Florida Senate - 2015                                  SB 2520-A
       
       
        
       By Senator Lee
       
       
       
       
       
       24-00017-15A                                         20152520A__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to trust funds; creating s. 20.142,
    3         F.S.; creating the Land Acquisition Trust Fund within
    4         the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
    5         providing for the purpose of the trust fund and
    6         sources of funds; requiring the department to maintain
    7         the integrity of such funds; providing for disposition
    8         of funds from reversions or reductions in budget
    9         authority from the trust fund; requiring that title to
   10         lands or related property interests acquired be vested
   11         in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement
   12         Trust Fund; requiring the department or its designee
   13         to manage lands or related property interests acquired
   14         in accordance with the purposes set forth in s. 28,
   15         Art. X of the State Constitution; providing a
   16         restriction on how funds may be invested; providing
   17         for future review and termination or re-creation of
   18         the trust fund; providing an effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 20.142, Florida Statutes, is created to
   23  read:
   24         20.142 Land Acquisition Trust Fund.—
   25         (1) The Land Acquisition Trust Fund is created within the
   26  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The trust fund
   27  is established for use as a depository for funds received from
   28  the Land Acquisition Trust Fund within the Department of
   29  Environmental Protection and for expenditure of such funds for
   30  the purposes set forth in s. 28, Art. X of the State
   31  Constitution.
   32         (2) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
   33  must maintain the integrity of such moneys transferred from the
   34  Department of Environmental Protection. Any transferred moneys
   35  available from reversions or reductions in budget authority
   36  shall be transferred back to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund
   37  within the Department of Environmental Protection within 15 days
   38  after such reversion or reduction and shall be available for
   39  future appropriation for the purposes set forth in s. 28, Art. X
   40  of the State Constitution.
   41         (3) If expenditures from the trust fund will result in
   42  state ownership of land or related property interests, title
   43  shall be vested in the Board of Trustees of the Internal
   44  Improvement Trust Fund as required under chapter 253. Such
   45  acquisition of land or related property interests shall be by
   46  voluntary, negotiated acquisition and, if title is to be vested
   47  in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund,
   48  is subject to the acquisition procedures of s. 253.025.
   49  Acquisition costs shall include purchase prices and costs and
   50  fees associated with title work, surveys, and appraisals
   51  required to complete an acquisition. The Department of
   52  Agriculture and Consumer Services or its designee shall manage
   53  such lands or related property interests in accordance with the
   54  purposes set forth in s. 28, Art. X of the State Constitution.
   55  Other uses, not contrary to such purposes, may be authorized.
   56         (4) Moneys in the trust fund may not be invested as
   57  provided in s. 17.61, but shall be retained in the trust fund
   58  for investment with interest appropriated to the General Revenue
   59  Fund as provided in s. 17.57.
   60         (5) In accordance with s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State
   61  Constitution, the Land Acquisition Trust Fund within the
   62  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall, unless
   63  terminated sooner, be terminated on July 1, 2019. Before its
   64  scheduled termination, the trust fund shall be reviewed as
   65  provided in s. 215.3206.
   66         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.