SB 2506-E                                        First Engrossed
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       20262506Ee1
       
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fuel taxes; amending s. 206.606,
    3         F.S.; revising the distribution of the proceeds of the
    4         fuel sales tax; providing an effective date.
    5          
    6  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    7  
    8         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 206.606, Florida
    9  Statutes, is amended to read:
   10         206.606 Distribution of certain proceeds.—
   11         (1) Moneys collected pursuant to ss. 206.41(1)(g) and
   12  206.87(1)(e) shall be deposited in the Fuel Tax Collection Trust
   13  Fund. Such moneys, after deducting the refunds granted pursuant
   14  to s. 206.41 and the administrative costs incurred by the
   15  department in collecting, administering, enforcing, and
   16  distributing the tax, which administrative costs may not exceed
   17  2 percent of collections, shall be distributed monthly to the
   18  State Transportation Trust Fund, except that:
   19         (a) A sum equal to 0.5 percent of moneys collected $6.30
   20  million shall be transferred to the Fish and Wildlife
   21  Conservation Commission in each fiscal year and deposited in the
   22  Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund to be used for aquatic plant
   23  management, including nonchemical control of aquatic weeds,
   24  research into nonchemical controls, and enforcement activities.
   25  The commission shall allocate at least $1 million of such funds
   26  to the eradication of melaleuca.
   27         (b) A sum equal to 0.2 percent of moneys collected
   28  Annually, $2.5 million shall be transferred to the State Game
   29  Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and
   30  used for recreational boating activities and freshwater
   31  fisheries management and research. The transfers must be made in
   32  equal monthly amounts beginning on July 1 of each fiscal year.
   33  The commission shall annually determine where unmet needs exist
   34  for boating-related activities, and may fund such activities in
   35  counties where, due to the number of vessel registrations,
   36  sufficient financial resources are unavailable.
   37         1. A minimum of $1.25 million shall be used to fund local
   38  projects to provide recreational channel marking and other
   39  uniform waterway markers, public boat ramps, lifts, and hoists,
   40  marine railways, and other public launching facilities, derelict
   41  vessel removal, and other local boating-related activities. In
   42  funding the projects, the commission shall give priority
   43  consideration to:
   44         a. Unmet needs in counties having populations of 100,000 or
   45  less.
   46         b. Unmet needs in coastal counties having a high level of
   47  boating-related activities from individuals residing in other
   48  counties.
   49         2. The remaining sum $1.25 million may be used for
   50  recreational boating activities and freshwater fisheries
   51  management and research.
   52         3. The commission may adopt rules to administer a Florida
   53  Boating Improvement Program.
   54  
   55  The commission shall prepare and make available on its Internet
   56  website an annual report outlining the status of its Florida
   57  Boating Improvement Program, including the projects funded, and
   58  a list of counties whose needs are unmet due to insufficient
   59  financial resources from vessel registration fees.
   60         (c) A sum equal to 1.15 0.65 percent of moneys collected
   61  pursuant to s. 206.41(1)(g) shall be transferred to the
   62  Agricultural Emergency Eradication Trust Fund.
   63         (d) A sum equal to 1.15 percent of moneys collected $13.4
   64  million in fiscal year 2007-2008 and each fiscal year thereafter
   65  of the moneys attributable to the sale of motor and diesel fuel
   66  at marinas shall be transferred from the Fuel Tax Collection
   67  Trust Fund to the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund in
   68  the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
   69         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.