Bill Text: FL H1067 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Rural Infrastructure Fund

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Economic Development Policy (EDCA) [H1067 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-H1067-Introduced.html
HB 1067
1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to the Rural Infrastructure Fund; amending
3s. 288.0655, F.S.; revising provisions relating to rural
4infrastructure projects; revising the percentage of total
5infrastructure project costs for which the Office of
6Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development may award grants;
7authorizing the office to award grants for a certain
8percentage of total infrastructure project costs for
9certain rural areas of critical economic concern;
10requiring that funds from the purchase of certain lands by
11the state or a state agency be appropriated into the Rural
12Infrastructure Fund; providing an effective date.
13
14Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Paragraphs (b), (c), and (e) of subsection (2)
17of section 288.0655, Florida Statutes, are amended, and
18subsection (6) is added to that section, to read:
19 288.0655 Rural Infrastructure Fund.-
20 (2)
21 (b) To facilitate access of rural communities and rural
22areas of critical economic concern as defined by the Rural
23Economic Development Initiative to infrastructure funding
24programs of the Federal Government, such as those offered by the
25United States Department of Agriculture and the United States
26Department of Commerce, and state programs, including those
27offered by Rural Economic Development Initiative agencies, and
28to facilitate local government or private infrastructure funding
29efforts, the office may award grants for up to 50 30 percent of
30the total infrastructure project cost. If an application for
31funding is for a catalyst site, as defined in s. 288.0656, the
32office may award grants for up to 60 40 percent of the total
33infrastructure project cost. Eligible projects must be related
34to specific job-creation or job-retention opportunities.
35Eligible projects may also include improving any inadequate
36infrastructure that has resulted in regulatory action that
37prohibits economic or community growth or reducing the costs to
38community users of proposed infrastructure improvements that
39exceed such costs in comparable communities. Eligible uses of
40funds shall include improvements to public infrastructure for
41industrial or commercial sites and upgrades to or development of
42public tourism infrastructure. Authorized infrastructure may
43include the following public or public-private partnership
44facilities: storm water systems; telecommunications facilities;
45broadband facilities; roads or other remedies to transportation
46impediments; nature-based tourism facilities; or other physical
47requirements necessary to facilitate tourism, trade, and
48economic development activities in the community. Authorized
49infrastructure may also include publicly or privately owned
50self-powered nature-based tourism facilities, publicly owned
51telecommunications facilities, and broadband facilities, and
52additions to the distribution facilities of the existing natural
53gas utility as defined in s. 366.04(3)(c), the existing electric
54utility as defined in s. 366.02, or the existing water or
55wastewater utility as defined in s. 367.021(12), or any other
56existing water or wastewater facility, which owns a gas or
57electric distribution system or a water or wastewater system in
58this state where:
59 1. A contribution-in-aid of construction is required to
60serve public or public-private partnership facilities under the
61tariffs of any natural gas, electric, water, or wastewater
62utility as defined herein; and
63 2. Such utilities as defined herein are willing and able
64to provide such service.
65 (c) To facilitate timely response and induce the location
66or expansion of specific job creating opportunities, the office
67may award grants for infrastructure feasibility studies, design
68and engineering activities, or other infrastructure planning and
69preparation activities. Authorized grants shall be up to $50,000
70for an employment project with a business committed to create at
71least 100 jobs, up to $150,000 for an employment project with a
72business committed to create at least 300 jobs, and up to
73$300,000 for a project in a rural area of critical economic
74concern. Grants awarded under this paragraph may be used in
75conjunction with grants awarded under paragraph (b) if, provided
76that the total amount of both grants does not exceed 30 percent
77of the total project cost. However, if the state or a state
78agency intends to purchase at least 20,000 acres of land located
79within 15 square miles of a rural area of critical economic
80concern, the total amount of both grants may not exceed 75
81percent of the total project cost. In evaluating applications
82under this paragraph, the office shall consider the extent to
83which the application seeks to minimize administrative and
84consultant expenses.
85 (e) To enable local governments to access the resources
86available pursuant to s. 403.973(18), the office may award
87grants for surveys, feasibility studies, and other activities
88related to the identification and preclearance review of land
89which is suitable for preclearance review. Authorized grants
90under this paragraph shall not exceed $75,000 each, except in
91the case of a project in a rural area of critical economic
92concern, in which case the grant shall not exceed $300,000. Any
93funds awarded under this paragraph must be matched at a level of
9450 percent with local funds, except that any funds awarded for a
95project in a rural area of critical economic concern must be
96matched at a level of 33 percent with local funds. If an
97application for funding is for a catalyst site, as defined in s.
98288.0656, or if the state or a state agency intends to purchase
99at least 20,000 acres of land located within 15 square miles of
100a rural area of critical economic concern, the requirement for
101local match may be waived pursuant to the process in s.
102288.06561. In evaluating applications under this paragraph, the
103office shall consider the extent to which the application seeks
104to minimize administrative and consultant expenses.
105 (6) When the state or a state agency purchases at least
10620,000 acres of land located within 15 square miles of a rural
107area of critical economic concern, an amount of funds equal to
108at least 7.5 percent of the total purchase price must be
109appropriated into the Rural Infrastructure Fund and used in
110accordance with paragraphs (2)(b), (c), and (e) in the region
111affected by the land purchase. The funds appropriated into the
112Rural Infrastructure Fund must come from the same source used in
113the land purchase and shall be appropriated in equal
114installments for 5 years thereafter.
115 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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