Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 214
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì4513381Î451338                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  02/04/2026           .                                
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       The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
       Economic Development (McClain) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 30 - 62
    4  and insert:
    5  municipality or an independent special district that provides
    6  water and wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity
    7  as that term is defined in s. 288.0656(2), a provision allowing
    8  the agency to provide for the payment of invoices to the county,
    9  municipality, or rural area of opportunity as that term is
   10  defined in s. 288.0656(2), or special district, for verified and
   11  eligible performance that has been completed in accordance with
   12  the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. This
   13  provision is included to alleviate the financial hardships that
   14  such certain rural counties, and municipalities, or special
   15  districts encounter when administering agreements, and must be
   16  exercised by the agency if when a county, or municipality, or
   17  special district whose geographic area, in whole or in part, is
   18  located in such county or municipality or an independent special
   19  district that provides water and wastewater services within a
   20  rural area of opportunity as that term is defined in s.
   21  288.0656(2), demonstrates financial hardship, to the extent that
   22  federal or state law, rule, or other regulation allows such
   23  payments. This paragraph may not be construed to alter or limit
   24  any other provisions of federal or state law, rule, or other
   25  regulation.
   26         Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
   27  288.0656, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   28         288.0656 Rural Economic Development Initiative.—
   29         (2) As used in this section, the term:
   30         (e) “Rural community” means:
   31         1. A county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   32         2. A county with a population of 125,000 or fewer which is
   33  contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   34         3. A municipality or special district within a county
   35  described in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2.
   36         4. An unincorporated federal enterprise community or an
   37  incorporated rural city with a population of 25,000 or fewer and
   38  an employment base focused on traditional agricultural or
   39  resource-based industries, located in a county not defined as
   40  rural, which has at least three or more of the economic distress
   41  factors identified in paragraph (c) and verified by the
   42  department.
   43         5. An independent special district that provides water and
   44  wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity.
   45  
   46  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   47  And the title is amended as follows:
   48         Delete lines 5 - 10
   49  and insert:
   50         subrecipients to include specified special districts
   51         as an entity to which such agency may provide for the
   52         payment of invoices under specified circumstances;
   53         providing construction; amending s. 288.0656, F.S.;
   54         revising the definition of “rural community” to
   55         include specified special districts; providing an