Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1276
By Senator Albritton
26-00995A-20 20201276__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Department of Citrus; creating
3 s. 601.041, F.S.; establishing the Friends of Florida
4 Citrus Program within the Department of Citrus;
5 providing a purpose of the program; providing duties
6 of the department; authorizing the program to receive
7 certain funds; requiring funds to be deposited into
8 the Florida Citrus Advertising Trust Fund; creating
9 the Friends of Florida Citrus Advisory Council adjunct
10 to the department; providing for the membership and
11 duties of the advisory council; amending s. 601.10,
12 F.S.; authorizing the Department of Citrus to loan
13 department employees to or share department employees
14 with specified state and federal entities; authorizing
15 the department to enter into agreements with such
16 entities; providing that agreements are subject to
17 prior approval by the department; deleting provisions
18 setting out the required work schedule for the
19 department; providing an effective date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Section 601.041, Florida Statutes, is created to
24 read:
25 601.041 The Friends of Florida Citrus Program; advisory
26 council.—
27 (1) The Friends of Florida Citrus Program is established
28 within the department to provide support and assistance for
29 existing and future programs within the department.
30 (a) Through the program, the department shall:
31 1. Conduct programs and activities related to the
32 protection and enhancement of the quality and reputation of
33 Florida citrus fruit and the canned and concentrated products
34 thereof in domestic and foreign markets.
35 2. Identify and pursue methods to provide resources and
36 materials for the programs.
37 3. Research methods to integrate the resources and
38 materials identified pursuant to subparagraph 2.
39 (b) The department may receive donations from private
40 corporations to support the program. The department shall
41 deposit donations to the program into the Florida Citrus
42 Advertising Trust Fund, as established in s. 601.15(7), and such
43 donations shall be exempt from s. 601.15(7)(a).
44 (2) The Friends of Florida Citrus Advisory Council, an
45 advisory council as defined in s. 20.03(7), is established
46 adjunct to the department. The advisory council shall advise and
47 provide recommendations to the commission regarding the use of
48 any funds received for the Friends of Florida Citrus Program.
49 The advisory council shall operate in a manner consistent with
50 s. 20.052 and shall consist of the following members, appointed
51 by the chair of the commission annually upon the concurrence of
52 the commission:
53 (a) One member of the commission.
54 (b) One member recommended by a consortium of citrus
55 processors in this state.
56 (c) One member recommended by the statewide voluntary
57 Florida citrus growers association with the highest membership.
58 (d) Two at-large members, at the discretion of the
59 commission.
60 Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 601.10, Florida
61 Statutes, is amended to read:
62 601.10 Powers of the Department of Citrus.—The department
63 shall have and shall exercise such general and specific powers
64 as are delegated to it by this chapter and other statutes of the
65 state, which powers shall include, but are not limited to, the
66 following:
67 (3)(a) To pay, or participate in the payment of, premiums
68 for health, accident, and life insurance for its full-time
69 employees, pursuant to such rules as the department may adopt,
70 in addition to the regular salaries of such full-time employees.
71 (a) The payment of such or similar benefits to its
72 employees in foreign countries, including, but not limited to,
73 social security, retirement, and other similar fringe benefit
74 costs, may be in accordance with laws in effect in the country
75 of employment, except that no benefits will be payable to
76 employees not authorized for other state employees, as provided
77 in the Career Service System.
78 (b) The department may loan department employees to or
79 share department employees with other state and federal
80 agencies, state universities, or the Department of Agriculture
81 and Consumer Services for marketing and promotion orders
82 authorized under the authority of the Department of Agriculture
83 and Consumer Services or its direct support organizations or for
84 orders adopted under the authority of the United States
85 Secretary of Agriculture. The department may enter into
86 agreements with such entity or entities under such terms and
87 conditions as will benefit the state, if the agency or entity
88 with which the employee is loaned or shared reimburses the state
89 for all pay and benefits of the employee, not including a
90 service fee for administration. If the entity directly pays the
91 loaned or shared employee his or her salary and benefits, if
92 applicable, an agreement with the department is not necessary
93 and the employee may work part-time with the department under
94 terms and conditions mutually agreed to between the department
95 and the employee. All arrangements made pursuant to this
96 paragraph are subject to prior approval by the department
97 Subject to all applicable rules adopted by the Department of
98 Management Services, the department shall be staffed 5 days per
99 week, 40 hours per week, as necessary to accommodate industry
100 inquiries. However, the executive director, with the
101 commission’s approval, may establish alternative schedules for
102 individual department employees to ensure maximum efficiencies.
103 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.