Bill Text: FL S0332 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Land Acquisition Trust Fund
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Failed) 2020-03-14 - Died in Appropriations [S0332 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S0332-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 332 By Senator Stewart 13-00037-20 2020332__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund; 3 amending s. 375.041, F.S.; requiring a specified 4 annual appropriation to the Florida Forever Trust 5 Fund; deleting an obsolete provision; prohibiting 6 moneys from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund from being 7 used for specified costs; providing an effective date. 8 9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10 11 Section 1. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 375.041, 12 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 13 375.041 Land Acquisition Trust Fund.— 14 (3) Funds distributed into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund 15 pursuant to s. 201.15 shall be applied: 16 (a) First, to pay debt service or to fund debt service 17 reserve funds, rebate obligations, or other amounts payable with 18 respect to Florida Forever bonds issued under s. 215.618; and 19 pay debt service, provide reserves, and pay rebate obligations 20 and other amounts due with respect to Everglades restoration 21 bonds issued under s. 215.619; and 22 (b) Of the funds remaining after the payments required 23 under paragraph (a), but before funds may be appropriated, 24 pledged, or dedicated for other uses: 25 1. A minimum of the lesser of 25 percent or $200 million 26 shall be appropriated annually for Everglades projects that 27 implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as set 28 forth in s. 373.470, including the Central Everglades Planning 29 Project subject to Congressional authorization; the Long-Term 30 Plan as defined in s. 373.4592(2); and the Northern Everglades 31 and Estuaries Protection Program as set forth in s. 373.4595. 32 From these funds, $32 million shall be distributed each fiscal 33 year through the 2023-2024 fiscal year to the South Florida 34 Water Management District for the Long-Term Plan as defined in 35 s. 373.4592(2). After deducting the $32 million distributed 36 under this subparagraph, from the funds remaining, a minimum of 37 the lesser of 76.5 percent or $100 million shall be appropriated 38 each fiscal year through the 2025-2026 fiscal year for the 39 planning, design, engineering, and construction of the 40 Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as set forth in s. 41 373.470, including the Central Everglades Planning Project, the 42 Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Reservoir Project, the Lake 43 Okeechobee Watershed Project, the C-43 West Basin Storage 44 Reservoir Project, the Indian River Lagoon-South Project, the 45 Western Everglades Restoration Project, and the Picayune Strand 46 Restoration Project. The Department of Environmental Protection 47 and the South Florida Water Management District shall give 48 preference to those Everglades restoration projects that reduce 49 harmful discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. 50 Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries in a timely manner. For the 51 purpose of performing the calculation provided in this 52 subparagraph, the amount of debt service paid pursuant to 53 paragraph (a) for bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 54 purposes set forth under paragraph (b) shall be added to the 55 amount remaining after the payments required under paragraph 56 (a). The amount of the distribution calculated shall then be 57 reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 58 paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 59 purposes set forth under this subparagraph. 60 2. A minimum of the lesser of 7.6 percent or $50 million 61 shall be appropriated annually for spring restoration, 62 protection, and management projects. For the purpose of 63 performing the calculation provided in this subparagraph, the 64 amount of debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) for bonds 65 issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under 66 paragraph (b) shall be added to the amount remaining after the 67 payments required under paragraph (a). The amount of the 68 distribution calculated shall then be reduced by an amount equal 69 to the debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds 70 issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under this 71 subparagraph. 72 3. The sum of $5 million shall be appropriated annually 73 each fiscal year through the 2025-2026 fiscal year to the St. 74 Johns River Water Management District for projects dedicated to 75 the restoration of Lake Apopka. This distribution shall be 76 reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 77 paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 78 purposes set forth in this subparagraph. 79 4. The sum of $64 million is appropriated and shall be 80 transferred to the Everglades Trust Fund for the 2018-2019 81 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, for the EAA 82 reservoir project pursuant to s. 373.4598. Any funds remaining 83 in any fiscal year shall be made available only for Phase II of 84 the C-51 reservoir project or projects identified in 85 subparagraph 1. and must be used in accordance with laws 86 relating to such projects. Any funds made available for such 87 purposes in a fiscal year are in addition to the amount 88 appropriated under subparagraph 1. This distribution shall be 89 reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 90 paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2017, for the 91 purposes set forth in this subparagraph. 92 5. The sum of $100 million is appropriated annually to the 93 Florida Forever Trust FundNotwithstanding subparagraph 3., for94the 2019-2020fiscal year, funds shall be appropriated as95provided in the General Appropriations Act. This subparagraph96expires July 1, 2020. 97 (4) Any remaining moneys in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund 98 which are not distributed as provided in subsection (3) may be 99 appropriated from time to time for the purposes set forth in s. 100 28, Art. X of the State Constitution, except that moneys 101 distributed from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund may not be used 102 for costs associated with any of the following budget entities: 103 (a) The Executive Direction and Support Services and the 104 Technology and Information Services within the Department of 105 Environmental Protection. 106 (b) The Executive Direction and Support Services and the 107 Office of Agriculture Technology Services within the Department 108 of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 109 (c) The Office of Executive Direction and Administrative 110 Support Services within the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 111 Commission. 112 (d) The Executive Direction and Support Services within the 113 Department of State. 114 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.