Florida Senate - 2023 CS for SB 198
By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator DiCeglie
596-02022-23 2023198c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit
3 Authority; repealing part III of ch. 343, F.S.,
4 relating to the creation and operation of the
5 authority; dissolving the authority and requiring the
6 authority to perform specified activities; amending s.
7 341.302, F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made
8 by the act; providing effective dates.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Part III of chapter 343, Florida Statutes,
13 consisting of ss. 343.90, 343.91, 343.92, 343.922, 343.94,
14 343.941, 343.943, 343.944, 343.947, 343.95, 343.96, 343.962,
15 343.97, 343.973, 343.975, and 343.976, Florida Statutes, is
16 repealed.
17 Section 2. Effective June 30, 2024, the Tampa Bay Area
18 Regional Transit Authority is dissolved. The authority shall:
19 (1) Provide for the discharge of its liabilities. Any
20 liabilities in excess of its assets must be assumed by each
21 county represented on the authority’s board in proportion to
22 each county’s contribution to the authority in the 2021-2022
23 fiscal year;
24 (2) Settle and close its affairs, and transfer any pending
25 activities, including, but not limited to, the administration of
26 its vanpool program;
27 (3) Close and appropriately dispense any applicable federal
28 or state grants or funds;
29 (4) Provide for distribution of the authority’s remaining
30 assets, if any, such that each county represented on the
31 authority’s board receives an amount in proportion to each
32 county’s contribution to the authority in the 2021-2022 fiscal
33 year;
34 (5) Provide written notice of final dissolution to the
35 Department of Economic Opportunity and each entity represented
36 on the authority’s board; and
37 (6) Forward its records to the Department of State upon
38 final dissolution.
39 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
40 341.302, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
41 341.302 Rail program; duties and responsibilities of the
42 department.—The department, in conjunction with other
43 governmental entities, including the rail enterprise and the
44 private sector, shall develop and implement a rail program of
45 statewide application designed to ensure the proper maintenance,
46 safety, revitalization, and expansion of the rail system to
47 assure its continued and increased availability to respond to
48 statewide mobility needs. Within the resources provided pursuant
49 to chapter 216, and as authorized under federal law, the
50 department shall:
51 (3) Develop and periodically update the rail system plan,
52 on the basis of an analysis of statewide transportation needs.
53 (b) In recognition of the department’s role in the
54 enhancement of the state’s rail system to improve freight and
55 passenger mobility, the department shall:
56 1. Work closely with all affected communities along an
57 impacted freight rail corridor to identify and address
58 anticipated impacts associated with an increase in freight rail
59 traffic due to implementation of passenger rail.
60 2. In coordination with the affected local governments and
61 CSX Transportation, Inc., finalize all viable alternatives from
62 the department’s Rail Traffic Evaluation Study to identify and
63 develop an alternative route for through freight rail traffic
64 moving through Central Florida, including the counties of Polk
65 and Hillsborough, which would address, to the extent
66 practicable, the effects of commuter rail.
67 3. Provide technical assistance to a coalition of local
68 governments in Central Florida, including the counties of
69 Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Marion, Orange,
70 Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Seminole,
71 Sumter, and Volusia, and the municipalities within those
72 counties, to develop a regional rail system plan that addresses
73 passenger and freight opportunities in the region, is consistent
74 with the Florida Rail System Plan, and incorporates appropriate
75 elements of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Authority Master Plan,
76 the Metroplan Orlando Regional Transit System Concept Plan,
77 including the SunRail project, and the Florida Department of
78 Transportation Alternate Rail Traffic Evaluation.
79 Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
80 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2023.