2018                                     SB 782
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       37-00849A-18                                           2018782__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Bollards Grant Program;
    3         creating s. 316.0899, F.S.; requiring the Department
    4         of Transportation to develop the Bollards Grant
    5         Program in order to provide grants to municipalities
    6         and counties for the installation of bollards in their
    7         jurisdictions; defining the term “bollard”; requiring
    8         a county or municipality to specify in its application
    9         the area, which may include private property, where it
   10         intends to install bollards and why the installation
   11         is needed; requiring the department to accept
   12         applications and award grants each year; requiring the
   13         department to develop a plan to promote the program;
   14         requiring the department to adopt rules to establish
   15         application and selection criteria, subject to certain
   16         requirements; requiring the department to submit the
   17         grant program guidelines and the plan for promoting
   18         the program to the Governor and Legislature by a
   19         specified date; providing an appropriation; providing
   20         an effective date.
   21          
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Section 316.0899, Florida Statutes, is created
   25  to read:
   26         316.0899 Bollards Grant Program.—
   27         (1) The Department of Transportation shall develop the
   28  Bollards Grant Program in order to provide grants to
   29  municipalities and counties for the installation of bollards in
   30  their jurisdictions.
   31         (2) For purposes of this section, the term “bollard” means
   32  a post constructed to barricade an area to prevent motorized
   33  vehicular traffic in the area.
   34         (3)(a) A municipality or county must specify in its
   35  application the area, which may include private property, where
   36  it intends to install bollards and why the installation is
   37  needed. The department must accept applications and award grants
   38  each year if funds are available pursuant to subsection (5).
   39         (b) The department shall develop a plan to promote the
   40  program and adopt rules to establish the application and
   41  selection criteria for the awarding of the grants. The selection
   42  criteria must consider safety factors, including, but not
   43  limited to, the number of vehicle collisions with a pedestrian
   44  or structure occurring in the proposed areas, the population of
   45  senior citizens in or near such areas, and the amount of use by
   46  the public, particularly by senior citizens, such areas
   47  experience.
   48         (4) On or before January 1, 2019, the department shall
   49  submit the grant program guidelines and the plan for promoting
   50  the program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
   51  the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
   52         (5) For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the sum of $250,000 in
   53  nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund
   54  to the Department of Transportation to fund the grants awarded
   55  under this section. Thereafter, the Legislature may appropriate
   56  money each year to continue the program.
   57         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.