The Florida Senate

201.15  Distribution of taxes collected.--All taxes collected under this chapter shall be subject to the service charge imposed in s. 215.20(1) and shall be distributed as follows:

(1)  Sixty-two and sixty-three hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be used for the following purposes:

(a)  Subject to the maximum amount limitations set forth in this paragraph, an amount as shall be necessary to pay the debt service on, or fund debt service reserve funds, rebate obligations, or other amounts with respect to bonds issued pursuant to s. 375.051 and payable from moneys transferred to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this paragraph shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to be used for such purposes. The amount transferred to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund shall not exceed $90 million in fiscal year 1992-1993, $120 million in fiscal year 1993-1994, $150 million in fiscal year 1994-1995, $180 million in fiscal year 1995-1996, $210 million in fiscal year 1996-1997, $240 million in fiscal year 1997-1998, $270 million in fiscal year 1998-1999, and $300 million in fiscal year 1999-2000 and thereafter. No individual series of bonds may be issued pursuant to this paragraph unless the first year's debt service for such bonds is specifically appropriated in the General Appropriations Act. No moneys transferred to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this paragraph, or earnings thereon, shall be used or made available to pay debt service on the Save Our Coast revenue bonds.

(b)  The remainder of the moneys distributed under this subsection, after the required payment under paragraph (a), shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Land Acquisition Trust Fund and may be used for any purpose for which funds deposited in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund may lawfully be used. Payments made under this paragraph shall continue until the cumulative amount credited to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the fiscal year under this paragraph and paragraph (2)(b) equals 70 percent of the current official forecast for distributions of taxes collected under this chapter pursuant to subsection (2). As used in this paragraph, the term "current official forecast" means the most recent forecast as determined by the Revenue Estimating Conference. If the current official forecast for a fiscal year changes after payments under this paragraph have ended during that fiscal year, no further payments are required under this paragraph during the fiscal year.

(c)  The remainder of the moneys distributed under this subsection, after the required payments under paragraphs (a) and (b), shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Revenue Fund of the state to be used and expended for the purposes for which the General Revenue Fund was created and exists by law or to the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Trust Fund as provided in subsection (8).

(2)  Seven and fifty-six hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be used for the following purposes:

(a)  Beginning in the month following the final payment for a fiscal year under paragraph (1)(b), available moneys shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the General Revenue Fund of the state to be used and expended for the purposes for which the General Revenue Fund was created and exists by law or to the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Trust Fund as provided in subsection (8). Payments made under this paragraph shall continue until the cumulative amount credited to the General Revenue Fund for the fiscal year under this paragraph equals the cumulative payments made under paragraph (1)(b) for the same fiscal year.

(b)  The remainder of the moneys distributed under this subsection shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. Sums deposited in the fund pursuant to this subsection may be used for any purpose for which funds deposited in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund may lawfully be used.

(3)  One and ninety-four hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. Moneys deposited in the trust fund pursuant to this section shall be used for the following purposes:

(a)  Sixty percent of the moneys shall be used to acquire coastal lands or to pay debt service on bonds issued to acquire coastal lands; and

(b)  Forty percent of the moneys shall be used to develop and manage lands acquired with moneys from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund.

(4)  Five and eighty-four hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Water Management Lands Trust Fund. Sums deposited in that fund may be used for any purpose authorized in s. 373.59.

(5)  Five and eighty-four hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund to carry out the purposes set forth in s. 259.032.

(6)  Seven and fifty-three hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the State Housing Trust Fund and shall be used as follows:

(a)  Half of that amount shall be used for the purposes for which the State Housing Trust Fund was created and exists by law.

(b)  Half of that amount shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Local Government Housing Trust Fund and shall be used for the purposes for which the Local Government Housing Trust Fund was created and exists by law.

(7)  Eight and sixty-six hundredths percent of the remaining taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the State Housing Trust Fund and shall be used as follows:

(a)  Twelve and one-half percent of that amount shall be deposited into the State Housing Trust Fund and be expended by the Department of Community Affairs and by the Florida Housing Finance Agency for the purposes for which the State Housing Trust Fund was created and exists by law.

(b)  Eighty-seven and one-half percent of that amount shall be distributed to the Local Government Housing Trust Fund and shall be used for the purposes for which the Local Government Housing Trust Fund was created and exists by law. Funds from this category may also be used to provide for state and local services to assist the homeless.

(8)  From the moneys specified in paragraphs (1)(c) and (2)(a) and prior to deposit of any moneys into the General Revenue Fund, $10 million shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Trust Fund in fiscal year 1998-1999, $20 million in fiscal year 1999-2000, and $30 million in fiscal year 2000-2001 and each fiscal year thereafter, to be used for the preservation and repair of the state's beaches as provided in ss. 161.091-161.212.

(9)  The Department of Revenue may use the payments credited to trust funds pursuant to paragraphs (1)(b) and (2)(b) and subsections (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7) to pay the costs of the collection and enforcement of the tax levied by this chapter. The percentage of such costs which may be assessed against a trust fund is a ratio, the numerator of which is payments credited to that trust fund under this section and the denominator of which is the sum of payments made under paragraphs (1)(b) and (2)(b) and subsections (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7).

History.--s. 6, ch. 15787, 1931; CGL 1936 Supp. 1279(117); s. 4, ch. 79-350; ss. 2, 4, ch. 81-33; s. 7, ch. 85-347; s. 35, ch. 87-6; ss. 3, 4, ch. 87-96; s. 43, ch. 87-548; s. 12, ch. 90-132; s. 3, ch. 90-217; s. 2, ch. 91-79; s. 3, ch. 91-192; ss. 3, 4, ch. 92-317; ss. 1, 2, ch. 93-74; ss. 10, 11, ch. 94-240; ss. 46, 47, ch. 94-356; s. 1, ch. 95-394; s. 5, ch. 98-311.