Florida Senate - 2016                                    SB 1690
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       38-01481-16                                           20161690__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to transportation; creating s.
    3         338.162, F.S.; requiring toll agencies to adopt a
    4         policy regarding removal of directors under certain
    5         circumstances; requiring toll agencies to post meeting
    6         recordings on the Internet within a specified time and
    7         in a format suitable for the user’s browser; requiring
    8         toll agencies to provide an accounting of
    9         disbursements of penalty amounts; providing
   10         applicability; creating s. 338.168, F.S.; directing
   11         the Florida Transportation Commission to conduct a
   12         study of the potential for express toll lanes to
   13         display estimated travel times; directing the
   14         Department of Transportation to pay expenses of
   15         necessary experts; requiring a report to the Governor
   16         and the Legislature; providing requirements for
   17         certain toll collection systems; providing an
   18         effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 338.162, Florida Statutes, is created to
   23  read:
   24         338.162 Toll agencies and facilities.—Notwithstanding any
   25  other provision of law:
   26         (1) Each toll agency shall adopt a policy for removal of
   27  directors due to ethical violations or lack of attendance and
   28  post comprehensive information about the policy on its website.
   29         (2) Each toll agency shall post board meeting and board
   30  committee meeting video and audio files on its website within 30
   31  days after the meeting is held. Such files shall be in a format
   32  that can be viewed or listened to within the user’s Internet
   33  browser.
   34         (3) When a toll payer is assessed a penalty, the toll
   35  agency shall provide an accounting of how the penalties are
   36  disbursed.
   37         (4) This section applies to the transportation and
   38  expressway authorities of the state, counties, and
   39  municipalities.
   40         Section 2. Section 338.168, Florida Statutes, is created to
   41  read:
   42         338.168 Toll facilities and collection systems.—
   43         (1) The Florida Transportation Commission shall conduct a
   44  study of the potential for express toll lanes operated by the
   45  department or any transportation or expressway authority of the
   46  state, counties, or municipalities to display estimated travel
   47  times in addition to toll rates. The commission may retain such
   48  experts as are reasonably necessary to complete the study, and
   49  the department shall pay the expenses of such experts. The
   50  commission shall complete the study and provide a written report
   51  of its findings and conclusions to the Governor, the President
   52  of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
   53  the chairs of each of the appropriations committees of the
   54  Legislature by October 31, 2016.
   55         (2) An electronic toll collection system shall provide
   56  enrollees a minimum of 18 months of information in a simple
   57  search on its website, including, at a minimum, monthly and
   58  annual totals.
   59         (3) Electronic toll collection system paper invoices and
   60  online statements shall disclose any applicable processing fees,
   61  each expressed as a percentage and as a total dollar amount.
   62         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.