Bill Text: FL S0964 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Specialty License Plates
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2015-05-01 - Died in Transportation, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 7055 (Ch. 2015-163) [S0964 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S0964-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2015 SB 964 By Senator Stargel 15-00743A-15 2015964__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to specialty license plates; amending 3 s. 320.08058, F.S.; directing the Department of 4 Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop a Florida 5 Professional Sports Team license plate for Major 6 League Soccer teams domiciled in this state; requiring 7 any Florida Professional Sports Team license plate 8 created or established after a certain date to comply 9 with specified requirements and be specifically 10 authorized by an act of the Legislature; providing 11 that the term “major sports events” includes, but is 12 not limited to, championship or all-star contests of 13 Major League Soccer for certain funding purposes; 14 providing that certain funds be used to distribute 15 licensing and royalty fees to participating 16 professional sports leagues; providing an effective 17 date. 18 19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20 21 Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 320.08058, Florida 22 Statutes, is amended to read: 23 320.08058 Specialty license plates.— 24 (9) FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM LICENSE PLATES.— 25 (a) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles 26 shall develop a Florida Professional Sports Team license plate 27 as provided in this section for Major League Baseball, National 28 Basketball Association, National Football League, Arena Football 29 Teams,andNational Hockey League, and Major League Soccer teams 30 domiciled in this state. However, any Florida Professional 31 Sports Team license plate created or established after January 32 1, 20171997, must comply with the requirements of s. 320.08053 33 and be specifically authorized by an act of the Legislature. 34 Florida Professional Sports Team license plates must bear the 35 colors and design approved by the department and must include 36 the official league or team logo, or both, as appropriate for 37 each team. The word “Florida” must appear at the top of the 38 plate. 39 (b) The license plate annual use fees are to be annually 40 distributed as follows: 41 1. Fifty-five percent of the proceeds from the Florida 42 Professional Sports Team plate must be deposited into the 43 Professional Sports Development Trust Fund within the Department 44 of Economic Opportunity. These funds must be used solely to 45 attract and support major sports events in this state. As used 46 in this subparagraph, the term “major sports events” means, but 47 is not limited to, championship or all-star contests of Major 48 League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the 49 National Football League, the National Hockey League, Major 50 League Soccer, the men’s and women’s National Collegiate 51 Athletic Association Final Four basketball championship, or a 52 horseracing or dogracing Breeders’ Cup. All funds must be used 53 to support and promote major sporting events, and the uses must 54 be approved by the Department of Economic Opportunity. 55 2. The remaining proceeds of the Florida Professional 56 Sports Team license plate must be allocated to Enterprise 57 Florida, Inc. These funds must be deposited into the 58 Professional Sports Development Trust Fund within the Department 59 of Economic Opportunity. These funds must be used by Enterprise 60 Florida, Inc., to promote the economic development of the sports 61 industry; to distribute licensing and royalty fees to 62 participating professional sports leaguesteams; to promote 63 education programs in Florida schools that provide an awareness 64 of the benefits of physical activity and nutrition standards; to 65 partner with the Department of Education and the Department of 66 Health to develop a program that recognizes schools whose 67 students demonstrate excellent physical fitness or fitness 68 improvement; to institute a grant program for communities 69 bidding on minor sporting events that create an economic impact 70 for the state; to distribute funds to Florida-based charities 71 designated by Enterprise Florida, Inc., and the participating 72 professional sports teams; and to fulfill the sports promotion 73 responsibilities of the Department of Economic Opportunity. 74 3. Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall provide an annual 75 financial audit in accordance with s. 215.981 of its financial 76 accounts and records by an independent certified public 77 accountant pursuant to the contract established by the 78 Department of Economic Opportunity. The auditor shall submit the 79 audit report to the Department of Economic Opportunity for 80 review and approval. If the audit report is approved, the 81 Department of Economic Opportunity shall certify the audit 82 report to the Auditor General for review. 83 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs 1. and 84 2., proceeds from the Professional Sports Development Trust Fund 85 may also be used for operational expenses of Enterprise Florida, 86 Inc., and financial support of the Sunshine State Games. 87 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.