Florida Senate - 2026                              CS for SB 214
       
       
        
       By the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
       Economic Development; and Senator McClain
       
       
       
       
       606-02504-26                                           2026214c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to special district funding; amending
    3         s. 215.971, F.S.; revising agency agreements that
    4         provide state financial assistance to recipients or
    5         subrecipients to include specified special districts
    6         as an entity to which such agency may provide for the
    7         payment of invoices under specified circumstances;
    8         providing construction; amending s. 288.0656, F.S.;
    9         revising the definition of “rural community” to
   10         include specified special districts; providing an
   11         effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section
   16  215.971, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   17         215.971 Agreements funded with federal or state
   18  assistance.—
   19         (1) An agency agreement that provides state financial
   20  assistance to a recipient or subrecipient, as those terms are
   21  defined in s. 215.97, or that provides federal financial
   22  assistance to a subrecipient, as defined by applicable United
   23  States Office of Management and Budget circulars, must include
   24  all of the following:
   25         (h) If the agency agreement provides federal or state
   26  financial assistance to a county or municipality that is a rural
   27  community or rural area of opportunity as those terms are
   28  defined in s. 288.0656(2) or a special district whose geographic
   29  area, in whole or in part, is located in such county or
   30  municipality or an independent special district that provides
   31  water and wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity
   32  as that term is defined in s. 288.0656(2), a provision allowing
   33  the agency to provide for the payment of invoices to the county,
   34  municipality, or rural area of opportunity as that term is
   35  defined in s. 288.0656(2), or special district, for verified and
   36  eligible performance that has been completed in accordance with
   37  the terms and conditions set forth in the agreement. This
   38  provision is included to alleviate the financial hardships that
   39  such certain rural counties, and municipalities, or special
   40  districts encounter when administering agreements, and must be
   41  exercised by the agency if when a county, or municipality, or
   42  special district whose geographic area, in whole or in part, is
   43  located in such county or municipality or an independent special
   44  district that provides water and wastewater services within a
   45  rural area of opportunity as that term is defined in s.
   46  288.0656(2), demonstrates financial hardship, to the extent that
   47  federal or state law, rule, or other regulation allows such
   48  payments. This paragraph may not be construed to alter or limit
   49  any other provisions of federal or state law, rule, or other
   50  regulation.
   51         Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
   52  288.0656, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   53         288.0656 Rural Economic Development Initiative.—
   54         (2) As used in this section, the term:
   55         (e) “Rural community” means:
   56         1. A county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   57         2. A county with a population of 125,000 or fewer which is
   58  contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   59         3. A municipality or special district within a county
   60  described in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2.
   61         4. An unincorporated federal enterprise community or an
   62  incorporated rural city with a population of 25,000 or fewer and
   63  an employment base focused on traditional agricultural or
   64  resource-based industries, located in a county not defined as
   65  rural, which has at least three or more of the economic distress
   66  factors identified in paragraph (c) and verified by the
   67  department.
   68         5. An independent special district that provides water and
   69  wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity.
   70  
   71  For purposes of this paragraph, population shall be determined
   72  in accordance with the most recent official estimate pursuant to
   73  s. 186.901.
   74         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.