Bill Text: FL S0600 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Rural Economic Development Initiative

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Rules [S0600 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S0600-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 600
       
       
        
       By Senator Grimsley
       
       26-00648A-17                                           2017600__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Rural Economic Development
    3         Initiative; amending s. 288.0001, F.S.; requiring an
    4         analysis of the Rural Economic Development Initiative
    5         and rural areas of opportunity; amending s. 288.0656,
    6         F.S.; revising legislative intent relating to the
    7         Rural Economic Development Initiative; redefining the
    8         term “rural area of opportunity”; revising the duties,
    9         responsibilities, and membership of the Rural Economic
   10         Development Initiative; deleting a provision limiting
   11         the number of rural areas of opportunity that may be
   12         designated; revising reporting requirements; amending
   13         ss. 163.3177, 163.3187, 257.193, 288.019, 288.06561,
   14         290.0055, 290.06561, 337.403, 339.2818, 339.2819,
   15         339.63, 479.16, and 627.6699, F.S.; conforming cross
   16         references; providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (2) of
   21  section 288.0001, Florida Statutes, to read:
   22         288.0001 Economic Development Programs Evaluation.—The
   23  Office of Economic and Demographic Research and the Office of
   24  Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA)
   25  shall develop and present to the Governor, the President of the
   26  Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
   27  chairs of the legislative appropriations committees the Economic
   28  Development Programs Evaluation.
   29         (2) The Office of Economic and Demographic Research and
   30  OPPAGA shall provide a detailed analysis of economic development
   31  programs as provided in the following schedule:
   32         (f)By January 1, 2020, and every 3 years thereafter, an
   33  analysis of rural areas of opportunity and the Rural Economic
   34  Development Initiative (REDI) established under s. 288.0656.
   35         Section 2. Section 288.0656, Florida Statutes, is amended
   36  to read:
   37         288.0656 Rural Economic Development Initiative.—
   38         (1)(a) Recognizing that rural communities and regions
   39  continue to face extraordinary challenges in their efforts to
   40  significantly improve their quality of life and economies,
   41  specifically in terms of personal income, education,
   42  infrastructure, access to healthcare, and job creation, average
   43  wages, and strong tax bases, it is the intent of the Legislature
   44  to encourage and facilitate:
   45         (a)Job creation through the location and expansion of
   46  major economic development projects of significant scale in such
   47  rural communities.
   48         (b)Improved community infrastructure, including, but not
   49  limited to, roads, utilities, water and sewer facilities, and
   50  broadband.
   51         (c)The development and expansion of a skilled workforce.
   52         (d)Improved access to healthcare.
   53         (2)(b) The Rural Economic Development Initiative, known as
   54  “REDI,” is created within the Department of Economic
   55  Opportunity, and the participation of state and regional
   56  agencies in this initiative is authorized.
   57         (3)(2) As used in this section, the term:
   58         (a) “Catalyst project” means a business locating or
   59  expanding in a rural area of opportunity to serve as an economic
   60  generator of regional significance for the growth of a regional
   61  target industry cluster. The project must provide capital
   62  investment on a scale significant enough to affect the entire
   63  region and result in the development of high-wage and high-skill
   64  jobs.
   65         (b) “Catalyst site” means a parcel or parcels of land
   66  within a rural area of opportunity that has been prioritized as
   67  a geographic site for economic development through partnerships
   68  with state, regional, and local organizations. The site must be
   69  reviewed by REDI and approved by the department for the purposes
   70  of locating a catalyst project.
   71         (c) “Economic distress” means conditions affecting the
   72  fiscal and economic viability of a rural community, including
   73  such factors as low per capita income, low per capita taxable
   74  values, high unemployment, high underemployment, low weekly
   75  earned wages compared to the state average, low housing values
   76  compared to the state average, high percentages of the
   77  population receiving public assistance, high poverty levels
   78  compared to the state average, and a lack of year-round stable
   79  employment opportunities.
   80         (d) “Rural area of opportunity” means a rural community, or
   81  a region composed of rural communities, designated by the
   82  Governor, which has been adversely affected by an extraordinary
   83  economic event, severe or chronic economic distress and faces
   84  competitive disadvantages such as low labor force participation,
   85  low educational attainment levels, high unemployment, a district
   86  grade of “D” or “F” pursuant to s. 1008.34, high infant
   87  mortality rates, and high diabetes and obesity rates and which,
   88  or a natural disaster or that presents a unique economic
   89  development opportunity of regional impact.
   90         (e) “Rural community” means:
   91         1. A county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   92         2. A county with a population of 125,000 or fewer which is
   93  contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
   94         3. A municipality within a county described in subparagraph
   95  1. or subparagraph 2.
   96         4. An unincorporated federal enterprise community or an
   97  incorporated rural city with a population of 25,000 or fewer and
   98  an employment base focused on traditional agricultural or
   99  resource-based industries, located in a county not defined as
  100  rural, which has at least three or more of the economic distress
  101  factors identified in paragraph (c) and verified by the
  102  department.
  103  
  104  For purposes of this paragraph, population shall be determined
  105  in accordance with the most recent official estimate pursuant to
  106  s. 186.901.
  107         (4)(3) REDI is shall be responsible for coordinating and
  108  focusing the efforts and resources of state and regional
  109  agencies on the challenges of the state’s rural areas of
  110  opportunity and economically distressed rural communities. REDI
  111  shall work problems which affect the fiscal, economic, and
  112  community viability of Florida’s economically distressed rural
  113  communities, working with local governments, community-based
  114  organizations, and private organizations that have an interest
  115  in the renewed prosperity and competitiveness of growth and
  116  development of these communities to find ways to balance
  117  environmental and growth management issues with local needs.
  118         (5)(4) REDI shall review and evaluate the impact of
  119  statutes and rules on rural communities and shall work to
  120  minimize any adverse impact and undertake outreach and capacity
  121  building efforts to improve rural communities’ ability to
  122  compete in a global economy.
  123         (6)(5) REDI shall facilitate better access to state
  124  resources by promoting direct access and referrals to
  125  appropriate state and regional agencies and statewide
  126  organizations. REDI may undertake outreach, capacity-building,
  127  and other advocacy efforts to improve conditions in rural
  128  communities. These activities may include sponsorship of
  129  conferences and achievement awards.
  130         (7)(a)REDI shall consist of the following members:
  131         1.The executive director of the Department of Economic
  132  Opportunity or his or her designee, who shall serve as the
  133  chair.
  134         2.The Secretary of Transportation or his or her designee.
  135         3.The Secretary of Environmental Protection or his or her
  136  designee.
  137         4.The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee.
  138         5.The State Surgeon General or his or her designee.
  139         6.The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee.
  140         7.The President of Enterprise Florida, Inc., or his or her
  141  designee.
  142         8.The chair of the board of directors of CareerSource
  143  Florida, Inc., or his or her designee.
  144         9.The chair of the board of the regional economic
  145  development organization for each of the rural areas of
  146  opportunity or his or her designee.
  147         10.Five members from the private sector, three of whom
  148  shall be appointed by the executive director of the Department
  149  of Economic Opportunity, one of whom shall be appointed by the
  150  President of the Senate, and one of whom shall be appointed by
  151  the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
  152         (b)In making their appointments, the executive director,
  153  the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  154  Representatives shall ensure that the appointments reflect the
  155  diversity of Florida’s business community and are representative
  156  of the economic development goals in subsection (1).
  157         (c)The executive director, the President of the Senate,
  158  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall consider
  159  appointees who reflect the state’s racial, ethnic, and gender
  160  diversity and who are from rural communities.
  161         (d)Each appointed member shall be appointed to a 2-year
  162  term, which begins on July 1 and expires on June 30.
  163         (e)Initial appointments shall be made by July 1, 2017.
  164         (f)A vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of an
  165  unexpired term and filled in the same manner as the original
  166  appointment.
  167         (g)An appointed member may be removed by the appointing
  168  officer for cause. Absence of a member from three consecutive
  169  meetings results in automatic removal.
  170         (h)The chair may request the head of any state agency or
  171  organization to serve on an ad hoc committee as needed to
  172  address issues or projects relating to rural areas of
  173  opportunity and economically distressed rural communities. The
  174  chair shall consider requesting the following individuals to
  175  serve on an ad hoc committee:
  176         1.The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife
  177  Conservation Commission or his or her designee.
  178         2.The Secretary of State or his or her designee.
  179         3.The Secretary of Children and Families or his or her
  180  designee.
  181         4.The Secretary of Corrections or his or her designee.
  182         5.The Secretary of Juvenile Justice or his or her
  183  designee.
  184         6.The Secretary of Health Care Administration or his or
  185  her designee.
  186         7.A board member of the Florida Regional Councils
  187  Association or his or her designee.
  188         (6)(a)By August 1 of each year, the head of each of the
  189  following agencies and organizations shall designate a deputy
  190  secretary or higher-level staff person from within the agency or
  191  organization to serve as the REDI representative for the agency
  192  or organization:
  193         1.The Department of Transportation.
  194         2.The Department of Environmental Protection.
  195         3.The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
  196         4.The Department of State.
  197         5.The Department of Health.
  198         6.The Department of Children and Families.
  199         7.The Department of Corrections.
  200         8.The Department of Education.
  201         9.The Department of Juvenile Justice.
  202         10.The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
  203         11.Each water management district.
  204         12.Enterprise Florida, Inc.
  205         13.CareerSource Florida, Inc.
  206         14.VISIT Florida.
  207         15.The Florida Regional Planning Council Association.
  208         16.The Agency for Health Care Administration.
  209         17.The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).
  210  
  211  An alternate for each designee shall also be chosen, and the
  212  names of the designees and alternates shall be sent to the
  213  executive director of the department.
  214         (i)(b) Each REDI member from a state agency or organization
  215  representative must have comprehensive knowledge of his or her
  216  agency’s functions, both regulatory and service in nature, and
  217  of the state’s economic goals, policies, and programs. This
  218  person shall be the primary point of contact for his or her
  219  agency with REDI on issues and projects relating to rural areas
  220  of opportunity and economically distressed rural communities and
  221  with regard to expediting project review, shall ensure a prompt
  222  effective response to problems arising with regard to rural
  223  issues, and shall work closely with the other REDI members
  224  representatives in the identification of opportunities for
  225  preferential awards of program funds and allowances and waiver
  226  of program requirements when necessary to encourage and
  227  facilitate long-term private capital investment and job
  228  creation. The member shall also ensure that each district office
  229  or facility of his or her agency or organization is informed
  230  about REDI and shall provide assistance throughout the agency in
  231  the implementation of REDI activities.
  232         (c)The REDI representatives shall work with REDI in the
  233  review and evaluation of statutes and rules for adverse impact
  234  on rural communities and the development of alternative
  235  proposals to mitigate that impact.
  236         (d)Each REDI representative shall be responsible for
  237  ensuring that each district office or facility of his or her
  238  agency is informed about the Rural Economic Development
  239  Initiative and for providing assistance throughout the agency in
  240  the implementation of REDI activities.
  241         (8)(7)(a) REDI may recommend to the Governor up to three
  242  rural areas of opportunity. The Governor may by executive order
  243  designate up to three rural areas of opportunity which will
  244  establish these areas as priority assignments for REDI. as well
  245  as to allow The Governor may, acting through REDI, to waive
  246  criteria, requirements, or similar provisions of any economic
  247  development incentive. Such incentives shall include, but are
  248  not limited to, the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program
  249  under s. 288.106, the Quick Response Training Program under s.
  250  288.047, the Quick Response Training Program for participants in
  251  the welfare transition program under s. 288.047(8),
  252  transportation projects under s. 339.2821, the brownfield
  253  redevelopment bonus refund under s. 288.107, and the rural job
  254  tax credit program under ss. 212.098 and 220.1895.
  255         (b) Designation as a rural area of opportunity under this
  256  subsection shall be contingent upon the execution of a
  257  memorandum of agreement among the department; the governing body
  258  of the county; and the governing bodies of any municipalities to
  259  be included within a rural area of opportunity. Such agreement
  260  shall specify the terms and conditions of the designation,
  261  including, but not limited to, the duties and responsibilities
  262  of the county and any participating municipalities to take
  263  actions designed to facilitate the retention and expansion of
  264  existing businesses in the area, as well as the recruitment of
  265  new businesses to the area.
  266         (c) Each rural area of opportunity may designate catalyst
  267  projects, provided that each catalyst project is specifically
  268  recommended by REDI, identified as a catalyst project by
  269  Enterprise Florida, Inc., and confirmed as a catalyst project by
  270  the department. All state agencies and departments shall use all
  271  available tools and resources to the extent permissible by law
  272  to promote the creation and development of each catalyst project
  273  and the development of catalyst sites.
  274         (9)(8)Before September 1 of each year, REDI shall submit a
  275  report to the department, the Governor, the President of the
  276  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a
  277  complete and detailed report, including, but not limited to on
  278  all REDI activities for the previous fiscal year as a supplement
  279  to the department’s annual report required under s. 20.60. This
  280  supplementary report must include:
  281         (a) A description of the operations of status report on all
  282  projects currently being coordinated through REDI, the number of
  283  preferential awards and allowances made pursuant to this
  284  section, the dollar amount of such awards, and the names of the
  285  recipients, and an evaluation of progress toward achieving
  286  organizational goals and specific performance outcomes, as
  287  established by the department.
  288         (b) A description of the accomplishments of REDI and
  289  identification of major trends, initiatives, or developments
  290  affecting the performance of a program or activity coordinated
  291  through REDI.
  292         (c) A description of all waivers of program requirements
  293  granted.
  294         (d)(c) Information as to the economic impact of the
  295  projects coordinated by REDI.
  296         (e)(d) Recommendations based on the review and evaluation
  297  of statutes and rules having an adverse impact on rural
  298  communities and proposals to mitigate such adverse impacts.
  299         Section 3. Paragraph (e) of subsection (7) of section
  300  163.3177, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  301         163.3177 Required and optional elements of comprehensive
  302  plan; studies and surveys.—
  303         (7)
  304         (e) This subsection does not confer the status of rural
  305  area of opportunity, or any of the rights or benefits derived
  306  from such status, on any land area not otherwise designated as
  307  such pursuant to s. 288.0656(8) s. 288.0656(7).
  308         Section 4. Subsection (3) of section 163.3187, Florida
  309  Statutes, is amended to read:
  310         163.3187 Process for adoption of small-scale comprehensive
  311  plan amendment.—
  312         (3) If the small scale development amendment involves a
  313  site within a rural area of opportunity as defined under s.
  314  288.0656(3)(d) s. 288.0656(2)(d) for the duration of such
  315  designation, the 10-acre limit listed in subsection (1) shall be
  316  increased by 100 percent to 20 acres. The local government
  317  approving the small scale plan amendment shall certify to the
  318  state land planning agency that the plan amendment furthers the
  319  economic objectives set forth in the executive order issued
  320  under s. 288.0656(8) s. 288.0656(7), and the property subject to
  321  the plan amendment shall undergo public review to ensure that
  322  all concurrency requirements and federal, state, and local
  323  environmental permit requirements are met.
  324         Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 257.193, Florida
  325  Statutes, is amended to read:
  326         257.193 Community Libraries in Caring Program.—
  327         (2) The purpose of the Community Libraries in Caring
  328  Program is to assist libraries in rural communities, as defined
  329  in s. 288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2) and subject to the provisions
  330  of s. 288.06561, to strengthen their collections and services,
  331  improve literacy in their communities, and improve the economic
  332  viability of their communities.
  333         Section 6. Section 288.019, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  334  read:
  335         288.019 Rural considerations in grant review and evaluation
  336  processes.—Notwithstanding any other law, and to the fullest
  337  extent possible, the member agencies and organizations of the
  338  Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) as defined in s.
  339  288.0656(7)(a) s. 288.0656(6)(a) shall review all grant and loan
  340  application evaluation criteria to ensure the fullest access for
  341  rural counties as defined in s. 288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2) to
  342  resources available throughout the state.
  343         (1) Each REDI agency and organization shall review all
  344  evaluation and scoring procedures and develop modifications to
  345  those procedures which minimize the impact of a project within a
  346  rural area.
  347         (2) Evaluation criteria and scoring procedures must provide
  348  for an appropriate ranking based on the proportionate impact
  349  that projects have on a rural area when compared with similar
  350  project impacts on an urban area.
  351         (3) Evaluation criteria and scoring procedures must
  352  recognize the disparity of available fiscal resources for an
  353  equal level of financial support from an urban county and a
  354  rural county.
  355         (a) The evaluation criteria should weight contribution in
  356  proportion to the amount of funding available at the local
  357  level.
  358         (b) In-kind match should be allowed and applied as
  359  financial match when a county is experiencing financial distress
  360  through elevated unemployment at a rate in excess of the state’s
  361  average by 5 percentage points or because of the loss of its ad
  362  valorem base.
  363         (4) For existing programs, the modified evaluation criteria
  364  and scoring procedure must be delivered to the department for
  365  distribution to the REDI agencies and organizations. The REDI
  366  agencies and organizations shall review and make comments.
  367  Future rules, programs, evaluation criteria, and scoring
  368  processes must be brought before a REDI meeting for review,
  369  discussion, and recommendation to allow rural counties fuller
  370  access to the state’s resources.
  371         Section 7. Section 288.06561, Florida Statutes, is amended
  372  to read:
  373         288.06561 Reduction or waiver of financial match
  374  requirements.—Notwithstanding any other law, the member agencies
  375  and organizations of the Rural Economic Development Initiative
  376  (REDI), as defined in s. 288.0656(7)(a) s. 288.0656(6)(a), shall
  377  review the financial match requirements for projects in rural
  378  areas as defined in s. 288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2).
  379         (1) Each agency and organization shall develop a proposal
  380  to waive or reduce the match requirement for rural areas.
  381         (2) Agencies and organizations shall ensure that all
  382  proposals are submitted to the department for review by the REDI
  383  agencies.
  384         (3) These proposals shall be delivered to the department
  385  for distribution to the REDI agencies and organizations. A
  386  meeting of REDI agencies and organizations must be called within
  387  30 days after receipt of such proposals for REDI comment and
  388  recommendations on each proposal.
  389         (4) Waivers and reductions must be requested by the county
  390  or community, and such county or community must have three or
  391  more of the factors identified in s. 288.0656(3)(c) s.
  392  288.0656(2)(c).
  393         (5) Any other funds available to the project may be used
  394  for financial match of federal programs when there is fiscal
  395  hardship, and the match requirements may not be waived or
  396  reduced.
  397         (6) When match requirements are not reduced or eliminated,
  398  donations of land, though usually not recognized as an in-kind
  399  match, may be permitted.
  400         (7) To the fullest extent possible, agencies and
  401  organizations shall expedite the rule adoption and amendment
  402  process if necessary to incorporate the reduction in match by
  403  rural areas in fiscal distress.
  404         (8) REDI shall include in its annual report an evaluation
  405  on the status of changes to rules, number of awards made with
  406  waivers, and recommendations for future changes.
  407         Section 8. Paragraph (d) of subsection (6) of section
  408  290.0055, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  409         290.0055 Local nominating procedure.—
  410         (6)
  411         (d)1. The governing body of a jurisdiction which has
  412  nominated an application for an enterprise zone that is at least
  413  15 square miles and less than 20 square miles and includes a
  414  portion of the state designated as a rural area of opportunity
  415  under s. 288.0656(8) s. 288.0656(7) may apply to the department
  416  to expand the boundary of the existing enterprise zone by not
  417  more than 3 square miles.
  418         2. The governing body of a jurisdiction which has nominated
  419  an application for an enterprise zone that is at least 20 square
  420  miles and includes a portion of the state designated as a rural
  421  area of opportunity under s. 288.0656(8) s. 288.0656(7) may
  422  apply to the department to expand the boundary of the existing
  423  enterprise zone by not more than 5 square miles.
  424         3. An application to expand the boundary of an enterprise
  425  zone under this paragraph must be submitted by December 31,
  426  2013.
  427         4. Notwithstanding the area limitations specified in
  428  subsection (4), the department may approve the request for a
  429  boundary amendment if the area continues to satisfy the
  430  remaining requirements of this section.
  431         5. The department shall establish the initial effective
  432  date of an enterprise zone designated under this paragraph.
  433         Section 9. Section 290.06561, Florida Statutes, is amended
  434  to read:
  435         290.06561 Designation of rural enterprise zone as catalyst
  436  site.—Notwithstanding s. 290.0065(1), the Department of Economic
  437  Opportunity, upon request of the host county, shall designate as
  438  a rural enterprise zone any catalyst site as defined in s.
  439  288.0656(3)(b) s. 288.0656(2)(b) that was approved before
  440  January 1, 2010, and that is not located in an existing rural
  441  enterprise zone. The request from the host county must include
  442  the legal description of the catalyst site and the name and
  443  contact information for the county development authority
  444  responsible for managing the catalyst site. The designation
  445  shall provide businesses locating within the catalyst site the
  446  same eligibility for economic incentives and other benefits of a
  447  rural enterprise zone designated under s. 290.0065. The
  448  reporting criteria for a catalyst site designated as a rural
  449  enterprise zone under this section are the same as for other
  450  rural enterprise zones. Host county development authorities may
  451  enter into memoranda of agreement, as necessary, to coordinate
  452  their efforts to implement this section.
  453         Section 10. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section
  454  337.403, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  455         337.403 Interference caused by utility; expenses.—
  456         (1) If a utility that is placed upon, under, over, or
  457  within the right-of-way limits of any public road or publicly
  458  owned rail corridor is found by the authority to be unreasonably
  459  interfering in any way with the convenient, safe, or continuous
  460  use, or the maintenance, improvement, extension, or expansion,
  461  of such public road or publicly owned rail corridor, the utility
  462  owner shall, upon 30 days’ written notice to the utility or its
  463  agent by the authority, initiate the work necessary to alleviate
  464  the interference at its own expense except as provided in
  465  paragraphs (a)-(j). The work must be completed within such
  466  reasonable time as stated in the notice or such time as agreed
  467  to by the authority and the utility owner.
  468         (h) If a municipally owned utility or county-owned utility
  469  is located in a rural area of opportunity, as defined in s.
  470  288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2), and the department determines that
  471  the utility is unable, and will not be able within the next 10
  472  years, to pay for the cost of utility work necessitated by a
  473  department project on the State Highway System, the department
  474  may pay, in whole or in part, the cost of such utility work
  475  performed by the department or its contractor.
  476         Section 11. Subsection (7) of section 339.2818, Florida
  477  Statutes, is amended to read:
  478         339.2818 Small County Outreach Program.—
  479         (7) Subject to a specific appropriation in addition to
  480  funds annually appropriated for projects under this section, a
  481  municipality within a rural area of opportunity or a rural area
  482  of opportunity community designated under s. 288.0656(8)(a) s.
  483  288.0656(7)(a) may compete for the additional project funding
  484  using the criteria listed in subsection (4) at up to 100 percent
  485  of project costs, excluding capacity improvement projects.
  486         Section 12. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
  487  339.2819, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  488         339.2819 Transportation Regional Incentive Program.—
  489         (4)
  490         (c) The department shall give priority to projects that:
  491         1. Provide connectivity to the Strategic Intermodal System
  492  developed under s. 339.64.
  493         2. Support economic development and the movement of goods
  494  in rural areas of opportunity designated under s. 288.0656(8) s.
  495  288.0656(7).
  496         3. Are subject to a local ordinance that establishes
  497  corridor management techniques, including access management
  498  strategies, right-of-way acquisition and protection measures,
  499  appropriate land use strategies, zoning, and setback
  500  requirements for adjacent land uses.
  501         4. Improve connectivity between military installations and
  502  the Strategic Highway Network or the Strategic Rail Corridor
  503  Network.
  504  
  505  The department shall also consider the extent to which local
  506  matching funds are available to be committed to the project.
  507         Section 13. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section
  508  339.63, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  509         339.63 System facilities designated; additions and
  510  deletions.—
  511         (5)
  512         (b) A facility designated part of the Strategic Intermodal
  513  System pursuant to paragraph (a) that is within the jurisdiction
  514  of a local government that maintains a transportation
  515  concurrency system shall receive a waiver of transportation
  516  concurrency requirements applicable to Strategic Intermodal
  517  System facilities in order to accommodate any development at the
  518  facility which occurs pursuant to a building permit issued on or
  519  before December 31, 2017, but only if such facility is located:
  520         1. Within an area designated pursuant to s. 288.0656(8) s.
  521  288.0656(7) as a rural area of opportunity;
  522         2. Within a rural enterprise zone as defined in s.
  523  290.004(5); or
  524         3. Within 15 miles of the boundary of a rural area of
  525  opportunity or a rural enterprise zone.
  526         Section 14. Subsection (16) of section 479.16, Florida
  527  Statutes, is amended to read:
  528         479.16 Signs for which permits are not required.—The
  529  following signs are exempt from the requirement that a permit
  530  for a sign be obtained under this chapter but are required to
  531  comply with s. 479.11(4)-(8), and subsections (15)-(20) may not
  532  be implemented or continued if the Federal Government notifies
  533  the department that implementation or continuation will
  534  adversely affect the allocation of federal funds to the
  535  department:
  536         (16) Signs placed by a local tourist-oriented business
  537  located within a rural area of opportunity as defined in s.
  538  288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2) which are:
  539         (a) Not more than 8 square feet in size or more than 4 feet
  540  in height;
  541         (b) Located only in rural areas on a facility that does not
  542  meet the definition of a limited access facility, as defined in
  543  s. 334.03;
  544         (c) Located within 2 miles of the business location and at
  545  least 500 feet apart;
  546         (d) Located only in two directions leading to the business;
  547  and
  548         (e) Not located within the road right-of-way.
  549  
  550  A business placing such signs must be at least 4 miles from any
  551  other business using this exemption and may not participate in
  552  any other directional signage program by the department.
  553  
  554  If the exemptions in subsections (15)-(20) are not implemented
  555  or continued due to notification from the Federal Government
  556  that the allocation of federal funds to the department will be
  557  adversely impacted, the department shall provide notice to the
  558  sign owner that the sign must be removed within 30 days after
  559  receipt of the notice. If the sign is not removed within 30 days
  560  after receipt of the notice by the sign owner, the department
  561  may remove the sign, and the costs incurred in connection with
  562  the sign removal shall be assessed against and collected from
  563  the sign owner.
  564         Section 15. Paragraph (d) of subsection (14) of section
  565  627.6699, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  566         627.6699 Employee Health Care Access Act.—
  567         (14) SMALL EMPLOYERS ACCESS PROGRAM.—
  568         (d) Eligibility.—
  569         1. Any small employer that is actively engaged in business,
  570  has its principal place of business in this state, employs up to
  571  25 eligible employees on business days during the preceding
  572  calendar year, employs at least 2 employees on the first day of
  573  the plan year, and has had no prior coverage for the last 6
  574  months may participate.
  575         2. Any municipality, county, school district, or hospital
  576  employer located in a rural community as defined in s.
  577  288.0656(3) s. 288.0656(2) may participate.
  578         3. Nursing home employers may participate.
  579         4. Each dependent of a person eligible for coverage is also
  580  eligible to participate.
  581  
  582  Any employer participating in the program must do so until the
  583  end of the term for which the carrier providing the coverage is
  584  obligated to provide such coverage to the program. Coverage for
  585  a small employer group that ceases to meet the eligibility
  586  requirements of this section may be terminated at the end of the
  587  policy period for which the necessary premiums have been paid.
  588         Section 16. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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