Bill Text: FL S0250 | 2017 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: High-occupancy Toll Lanes and Express Lanes
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-01 - Withdrawn from further consideration [S0250 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S0250-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2017 CS for SB 250 By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Artiles 596-02744-17 2017250c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to high-occupancy toll lanes and 3 express lanes; amending s. 338.166, F.S.; specifying 4 that the Department of Transportation may collect 5 tolls on high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes 6 only for the discharge of certain bond indebtedness on 7 a project existing before a specified date; requiring 8 that the tolls be eliminated after discharge of the 9 project’s bond indebtedness; prohibiting the creation 10 of high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes on or 11 after a specified date; requiring existing lanes to no 12 longer be high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes 13 upon elimination of their tolls; creating s. 338.2225, 14 F.S.; providing a legislative purpose; authorizing the 15 department to collect a toll on express lanes that, 16 before a specified date, exist, or are under 17 construction, on any part of the turnpike system for 18 the discharge of certain bond indebtedness; requiring 19 the elimination of the toll after discharge of the 20 bond indebtedness; prohibiting express lanes from 21 being on any part of the turnpike system; authorizing 22 express lanes that, before a specified date, exist, or 23 are under construction, on any part of the turnpike 24 system to continue to exist but not as express lanes; 25 providing an effective date. 26 27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 28 29 Section 1. Section 338.166, Florida Statutes, is amended to 30 read: 31 338.166 Termination of high-occupancy toll lanes or express 32 lanes.— 33 (1) Under s. 11, Art. VII of the State Constitution, the 34 department may request the Division of Bond Finance to issue 35 bonds secured by toll revenues collected on high-occupancy toll 36 lanes or express lanes established on facilities owned by the 37 department. However, 38(2)the department maycontinue tocollect athetoll on 39thehigh-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes only forafter40 the discharge of any bond indebtedness related to asuchproject 41 that exists before July 1, 2017. After the discharge of any bond 42 indebtedness related to such project, the toll on the high 43 occupancy toll lanes or express lanes must be eliminatedAll44tolls so collected shall first be used to pay the annual cost of45the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the high46occupancy toll lanes or express lanes project or associated47transportation system. 48 (2)(3)High-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes may not 49 be created on or after July 1, 2017. Upon elimination of the 50 tolls on existing high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes 51 pursuant to subsection (1), such lanes may continue to exist but 52 not as high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanesAny remaining53toll revenue from the high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes54shall be used by the department for the construction,55maintenance, or improvement of any road on the State Highway56System within the county or counties in which the toll revenues57were collected or to support express bus service on the facility58where the toll revenues were collected. 59 (3)(4)The department may implement variable rate tolls on 60 high-occupancy toll lanes or express lanes. 61 (4)(5)Except for high-occupancy toll lanes or express 62 lanes, tolls may not be charged for use of an interstate highway 63 where tolls were not charged as of July 1, 1997. 64 (5)(6)This section does not apply to the turnpike system 65 as defined under the Florida Turnpike Enterprise Law. 66 Section 2. Section 338.2225, Florida Statutes, is created 67 to read: 68 338.2225 Express lanes on any part of the turnpike system; 69 prohibition.— 70 (1) The purpose of this section is to eliminate all express 71 lanes that exist, or are under construction, on any part of the 72 Florida Turnpike System and to prohibit the creation of such 73 express lanes. 74 (2) The department may collect a toll on express lanes 75 that, before July 1, 2017, exist, or are under construction, on 76 any part of the turnpike system, but such collection may be only 77 for the discharge of any bond indebtedness that relates to the 78 expense of constructing the express lanes. After the discharge 79 of such bond indebtedness, the toll on the express lanes must be 80 eliminated. 81 (3) Except for express lanes that, before July 1, 2017, 82 exist, or are under construction, on any part of the turnpike 83 system, no express lanes shall be on any part of the turnpike 84 system. Upon elimination of the tolls on express lanes pursuant 85 to subsection (2), such lanes may continue to exist but not as 86 express lanes. 87 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.