The Florida Senate

206.606  Distribution of certain proceeds.--

(1)  Moneys collected pursuant to ss. 206.41(1)(g) and 206.87(1)(e) shall be deposited in the Fuel Tax Collection Trust Fund. Such moneys, after deducting the service charges imposed by s. 215.20, the refunds granted pursuant to s. 206.41, and the administrative costs incurred by the department in collecting, administering, enforcing, and distributing the tax, which administrative costs may not exceed 2 percent of collections, shall be distributed monthly to the State Transportation Trust Fund, except that:

(a)  $6.30 million shall be transferred to the Department of Environmental Protection in each fiscal year and deposited in the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund to be used for aquatic plant management, including nonchemical control of aquatic weeds, research into nonchemical controls, and enforcement activities. Beginning in fiscal year 1993-1994, the department shall allocate at least $1 million of such funds to the eradication of melaleuca.

(b)  $2.5 million shall be transferred to the State Game Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in each fiscal year and used for recreational boating activities, and freshwater fisheries management and research. The transfers must be made in equal monthly amounts beginning on July 1 of each fiscal year. The commission shall annually determine where unmet needs exist for boating-related activities, and may fund such activities in counties where, due to the number of vessel registrations, sufficient financial resources are unavailable.

1.  A minimum of $1.25 million shall be used to fund local projects to provide recreational channel marking, public launching facilities, aquatic plant control, and other local boating related activities. In funding the projects, the commission shall give priority consideration as follows:

a.  Unmet needs in counties with populations of 100,000 or less.

b.  Unmet needs in coastal counties with a high level of boating related activities from individuals residing in other counties.

2.  The remaining $1.25 million may be used for recreational boating activities and freshwater fisheries management and research.

3.  The commission is authorized to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement a Florida Boating Improvement Program similar to the program administered by the Department of Environmental Protection and established in rules 62D-5.031 - 62D-5.036, Florida Administrative Code, to determine projects eligible for funding under this subsection.

On February 1 of each year, the commission shall file an annual report with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives outlining the status of its Florida Boating Improvement Program, including the projects funded, and a list of counties whose needs are unmet due to insufficient financial resources from vessel registration fees.

(c)  0.65 percent of moneys collected pursuant to s. 206.41(1)(g) shall be transferred to the Agricultural Emergency Eradication Trust Fund.

(d)  A portion of the moneys attributable to the sale of motor and diesel fuel at marinas shall be transferred from the Fuel Tax Collection Trust Fund to the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as follows:

1.  $2.5 million in fiscal year 2003-2004;

2.  $5.0 million in fiscal year 2004-2005;

3.  $8.5 million in fiscal year 2005-2006;

4.  $10.9 million in fiscal year 2006-2007; and

5.  $13.4 million in fiscal year 2007-2008 and each fiscal year thereafter.

(2)  Not less than 10 percent of the moneys deposited in the State Transportation Trust Fund pursuant to this section shall be allocated by the Department of Transportation for public transit and rail capital projects, including service development projects, as defined in s. 341.031(7) and (8), unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act.

History.--s. 6, ch. 83-3; s. 1, ch. 84-348; s. 46, ch. 89-356; s. 115, ch. 91-112; ss. 116, 154, ch. 92-152; ss. 1, 2, ch. 92-308; s. 6, ch. 94-146; s. 53, ch. 94-356; ss. 60, 61, 115, ch. 95-417; ss. 7, 8, ch. 96-321; s. 27, ch. 96-323; ss. 2, 3, ch. 98-114; s. 4, ch. 98-307; s. 19, ch. 99-205; s. 15, ch. 99-245; s. 2, ch. 99-312; s. 3, ch. 2003-156.

Note.--Former s. 212.69.