| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Professional Sports Development |
| 3 | Trust Fund; amending s. 320.08058, F.S.; removing a |
| 4 | timeframe restriction on the use of proceeds from the fund |
| 5 | for operational expenses of the Florida Sports Foundation |
| 6 | and financial support of the Sunshine State Games; |
| 7 | providing an effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (9) of section |
| 12 | 320.08058, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 13 | 320.08058 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 14 | (9) FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM LICENSE PLATES.-- |
| 15 | (b) The license plate annual use fees are to be annually |
| 16 | distributed as follows: |
| 17 | 1. Fifty-five percent of the proceeds from the Florida |
| 18 | Professional Sports Team plate must be deposited into the |
| 19 | Professional Sports Development Trust Fund within the Office of |
| 20 | Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. These funds must be |
| 21 | used solely to attract and support major sports events in this |
| 22 | state. As used in this subparagraph, the term "major sports |
| 23 | events" means, but is not limited to, championship or all-star |
| 24 | contests of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball |
| 25 | Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey |
| 26 | League, the men's and women's National Collegiate Athletic |
| 27 | Association Final Four basketball championship, or a horseracing |
| 28 | or dogracing Breeders' Cup. All funds must be used to support |
| 29 | and promote major sporting events, and the uses must be approved |
| 30 | by the Florida Sports Foundation. |
| 31 | 2. The remaining proceeds of the Florida Professional |
| 32 | Sports Team license plate must be allocated to the Florida |
| 33 | Sports Foundation, a direct-support organization of the Office |
| 34 | of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. These funds must be |
| 35 | deposited into the Professional Sports Development Trust Fund |
| 36 | within the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. |
| 37 | These funds must be used by the Florida Sports Foundation to |
| 38 | promote the economic development of the sports industry; to |
| 39 | distribute licensing and royalty fees to participating |
| 40 | professional sports teams; to promote education programs in |
| 41 | Florida schools that provide an awareness of the benefits of |
| 42 | physical activity and nutrition standards; to partner with the |
| 43 | Department of Education and the Department of Health to develop |
| 44 | a program that recognizes schools whose students demonstrate |
| 45 | excellent physical fitness or fitness improvement; to institute |
| 46 | a grant program for communities bidding on minor sporting events |
| 47 | that create an economic impact for the state; to distribute |
| 48 | funds to Florida-based charities designated by the Florida |
| 49 | Sports Foundation and the participating professional sports |
| 50 | teams; and to fulfill the sports promotion responsibilities of |
| 51 | the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. |
| 52 | 3. The Florida Sports Foundation shall provide an annual |
| 53 | financial audit in accordance with s. 215.981 of its financial |
| 54 | accounts and records by an independent certified public |
| 55 | accountant pursuant to the contract established by the Office of |
| 56 | Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development as specified in s. |
| 57 | 288.1229(5). The auditor shall submit the audit report to the |
| 58 | Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development for review |
| 59 | and approval. If the audit report is approved, the office shall |
| 60 | certify the audit report to the Auditor General for review. |
| 61 | 4. For the 2007-2008 fiscal year only and Notwithstanding |
| 62 | the provisions of subparagraphs 1. and 2., proceeds from the |
| 63 | Professional Sports Development Trust Fund may also be used for |
| 64 | operational expenses of the Florida Sports Foundation and |
| 65 | financial support of the Sunshine State Games. This subparagraph |
| 66 | expires July 1, 2008. |
| 67 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |