Bill Text: FL S0874 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-03-08 - Died in Transportation [S0874 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S0874-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 874
By Senator Stewart
17-00306B-24 2024874__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Transportation Disadvantaged
3 Trust Fund; amending s. 427.0159, F.S.; providing an
4 annual appropriation from the Transportation
5 Disadvantaged Trust Fund to implement a specified
6 grant program beginning in a specified fiscal year;
7 specifying how the grant funds must be used;
8 authorizing an agency to apply annually to the
9 Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged for a
10 grant; prohibiting an agency from applying for more
11 than one project annually; providing that a project
12 may encompass multiple goals or a single goal;
13 providing goals that may be used for a project;
14 specifying a maximum amount for grants; providing an
15 exception to the maximum specified grant amount;
16 requiring a local match for all grants provided;
17 requiring that certain funds be used for a specified
18 purpose; prohibiting the commission from requiring
19 agencies’ services to meet a certain distance
20 requirement in order to receive grant funding;
21 providing an effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Subsection (5) is added to section 427.0159,
26 Florida Statutes, to read:
27 427.0159 Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund.—
28 (5) For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, and each fiscal year
29 thereafter, the sum of $10 million in recurring funds is
30 appropriated from the Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund to
31 the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged for the
32 purpose of implementing and administering a grant program as
33 described in this subsection.
34 (a) Funds appropriated under this subsection must be used
35 to provide grants to community transportation coordinators for
36 service delivery projects that are more cost-efficient for the
37 transportation improvement program and time-efficient for the
38 transportation disadvantaged population. Such grants may be
39 awarded for projects that include, but are not limited to,
40 partnerships between a community transportation coordinator and
41 a nontraditional service provider, such as a transportation
42 network company as defined in s. 627.748, that provides door-to
43 door, on-demand, or scheduled transportation services.
44 (b) An agency may apply annually to the Commission for the
45 Transportation Disadvantaged for a grant under this subsection.
46 The agency may not apply for more than one project annually.
47 Agency projects may encompass multiple goals or a single goal.
48 Goals may include, but are not limited to, providing regional
49 mobility or reducing service gaps between existing routes and
50 the user’s final destination.
51 (c) An agency may receive a maximum grant of $1 million.
52 Multiple agencies may partner to receive a grant of up to $2
53 million if the project includes a goal of providing regional
54 mobility in addition to any other goals.
55 (d) A 10 percent local match is required for all grants
56 provided under this subsection. All funds provided under this
57 subsection must be used to provide direct services to the
58 transportation disadvantaged population. The Commission for the
59 Transportation Disadvantaged may not disqualify an agency from
60 receiving grant funding under this subsection by requiring that
61 the agency’s transportation services be provided a minimum
62 distance from fixed bus routes.
63 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.
