Florida Senate - 2014                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 218
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì243762.Î243762                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/13/2014           .                                
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       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 123 and 124
    4  insert:
    5         Section 2. Subsection (7) is added to section 339.2818,
    6  Florida Statutes, to read:
    7         339.2818 Small County Outreach Program.—
    8         (1) There is created within the Department of
    9  Transportation the Small County Outreach Program. The purpose of
   10  this program is to assist small county governments in repairing
   11  or rehabilitating county bridges, paving unpaved roads,
   12  addressing road-related drainage improvements, resurfacing or
   13  reconstructing county roads, or constructing capacity or safety
   14  improvements to county roads.
   15         (2) For the purposes of this section, the term “small
   16  county” means any county that has a population of 150,000 or
   17  less as determined by the most recent official estimate pursuant
   18  to s. 186.901.
   19         (3) Funds allocated under this program, pursuant to s. 4,
   20  ch. 2000-257, Laws of Florida, are in addition to any funds
   21  provided pursuant to s. 339.2816, for the Small County Road
   22  Assistance Program.
   23         (4)(a) Small counties shall be eligible to compete for
   24  funds that have been designated for the Small County Outreach
   25  Program for projects on county roads. The department shall fund
   26  75 percent of the cost of projects on county roads funded under
   27  the program.
   28         (b) In determining a county’s eligibility for assistance
   29  under this program, the department may consider whether the
   30  county has attempted to keep county roads in satisfactory
   31  condition, which may be evidenced through an established
   32  pavement management plan.
   33         (c) The following criteria shall be used to prioritize road
   34  projects for funding under the program:
   35         1. The primary criterion is the physical condition of the
   36  road as measured by the department.
   37         2. As secondary criteria the department may consider:
   38         a. Whether a road is used as an evacuation route.
   39         b. Whether a road has high levels of agricultural travel.
   40         c. Whether a road is considered a major arterial route.
   41         d. Whether a road is considered a feeder road.
   42         e. Information as evidenced to the department through an
   43  established pavement management plan.
   44         f. Other criteria related to the impact of a project on the
   45  public road system or on the state or local economy as
   46  determined by the department.
   47         (5) The department is authorized to administer contracts on
   48  behalf of a county selected to receive funding for a project
   49  under this section. All projects funded under this section shall
   50  be included in the department’s work program developed pursuant
   51  to s. 339.135.
   52         (6) Funds paid into the State Transportation Trust Fund
   53  pursuant to s. 201.15 for the purposes of the Small County
   54  Outreach Program are hereby annually appropriated for
   55  expenditure to support the Small County Outreach Program.
   56         (7) Subject to a specific appropriation in addition to
   57  funds annually appropriated for projects under this section, a
   58  municipality within a rural area of critical economic concern or
   59  a rural area of critical economic concern community designated
   60  under s. 288.0656(7)(a) may compete for the additional project
   61  funding using the criteria listed in subsection (4) at up to
   62  100% of project costs, excluding capacity improvement projects.
   63  
   64  
   65  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   66  And the title is amended as follows:
   67         Delete line 9
   68  and insert:
   69         under certain circumstances; authorizing a
   70         municipality with in a rural area of critical economic
   71         concern or a rural area of critical economic concern
   72         community to compete for project funding using Small
   73         County Outreach Program criteria, subject to an
   74         appropriation in addition to funds annually
   75         appropriated to the Small County Outreach Program,
   76         excluding capacity improvement projects; amending s.
   77         479.16, F.S.;