| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Department of Transportation; |
| 3 | amending s. 339.2816, F.S., relating to the Small County |
| 4 | Road Assistance Program; providing for resumption of |
| 5 | certain funding for the program; revising criteria for |
| 6 | program eligibility; revising criteria for prioritization |
| 7 | of projects; amending s. 339.2818, F.S., relating to the |
| 8 | Small County Outreach Program; revising the purpose of the |
| 9 | program to include certain project types; providing an |
| 10 | effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Subsection (3) and paragraphs (b) and (c) of |
| 15 | subsection (4) of section 339.2816, Florida Statutes, are |
| 16 | amended to read: |
| 17 | 339.2816 Small County Road Assistance Program.-- |
| 18 | (3) Beginning with fiscal year 1999-2000 until fiscal year |
| 19 | 2009-2010, and beginning again with fiscal year 2012-2013, up to |
| 20 | $25 million annually from the State Transportation Trust Fund |
| 21 | may be used for the purposes of funding the Small County Road |
| 22 | Assistance Program as described in this section. |
| 23 | (4) |
| 24 | (b) In determining a county's eligibility for assistance |
| 25 | under this program, the department may consider whether the |
| 26 | county has attempted to keep county roads in satisfactory |
| 27 | condition, including the amount of local option fuel tax and ad |
| 28 | valorem millage rate imposed by the county. The department may |
| 29 | also consider the extent to which the county has offered to |
| 30 | provide a match of local funds with state funds provided under |
| 31 | the program. At a minimum, small counties shall be eligible only |
| 32 | if: |
| 33 | 1. the county has enacted the maximum rate of the local |
| 34 | option fuel tax authorized by s. 336.025(1)(a)., and has imposed |
| 35 | an ad valorem millage rate of at least 8 mills; or |
| 36 | 2. The county has imposed an ad valorem millage rate of 10 |
| 37 | mills. |
| 38 | (c) The following criteria must shall be used to |
| 39 | prioritize road projects for funding under the program: |
| 40 | 1. The primary criterion is the physical condition of the |
| 41 | road as measured by the department. |
| 42 | 2. As secondary criteria the department may consider: |
| 43 | a. Whether a road is used as an evacuation route. |
| 44 | b. Whether a road has high levels of agricultural travel. |
| 45 | c. Whether a road is considered a major arterial route. |
| 46 | d. Whether a road is considered a feeder road. |
| 47 | e. Whether a road is located in a fiscally constrained |
| 48 | county as defined in s. 218.67(1). |
| 49 | f.e. Other criteria related to the impact of a project on |
| 50 | the public road system or on the state or local economy as |
| 51 | determined by the department. |
| 52 | Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 339.2818, Florida |
| 53 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 54 | 339.2818 Small County Outreach Program.-- |
| 55 | (1) There is created within the Department of |
| 56 | Transportation the Small County Outreach Program. The purpose of |
| 57 | this program is to assist small county governments in repairing |
| 58 | or rehabilitating county bridges, paving unpaved roads, |
| 59 | addressing road-related drainage improvements, resurfacing or |
| 60 | reconstructing county roads, or in constructing capacity or |
| 61 | safety improvements to county roads. |
| 62 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |