Florida Senate - 2026 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for HB 273
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: 1/AD/2R .
03/06/2026 03:58 PM .
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Senator McClain moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section
6 215.971, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
7 215.971 Agreements funded with federal or state
8 assistance.—
9 (1) An agency agreement that provides state financial
10 assistance to a recipient or subrecipient, as those terms are
11 defined in s. 215.97, or that provides federal financial
12 assistance to a subrecipient, as defined by applicable United
13 States Office of Management and Budget circulars, must include
14 all of the following:
15 (h) If the agency agreement provides federal or state
16 financial assistance to a county or municipality that is a rural
17 community or rural area of opportunity as those terms are
18 defined in s. 288.0656(2) or a special district located entirely
19 within such county or municipality or an independent special
20 district that provides water and wastewater services within a
21 rural area of opportunity as defined in s. 288.0656(2), a
22 provision allowing the agency to provide for the payment of
23 invoices to such the county, municipality, or special district
24 rural area of opportunity as that term is defined in s.
25 288.0656(2), for verified and eligible performance that has been
26 completed in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth
27 in the agreement. The provision is not intended to require
28 reimbursement to such county, municipality, or special district
29 for invoices paid, but to allow the agency to provide for the
30 payment of invoices due. The agency shall expedite payment
31 requests in order to facilitate the timely payment of invoices
32 received by such county, municipality, or special district. This
33 provision is included to alleviate the financial hardships that
34 such certain rural counties, and municipalities, or special
35 districts encounter when administering agreements, and must be
36 exercised by the agency if when a county, or municipality, or
37 special district located entirely within such county or
38 municipality or an independent special district that provides
39 water and wastewater services within a rural area of
40 opportunity, as defined in s. 288.0656(2), demonstrates
41 financial hardship, to the extent that federal or state law,
42 rule, or other regulation allows such payments. This paragraph
43 may not be construed to alter or limit any other provisions of
44 federal or state law, rule, or other regulation.
45 Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
46 288.0656, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
47 288.0656 Rural Economic Development Initiative.—
48 (2) As used in this section, the term:
49 (e) “Rural community” means:
50 1. A county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
51 2. A county with a population of 125,000 or fewer which is
52 contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
53 3. A municipality or special district within a county
54 described in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2.
55 4. An unincorporated federal enterprise community or an
56 incorporated rural city with a population of 25,000 or fewer and
57 an employment base focused on traditional agricultural or
58 resource-based industries, located in a county not defined as
59 rural, which has at least three or more of the economic distress
60 factors identified in paragraph (c) and verified by the
61 department.
62 5. An independent special district that provides water and
63 wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity.
64
65 For purposes of this paragraph, population shall be determined
66 in accordance with the most recent official estimate pursuant to
67 s. 186.901.
68 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
69
70 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
71 And the title is amended as follows:
72 Delete everything before the enacting clause
73 and insert:
74 A bill to be entitled
75 An act relating to special district funding; amending
76 s. 215.971, F.S.; revising agency agreements that
77 provide state financial assistance to recipients or
78 subrecipients to include specified special districts
79 as an entity to which such agency may provide for the
80 payment of invoices under specified circumstances;
81 providing construction; requiring state agencies to
82 expedite payment requests from certain counties,
83 municipalities, and special districts for a specified
84 purpose; amending s. 288.0656, F.S.; revising the
85 definition of the term “rural community” to include
86 specified special districts; providing an effective
87 date.