| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to installations honoring military |
| 3 | veterans and their families; creating the "Ellwood |
| 4 | Robinson 'Bob' Pipping, Jr., Memorial Act"; providing a |
| 5 | popular name; providing purpose; authorizing the |
| 6 | Department of Transportation to enter into contract with a |
| 7 | group or organization for the installation and maintenance |
| 8 | of plaques, markers, monuments, memorials, or various |
| 9 | retired military equipment at rest stops; providing for a |
| 10 | committee to approve proposals for the contracts; |
| 11 | providing for membership and terms of members of the |
| 12 | committee; requiring approval by said committee for such |
| 13 | contracts; providing conditions for approval; providing |
| 14 | that the group or organization shall be responsible for |
| 15 | costs; requiring that the group or organization provide a |
| 16 | bond to secure certain costs; providing an effective date. |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Ellwood Robinson |
| 21 | 'Bob' Pipping, Jr., Memorial Act." |
| 22 | Section 2. The purpose of this act is to create an |
| 23 | environment in which the state's residents and visitors may be |
| 24 | reminded of the accomplishments made by Florida's military |
| 25 | veterans in past conflicts and the continuing sacrifices made by |
| 26 | those veterans and their families to protect the freedoms |
| 27 | Americans enjoy today. |
| 28 | Section 3. The Department of Transportation is authorized |
| 29 | to enter into contract with any group or organization for the |
| 30 | installation and maintenance of monuments and memorials honoring |
| 31 | Florida's military veterans at highway rest areas around the |
| 32 | state pursuant to the provisions of this section. |
| 33 | (1) Proposals for contracts under this act must be |
| 34 | approved by a committee composed of the secretary of the |
| 35 | Department of Transportation or the secretary's designee, the |
| 36 | executive director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs or the |
| 37 | executive director's designee, and three members of the Florida |
| 38 | Commission on Veterans' Affairs appointed by the chair of the |
| 39 | commission. Appointed members of the committee shall be |
| 40 | appointed for terms of not longer than 2 years and may be |
| 41 | reappointed to the committee. All appointed members' terms shall |
| 42 | expire on January 31 of each even-numbered year. |
| 43 | (2) Installations may consist of monuments, memorials, |
| 44 | plaques, markers, or various retired military equipment and must |
| 45 | honor the accomplishments of military veterans and the |
| 46 | sacrifices made by them and their families. |
| 47 | (3) The group or organization making the proposal shall be |
| 48 | responsible for all costs of the monument and its installation. |
| 49 | (4) The group or organization making the proposal shall be |
| 50 | responsible for the cost of maintenance of the monument. The |
| 51 | cost of maintenance shall be secured by sufficient funds |
| 52 | provided annually by the group or organization making the |
| 53 | proposal deposited into a maintenance account held by the |
| 54 | Department of Transportation. In addition, the group or |
| 55 | organization making the proposal shall provide a 10-year bond |
| 56 | securing the cost of removal of the monument and any |
| 57 | modifications made to the site as part of the placement of the |
| 58 | monument should the group or organization making the proposal |
| 59 | fail to provide sufficient funds for maintenance for a period of |
| 60 | 2 consecutive years. Prior to expiration, the bond shall be |
| 61 | renewed for another 10-year period if the memorial is to remain |
| 62 | in place. |
| 63 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |