| 1 | The Committee on Finance & Tax recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to specialty license plates; amending ss. |
| 7 | 320.08056 and 320.08058, F.S.; creating the Save Our Seas |
| 8 | license plate and the Aquaculture license plate; providing |
| 9 | for the distribution of annual use fees received from the |
| 10 | sale of such plates; providing an 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. Paragraphs (ss) and (tt) are added to |
| 15 | subsection (4) of section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 16 | 320.08056 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 17 | (4) The following license plate annual use fees shall be |
| 18 | collected for the appropriate specialty license plates: |
| 19 | (ss) Save Our Seas license plate, $25, except that for an |
| 20 | owner purchasing the specialty license plate for more than 10 |
| 21 | vehicles registered to that owner, the annual use fee shall be |
| 22 | $10 per plate. |
| 23 | (tt) Aquaculture license plate, $25, except that for an |
| 24 | owner purchasing the specialty license plate for more than 10 |
| 25 | vehicles registered to that owner, the annual use fee shall be |
| 26 | $10 per plate. |
| 27 | Section 2. Subsections (45) and (46) are added to section |
| 28 | 320.08058, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 29 | 320.08058 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 30 | (45) SAVE OUR SEAS LICENSE PLATES.-- |
| 31 | (a) The department shall develop a Save Our Seas license |
| 32 | plate as provided in this section. Save Our Seas license plates |
| 33 | must bear the colors and design approved by the department. The |
| 34 | word "Florida" must appear at the top of the plate, and the |
| 35 | words "Save Our Seas" must appear at the bottom of the plate. |
| 36 | (b) The annual use fees shall be distributed to the Harbor |
| 37 | Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. After reimbursement for |
| 38 | documented costs expended for establishing the license plate, |
| 39 | the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc., shall use the |
| 40 | remaining funds for marine science research and education |
| 41 | programs as follows: |
| 42 | 1. Ten percent of the funds shall be distributed to the |
| 43 | Guy Harvey Research Institute of the Nova Southeastern |
| 44 | University Oceanographic Center to conduct fisheries and shark |
| 45 | research in the state. |
| 46 | 2. Up to 15 percent of the funds may be used for |
| 47 | administrative costs directly associated with the Harbor Branch |
| 48 | Oceanographic Institution's marine science and marine education |
| 49 | programs and administrative costs associated with the Save Our |
| 50 | Seas license plate. |
| 51 | 3. Up to 10 percent of the funds may be used for |
| 52 | continuing promotion and marketing of the license plate. |
| 53 | 4. The remaining funds shall be used to conduct scientific |
| 54 | research and education on marine plants and animals and coastal |
| 55 | oceanography in state marine waters; to collect and analyze |
| 56 | long-term data sets on the state's critical marine habitats; to |
| 57 | determine changes in populations and communities of marine |
| 58 | organisms and their impacts on the use of the state's marine |
| 59 | resources; to maintain reference collections of scientific |
| 60 | specimens and photographic archives of the state's marine plants |
| 61 | and animals; and to conduct scientific conferences of relevance |
| 62 | to the state's marine resources and their management, |
| 63 | utilization, and conservation. |
| 64 | (46) AQUACULTURE LICENSE PLATES.-- |
| 65 | (a) The department shall develop an Aquaculture license |
| 66 | plate as provided in this section. Aquaculture license plates |
| 67 | must bear the colors and design approved by the department. The |
| 68 | word "Florida" must appear at the top of the plate, and the word |
| 69 | "Aquaculture" must appear at the bottom of the plate. |
| 70 | (b) The annual use fees shall be distributed to the Harbor |
| 71 | Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc. After reimbursement for |
| 72 | documented costs expended for establishing the license plate, |
| 73 | the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc., shall use the |
| 74 | remaining funds for aquaculture research and education programs |
| 75 | as follows: |
| 76 | 1. Ten percent of the funds shall be distributed to the |
| 77 | Guy Harvey Research Institute of the Nova Southeastern |
| 78 | University Oceanographic Center to conduct outreach and |
| 79 | education regarding aquaculture in the state. |
| 80 | 2. Up to 15 percent of the funds may be used for |
| 81 | administrative costs directly associated with the Harbor Branch |
| 82 | Oceanographic Institution's aquaculture programs and |
| 83 | administrative costs associated with the Aquaculture license |
| 84 | plate. |
| 85 | 3. Up to 10 percent of the funds may be used for |
| 86 | continuing promotion and marketing of the license plate. |
| 87 | 4. The remaining funds shall be used to conduct scientific |
| 88 | research on environmentally responsible and sustainable methods |
| 89 | of farming freshwater and saltwater organisms such as fish, |
| 90 | shellfish, and crustaceans for food; biomedical species for |
| 91 | pharmaceutical and nutriceutical compounds; and marine |
| 92 | ornamentals for the aquarium trade. These funds shall also be |
| 93 | used to expand the institution's educational programs that |
| 94 | include secondary school field experiences, college degree |
| 95 | programs, and intensive courses in order to further the |
| 96 | objective of increasing aquaculture's contribution to the |
| 97 | state's economy. |
| 98 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |