| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to regional cultural facilities; amending |
| 3 | s. 265.702, F.S.; specifying primary considerations for |
| 4 | the award of a grant of state funds to a county, |
| 5 | municipality, or qualifying nonprofit corporation for the |
| 6 | acquisition, renovation, or construction of a regional |
| 7 | cultural facility; revising the time period during which a |
| 8 | specified total amount of grants may be awarded to a |
| 9 | regional cultural facility; providing for adjustment of |
| 10 | the total cost of a regional cultural facility project |
| 11 | within specified limits; providing for the use of grant |
| 12 | funds if commencement of a project occurs prior to the |
| 13 | award of such funds; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Subsection (7) of section 265.702, Florida |
| 18 | Statutes, is amended, subsection (8) is renumbered as subsection |
| 19 | (9), and a new subsection (8) is added to said section, to read: |
| 20 | 265.702 Regional cultural facilities; grants for |
| 21 | acquisition, renovation, or construction; funding; approval; |
| 22 | allocation.-- |
| 23 | (7) The two primary considerations for the award of a |
| 24 | grant are the quality of the entire project being proposed and |
| 25 | the reliability of the prospects of achieving the match required |
| 26 | by subsection (3). The annual amount of a grant made under this |
| 27 | section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 10 percent |
| 28 | of the total costs of the regional cultural facility. The total |
| 29 | amount of the grants awarded to a regional cultural facility in |
| 30 | a 10-year 5-year period may not exceed the lesser of $10 million |
| 31 | or 10 percent of the total costs of a regional cultural |
| 32 | facility. The total cost of a regional cultural facility must be |
| 33 | calculated with respect to the primary scope of the original |
| 34 | proposal as submitted under this section. However, because it is |
| 35 | recognized that major projects as contemplated by this section |
| 36 | often require changes in scope to reflect unexpected costs, the |
| 37 | incorporation of alternatives elected for reasons of aesthetics |
| 38 | or cost, or modifications of design, the total cost of a |
| 39 | regional cultural facility project may be adjusted by additions |
| 40 | to or modifications of the project as originally proposed so |
| 41 | long as the cost of such additions or modifications does not |
| 42 | exceed 25 percent of the total cost as originally proposed and |
| 43 | does not change the basic nature of the proposed project and may |
| 44 | not include the cost of any additions that change the scope of |
| 45 | the regional cultural facility, such as additional facilities or |
| 46 | significant design alterations. |
| 47 | (8) State funds granted under this section for a project |
| 48 | commenced prior to the award of such funds may be used to repay |
| 49 | the county, municipality, or qualified corporation for project |
| 50 | construction costs incurred from the commencement of the project |
| 51 | to the time at which funds are made available in accordance with |
| 52 | rules adopted by the Division of Cultural Affairs of the |
| 53 | Department of State. |
| 54 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |