Florida Senate - 2017                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1118
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì744514!Î744514                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/17/2017           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
       Economic Development (Brandes) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 316.0898, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         316.0898 Florida Smart City Challenge grant program.—
    8         (1)The Department of Transportation, in consultation with
    9  the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, shall
   10  develop the Florida Smart City Challenge grant program and shall
   11  establish grant award requirements for municipalities or regions
   12  for the purpose of receiving grant awards. Grant applicants must
   13  demonstrate and document the adoption of emerging technologies
   14  and their impact on the transportation system and must address
   15  at least the following focus areas:
   16         (a)Autonomous vehicles.
   17         (b)Connected vehicles.
   18         (c)Sensor-based infrastructure.
   19         (d)Collecting and using data.
   20         (e) Electric vehicles, including charging stations.
   21         (f)Developing strategic models and partnerships.
   22         (2)The goals of the grant program include, but are not
   23  limited to:
   24         (a)Identifying transportation challenges and identifying
   25  how emerging technologies can address those challenges.
   26         (b)Determining the emerging technologies and strategies
   27  that have the potential to provide the most significant impacts.
   28         (c)Encouraging municipalities to take significant steps to
   29  integrate emerging technologies into their day-to-day
   30  operations.
   31         (d)Identifying the barriers to implementing the grant
   32  program and communicating those barriers to the Legislature and
   33  appropriate agencies and organizations.
   34         (e)Leveraging the initial grant to attract additional
   35  public and private investments.
   36         (f)Increasing the state’s competitiveness in the pursuit
   37  of grants from the United States Department of Transportation,
   38  the United States Department of Energy, and other federal
   39  agencies.
   40         (g)Committing to the continued operation of programs
   41  implemented in connection with the grant.
   42         (h)Serving as a model for municipalities nationwide.
   43         (i)Documenting the costs and impacts of the grant program
   44  and lessons learned during implementation.
   45         (j) Identifying solutions that will demonstrate local or
   46  regional economic impact.
   47         (3)The Department of Transportation shall develop
   48  eligibility, application, and selection criteria for the program
   49  grants and a plan for the promotion of the grant program to
   50  municipalities or regions of this state as an opportunity to
   51  compete for grant funding, including the award of grants to a
   52  single recipient and secondary grants to specific projects of
   53  merit within other applications. The Department of
   54  Transportation may contract with a third party that demonstrates
   55  knowledge and expertise in the focuses and goals of this section
   56  to provide guidance in the development of the requirements of
   57  this section.
   58         (4)On or before January 1, 2018, the Department of
   59  Transportation shall submit the grant program guidelines and
   60  plans for promotion of the grant program to the Governor, the
   61  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   62  Representatives.
   63         (5) This section expires July 1, 2018.
   64         Section 2. Present paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (3)
   65  of section 316.545, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   66  paragraphs (d) and (e), respectively, and a new paragraph (c) is
   67  added to that subsection, to read:
   68         316.545 Weight and load unlawful; special fuel and motor
   69  fuel tax enforcement; inspection; penalty; review.—
   70         (3)
   71         (c)1. For a vehicle fueled by natural gas, the fine is
   72  calculated by reducing the actual gross vehicle weight by the
   73  certified weight difference between the natural gas tank and
   74  fueling system and a comparable diesel tank and fueling system.
   75  Upon the request of a weight inspector or a law enforcement
   76  officer, the vehicle operator shall present a written
   77  certification that identifies the weight of the natural gas tank
   78  and fueling system and the difference in weight of a comparable
   79  diesel tank and fueling system. The written certification must
   80  originate from the vehicle manufacturer or the installer of the
   81  natural gas tank and fueling system.
   82         2. The actual gross vehicle weight for vehicles fueled by
   83  natural gas may not exceed 82,000 pounds, excluding the weight
   84  allowed for idle-reduction technology under paragraph (b).
   85         3. This paragraph does not apply to vehicles described in
   86  s. 316.535(6).
   87         Section 3. Effective upon the same date that SB 340 or
   88  similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation is adopted
   89  in the 2017 Regular Session or any extension thereof and becomes
   90  a law, section 316.851, Florida Statutes, is created to read:
   91         316.851 Autonomous vehicles; providing prearranged rides.—
   92         (1) An autonomous vehicle used by a transportation network
   93  company to provide a prearranged ride must be covered by
   94  automobile insurance as required by s. 627.748, regardless of
   95  whether a human operator is physically present within the
   96  vehicle when the ride occurs. When an autonomous vehicle is
   97  logged on to a digital network but is not engaged in a
   98  prearranged ride, the autonomous vehicle must maintain insurance
   99  coverage as defined in s. 627.748(7)(b).
  100         (2) An autonomous vehicle used to provide a transportation
  101  service shall carry in the vehicle proof of coverage satisfying
  102  the requirements of this section at all times while operating in
  103  autonomous mode.
  104         Section 4. Section 316.853, Florida Statutes, is created to
  105  read:
  106         316.853 Automated mobility districts.—
  107         (1) For the purpose of this section, an “automated mobility
  108  district” means a master planned development or combination of
  109  contiguous developments in which the deployment of autonomous
  110  vehicles as defined in s. 316.003 as the basis for a shared
  111  mobility system is a stated goal or objective of the development
  112  or developments.
  113         (2) The Department of Transportation shall designate
  114  automated mobility districts.
  115         (3) In determining the eligibility of a community for
  116  designation as an automated mobility district, the Department of
  117  Transportation shall consider applicable criteria from federal
  118  agencies for automated mobility districts and apply those
  119  criteria to eligible developments in this state.
  120         Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
  121  319.145, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  122         319.145 Autonomous vehicles.—
  123         (1) An autonomous vehicle registered in this state must
  124  continue to meet applicable federal standards and regulations
  125  for such motor vehicle. The vehicle must:
  126         (a) Have a system to safely alert the operator if an
  127  autonomous technology failure is detected while the autonomous
  128  technology is engaged. When an alert is given, the system must:
  129         1. Require the operator to take control of the autonomous
  130  vehicle; or
  131         2. If the human operator does not, or is not able to, take
  132  control of the autonomous vehicle, or if a human operator is not
  133  physically present in the vehicle, be capable of bringing the
  134  vehicle to a complete stop.
  135         Section 6. Subsection (2) of section 335.074, Florida
  136  Statutes, is amended to read:
  137         335.074 Safety inspection of bridges.—
  138         (2) At regular intervals as required by the Federal Highway
  139  Administration not to exceed 2 years, each bridge on a public
  140  transportation facility shall be inspected for structural
  141  soundness and safety for the passage of traffic on such bridge.
  142  The thoroughness with which bridges are to be inspected shall
  143  depend on such factors as age, traffic characteristics, state of
  144  maintenance, and known deficiencies. The governmental entity
  145  having maintenance responsibility for any such bridge shall be
  146  responsible for having inspections performed and reports
  147  prepared in accordance with the provisions contained herein.
  148         Section 7. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section
  149  337.11, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  150         337.11 Contracting authority of department; bids; emergency
  151  repairs, supplemental agreements, and change orders; combined
  152  design and construction contracts; progress payments; records;
  153  requirements of vehicle registration.—
  154         (6)
  155         (c) When the department determines that it is in the best
  156  interest of the public for reasons of public concern, economy,
  157  improved operations, or safety, and only for contracts for
  158  construction and maintenance which do not exceed $250,000 when
  159  circumstances dictate rapid completion of the work, the
  160  department may, up to the amount of $120,000, enter into
  161  contracts for construction and maintenance without advertising
  162  and receiving competitive bids. The department may enter into
  163  such contracts only upon a determination that the work is
  164  necessary for one of the following reasons:
  165         1. To ensure timely completion of projects or avoidance of
  166  undue delay for other projects;
  167         2. To accomplish minor repairs or construction and
  168  maintenance activities for which time is of the essence and for
  169  which significant cost savings would occur; or
  170         3. To accomplish nonemergency work necessary to ensure
  171  avoidance of adverse conditions that affect the safe and
  172  efficient flow of traffic.
  173  
  174  The department shall make a good faith effort to obtain two or
  175  more quotes, if available, from qualified contractors before
  176  entering into any contract. The department shall give
  177  consideration to disadvantaged business enterprise
  178  participation. However, when the work exists within the limits
  179  of an existing contract, the department shall make a good faith
  180  effort to negotiate and enter into a contract with the prime
  181  contractor on the existing contract.
  182         Section 8. Subsection (5) is added to section 338.227,
  183  Florida Statutes, to read:
  184         338.227 Turnpike revenue bonds.—
  185         (5) Notwithstanding s. 215.82, bonds issued pursuant to
  186  this section are not required to be validated pursuant to
  187  chapter 75 but may be validated at the option of the Division of
  188  Bond Finance. Any complaint about such validation must be filed
  189  in the circuit court of the county in which the seat of state
  190  government is situated, and the clerk shall publish the notice
  191  as required by s. 75.06 only in the county in which the
  192  complaint is filed. The complaint and order of the circuit court
  193  must be served on the state attorney of the circuit in which the
  194  action is pending.
  195         Section 9. Paragraph (e) of subsection (7) of section
  196  339.135, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  197         339.135 Work program; legislative budget request;
  198  definitions; preparation, adoption, execution, and amendment.—
  199         (7) AMENDMENT OF THE ADOPTED WORK PROGRAM.—
  200         (e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (d), and (g), and (h) and
  201  ss. 216.177(2) and 216.351, the secretary may request the
  202  Executive Office of the Governor to amend the adopted work
  203  program when an emergency exists, as defined in s. 252.34, and
  204  the emergency relates to the repair or rehabilitation of any
  205  state transportation facility. The Executive Office of the
  206  Governor may approve the amendment to the adopted work program
  207  and amend that portion of the department’s approved budget if a
  208  delay incident to the notification requirements in paragraph (d)
  209  would be detrimental to the interests of the state. However, the
  210  department shall immediately notify the parties specified in
  211  paragraph (d) and provide such parties written justification for
  212  the emergency action within 7 days after approval by the
  213  Executive Office of the Governor of the amendment to the adopted
  214  work program and the department’s budget. The adopted work
  215  program may not be amended under this subsection without
  216  certification by the comptroller of the department that there
  217  are sufficient funds available pursuant to the 36-month cash
  218  forecast and applicable statutes.
  219         Section 10. Section 339.2405, Florida Statutes, is amended
  220  to read:
  221         339.2405 Florida Highway Beautification Grant Program
  222  Council.—
  223         (1) There is created within the Department of
  224  Transportation the Florida Highway Beautification Grant Program
  225  for the purpose of awarding grants to local governmental
  226  entities for beautification of roads on the State Highway System
  227  as provided in subsections (3) and (4). The department shall
  228  Council. It shall consist of seven members appointed by the
  229  Governor. All appointed members must be residents of this state.
  230  One member must be a licensed landscape architect, one member
  231  must be a representative of the Florida Federation of Garden
  232  Clubs, Inc., one member must be a representative of the Florida
  233  Nurserymen and Growers Association, one member must be a
  234  representative of the department as designated by the head of
  235  the department, one member must be a representative of the
  236  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and two members
  237  must be private citizens. The members of the council shall serve
  238  at the pleasure of the Governor.
  239         (2) Each chair shall be selected by the council members and
  240  shall serve a 2-year term.
  241         (3) The council shall meet no less than semiannually at the
  242  call of the chair or, in the chair’s absence or incapacity, at
  243  the call of the head of the department. Four members shall
  244  constitute a quorum for the purpose of exercising all of the
  245  powers of the council. A vote of the majority of the members
  246  present shall be sufficient for all actions of the council.
  247         (4) The council members shall serve without pay but shall
  248  be entitled to per diem and travel expenses pursuant to s.
  249  112.061.
  250         (5) A member of the council may not participate in any
  251  discussion or decision to recommend grants to any qualified
  252  local government with which the member is associated as a member
  253  of the governing body or as an employee or with which the member
  254  has entered into a contractual arrangement.
  255         (6) The council may prescribe, amend, and repeal bylaws
  256  governing the manner in which the business of the council is
  257  conducted.
  258         (7)(a) The duties of the council shall be to:
  259         (a)1. Provide information to local governments and local
  260  highway beautification councils regarding the state highway
  261  beautification grants program.
  262         (b)2. Accept grant requests from local governments.
  263         (c)3. Review grant requests for compliance with department
  264  council rules.
  265         (d)4. Establish rules for evaluating and prioritizing the
  266  grant requests. The rules must include, but are not limited to,
  267  an examination of each grant’s aesthetic value, cost
  268  effectiveness, level of local support, feasibility of
  269  installation and maintenance, and compliance with state and
  270  federal regulations. Rules adopted by the department council
  271  which it uses to evaluate grant applications must take into
  272  consideration the contributions made by the highway
  273  beautification project in preventing litter.
  274         (e)5. Maintain a prioritized list of approved grant
  275  requests. The list must include recommended funding levels for
  276  each request and, if staged implementation is appropriate,
  277  funding requirements for each stage shall be provided.
  278         6. Assess the feasibility of planting and maintaining
  279  indigenous wildflowers and plants, instead of sod groundcovers,
  280  along the rights-of-way of state roads and highways. In making
  281  such assessment, the council shall utilize data from other
  282  states which include indigenous wildflower and plant species in
  283  their highway vegetative management systems.
  284         (b) The council may, at the request of the head of the
  285  department, review and make recommendations on any other highway
  286  beautification matters relating to the State Highway System.
  287         (8) The head of the department shall provide from existing
  288  personnel such staff support services to the council as are
  289  necessary to enable the council to fulfill its duties and
  290  responsibilities.
  291         (2)(9) Local highway beautification councils may be created
  292  by local governmental entities or by the Legislature. Prior to
  293  being submitted to the department council, a grant request must
  294  be approved by the local government or governments of the area
  295  in which the project is located.
  296         (3)(10) The head of the department, after receiving
  297  recommendations from the council, shall award grants to local
  298  governmental entities that have submitted grant requests for
  299  beautification of roads on the State Highway System and which
  300  requests are on the council’s approved list. The grants shall be
  301  awarded in the order they appear on the council’s prioritized
  302  list and in accordance with available funding.
  303         (4)(11) State highway beautification grants may be
  304  requested only for projects to beautify through landscaping
  305  roads on the State Highway System. The grant request shall
  306  identify all costs associated with the project, including
  307  sprinkler systems, plant materials, equipment, and labor. A
  308  grant shall provide for the costs of purchase and installation
  309  of a sprinkler system, the cost of plant materials and
  310  fertilizer, and may provide for the costs for labor associated
  311  with the installation of the plantings. Each local government
  312  that receives a grant is shall be responsible for any costs for
  313  water, for the maintenance of the sprinkler system, for the
  314  maintenance of the landscaped areas in accordance with a
  315  maintenance agreement with the department, and, except as
  316  otherwise provided in the grant, for any costs for labor
  317  associated with the installation of the plantings. The
  318  department may provide, by contract, services to maintain such
  319  landscaping at a level not to exceed the cost of routine
  320  maintenance of an equivalent unlandscaped area.
  321         (12) The council shall annually submit to the head of the
  322  Department of Transportation a proposal recommending the level
  323  of grant funding.
  324         Section 11. Section 343.52, Florida Statutes, is reordered
  325  and amended to read:
  326         343.52 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term:
  327         (2)(1) “Authority” means the South Florida Regional
  328  Transportation Authority.
  329         (3)(2) “Board” means the governing body of the authority.
  330         (4) “Department” means the Department of Transportation.
  331         (1)(3) “Area served” means Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm
  332  Beach Counties. However, this area may be expanded by mutual
  333  consent of the authority and the board of county commissioners
  334  of Monroe County. The authority may not expand into any
  335  additional counties without the department’s prior written
  336  approval.
  337         (8)(4) “Transit system” means a system used for the
  338  transportation of people and goods by means of, without
  339  limitation, a street railway, an elevated railway having a fixed
  340  guideway, a commuter railroad, a subway, motor vehicles, or
  341  motor buses, and includes a complete system of tracks, stations,
  342  and rolling stock necessary to effectuate passenger service to
  343  or from the surrounding regional municipalities.
  344         (7)(5) “Transit facilities” means property, avenues of
  345  access, equipment, or buildings built and installed in Miami
  346  Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties which are required to
  347  support a transit system.
  348         (6) “Member” means the individuals constituting the board.
  349         (5)(7) “Feeder transit services” means a transit system
  350  that transports passengers to or from stations within or across
  351  counties.
  352         Section 12. Present subsections (4) and (5) of section
  353  343.54, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
  354  and (6), respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that
  355  section, to read:
  356         343.54 Powers and duties.—
  357         (4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the
  358  authority may not enter into, extend, or renew any contract or
  359  other agreement under this part without the department’s prior
  360  review and written approval of the authority’s proposed
  361  expenditures if such contract or agreement may be funded, in
  362  whole or in part, with funds provided by the department.
  363         Section 13. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
  364  343.58, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  365         343.58 County funding for the South Florida Regional
  366  Transportation Authority.—
  367         (4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
  368  contrary and effective July 1, 2010, until as provided in
  369  paragraph (d), the department shall transfer annually from the
  370  State Transportation Trust Fund to the South Florida Regional
  371  Transportation Authority the amounts specified in subparagraph
  372  (a)1. or subparagraph (a)2.
  373         (c)1. Funds provided to the authority by the department
  374  under this subsection constitute state financial assistance
  375  provided to a nonstate entity to carry out a state project
  376  subject to the provisions of ss. 215.97 and 215.971. The
  377  department shall provide the funds in accordance with the terms
  378  of a written agreement to be entered into between the authority
  379  and the department which shall provide for department review,
  380  approval and audit of authority expenditure of such funds, and
  381  shall include such other provisions as are required by
  382  applicable law. The department is specifically authorized to
  383  agree to advance the authority one-fourth of the total funding
  384  provided under this subsection for a state fiscal year at the
  385  beginning of each state fiscal year, with monthly payments over
  386  the fiscal year on a reimbursement basis as supported by
  387  invoices and such additional documentation and information as
  388  the department may reasonably require, and a reconciliation of
  389  the advance against remaining invoices in the last quarter of
  390  the fiscal year may not be committed by the authority without
  391  the approval of the department, which may not be unreasonably
  392  withheld. At least 90 days before advertising any procurement or
  393  renewing any existing contract that will rely on state funds for
  394  payment, the authority shall notify the department of the
  395  proposed procurement or renewal and the proposed terms thereof.
  396  If the department, within 60 days after receipt of notice,
  397  objects in writing to the proposed procurement or renewal,
  398  specifying its reasons for objection, the authority may not
  399  proceed with the proposed procurement or renewal. Failure of the
  400  department to object in writing within 60 days after notice
  401  shall be deemed consent. This requirement does not impair or
  402  cause the authority to cancel contracts that exist as of June
  403  30, 2012.
  404         2. To enable the department to evaluate the authority’s
  405  proposed uses of state funds, the authority shall annually
  406  provide the department with its proposed budget for the
  407  following authority fiscal year and shall promptly provide the
  408  department with any additional documentation or information
  409  required by the department for its evaluation of the proposed
  410  uses of the state funds.
  411         Section 14. Subsection (2) of section 215.82, Florida
  412  Statutes, is amended to read:
  413         215.82 Validation; when required.—
  414         (2) Any bonds issued pursuant to this act which are
  415  validated shall be validated in the manner provided by chapter
  416  75. In actions to validate bonds to be issued in the name of the
  417  State Board of Education under s. 9(a) and (d), Art. XII of the
  418  State Constitution and bonds to be issued pursuant to chapter
  419  259, the Land Conservation Program, the complaint shall be filed
  420  in the circuit court of the county where the seat of state
  421  government is situated, the notice required to be published by
  422  s. 75.06 shall be published only in the county where the
  423  complaint is filed, and the complaint and order of the circuit
  424  court shall be served only on the state attorney of the circuit
  425  in which the action is pending. In any action to validate bonds
  426  issued pursuant to s. 1010.62 or issued pursuant to s. 9(a)(1),
  427  Art. XII of the State Constitution or issued pursuant to s.
  428  215.605 or s. 338.227, the complaint shall be filed in the
  429  circuit court of the county where the seat of state government
  430  is situated, the notice required to be published by s. 75.06
  431  shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the
  432  county where the complaint is filed and in two other newspapers
  433  of general circulation in the state, and the complaint and order
  434  of the circuit court shall be served only on the state attorney
  435  of the circuit in which the action is pending; provided,
  436  however, that if publication of notice pursuant to this section
  437  would require publication in more newspapers than would
  438  publication pursuant to s. 75.06, such publication shall be made
  439  pursuant to s. 75.06.
  440         Section 15. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
  441  343.53, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  442         343.53 South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.—
  443         (2) The governing board of the authority shall consist of
  444  10 voting members, as follows:
  445         (d) If the authority’s service area is expanded pursuant to
  446  s. 343.54(6) s. 343.54(5), the county containing the new service
  447  area shall have two members appointed to the board as follows:
  448         1. The county commission of the county shall elect a
  449  commissioner as that commission’s representative on the board.
  450  The commissioner must be a member of the county commission when
  451  elected and for the full extent of his or her term.
  452         2. The Governor shall appoint a citizen member to the board
  453  who is not a member of the county commission but who is a
  454  resident and a qualified elector of that county.
  455         Section 16. Section 427.011, Florida Statutes, is reordered
  456  and amended to read:
  457         427.011 Definitions.—For the purposes of ss. 427.011
  458  427.017:
  459         (9)(1) “Transportation disadvantaged” means those persons
  460  who because of physical or mental disability, income status, or
  461  age are unable to transport themselves or to purchase
  462  transportation and are, therefore, dependent upon others to
  463  obtain access to health care, employment, education, shopping,
  464  social activities, or other life-sustaining activities, or
  465  children who are handicapped or high-risk or at-risk as defined
  466  in s. 411.202.
  467         (5)(2) “Metropolitan planning organization” means the
  468  organization responsible for carrying out transportation
  469  planning and programming in accordance with the provisions of 23
  470  U.S.C. s. 134, as provided in 23 U.S.C. s. 104(f)(3).
  471         (1)(3) “Agency” means an official, officer, commission,
  472  authority, council, committee, department, division, bureau,
  473  board, section, or any other unit or entity of the state or of a
  474  city, town, municipality, county, or other local governing body
  475  or a private nonprofit transportation service-providing agency.
  476         (11)(4) “Transportation improvement program” means a staged
  477  multiyear program of transportation improvements, including an
  478  annual element, which is developed by a metropolitan planning
  479  organization or designated official planning agency.
  480         (2)(5) “Community transportation coordinator” means a
  481  transportation entity recommended by a metropolitan planning
  482  organization, or by the appropriate designated official planning
  483  agency as provided for in ss. 427.011-427.017 in an area outside
  484  the purview of a metropolitan planning organization, to ensure
  485  that coordinated transportation services are provided to the
  486  transportation disadvantaged population in a designated service
  487  area.
  488         (12)(6) “Transportation operator” means one or more public,
  489  private for-profit, or private nonprofit entities engaged by the
  490  community transportation coordinator to provide service to
  491  transportation disadvantaged persons pursuant to a coordinated
  492  system service plan.
  493         (3)(7) “Coordinating board” means an advisory entity in
  494  each designated service area composed of representatives
  495  appointed by the metropolitan planning organization or
  496  designated official planning agency, to provide assistance to
  497  the community transportation coordinator relative to the
  498  coordination of transportation services.
  499         (8) “Purchasing agency” means a department or agency whose
  500  head is an ex officio, nonvoting adviser to the commission, or
  501  an agency that purchases transportation services for the
  502  transportation disadvantaged.
  503         (7)(9) “Paratransit” means those elements of public transit
  504  which provide service between specific origins and destinations
  505  selected by the individual user with such service being provided
  506  at a time that is agreed upon by the user and provider of the
  507  service. Paratransit service is provided by taxis, limousines,
  508  “dial-a-ride,” buses, transportation network companies, and
  509  other demand-responsive operations that are characterized by
  510  their nonscheduled, nonfixed route nature.
  511         (10) “Transportation disadvantaged funds” means any local
  512  government, state, or available federal funds that are for the
  513  transportation of the transportation disadvantaged. Such funds
  514  may include, but are not limited to, funds for planning,
  515  Medicaid transportation, administration, operation, procurement,
  516  and maintenance of vehicles or equipment and capital
  517  investments. Transportation disadvantaged funds do not include
  518  funds for the transportation of children to public schools.
  519         (4)(11) “Coordination” means the arrangement for the
  520  provision of transportation services to the transportation
  521  disadvantaged in a manner that is cost-effective, efficient, and
  522  reduces fragmentation and duplication of services.
  523         (6)(12) “Nonsponsored transportation disadvantaged
  524  services” means transportation disadvantaged services that are
  525  not sponsored or subsidized by any funding source other than the
  526  Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund.
  527         Section 17. The Secretary of Transportation may enroll the
  528  State of Florida in any federal pilot program or project for the
  529  collection and study of data for the review of federal or state
  530  roadway safety, infrastructure sustainability, congestion
  531  mitigation, transportation system efficiency, autonomous vehicle
  532  technology, or capacity challenges.
  533         Section 18. Except as otherwise provided in this act, this
  534  act shall take effect July 1, 2017.
  535  
  536  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  537  And the title is amended as follows:
  538         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  539  and insert:
  540                        A bill to be entitled                      
  541         An act relating to transportation; creating s.
  542         316.0898, F.S.; requiring the Department of
  543         Transportation, in consultation with the Department of
  544         Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, to develop the
  545         Florida Smart City Challenge grant program; specifying
  546         requirements for grant program applicants;
  547         establishing goals for the grant program; requiring
  548         the Department of Transportation to develop specified
  549         criteria for the program grants and a plan for
  550         promotion of the grant program; authorizing the
  551         Department of Transportation to contract with a third
  552         party that demonstrates certain knowledge and
  553         expertise for a specified purpose; requiring the
  554         Department of Transportation to submit certain
  555         information regarding the grant program to the
  556         Governor and the Legislature by a specified date;
  557         providing for repeal; amending s. 316.545, F.S.;
  558         providing for the calculation of fines for unlawful
  559         weight and load for a vehicle fueled by natural gas;
  560         requiring the vehicle operator to present a certain
  561         written certification upon request by a weight
  562         inspector or law enforcement officer; prescribing a
  563         maximum actual gross vehicle weight for vehicles
  564         fueled by natural gas; providing applicability;
  565         creating s. 316.851, F.S.; requiring an autonomous
  566         vehicle used by a transportation network company to be
  567         covered by automobile insurance, subject to certain
  568         requirements; requiring an autonomous vehicle used to
  569         provide a transportation service to carry in the
  570         vehicle proof of coverage satisfying certain
  571         requirements at all times while operating in
  572         autonomous mode; creating s. 316.853, F.S.; defining
  573         the term “automated mobility district”; requiring the
  574         Department of Transportation to designate automated
  575         mobility districts; requiring the department to
  576         consider applicable criteria from federal agencies for
  577         automated mobility districts in determining
  578         eligibility of a community for the designation;
  579         amending s. 319.145, F.S.; requiring an autonomous
  580         vehicle registered in this state to be capable of
  581         bringing the vehicle to a full stop when an alert is
  582         given if the human operator does not, or is not able
  583         to, take control of the autonomous vehicle, or if a
  584         human operator is not physically present in the
  585         vehicle; amending s. 335.074, F.S.; requiring bridges
  586         on public transportation facilities to be inspected
  587         for certain purposes at regular intervals as required
  588         by the Federal Highway Administration; amending s.
  589         337.11, F.S.; increasing the allowable amount for
  590         contracts for construction and maintenance which the
  591         department may enter into, in certain circumstances,
  592         without advertising and receiving competitive bids;
  593         amending s. 338.227, F.S.; providing that certain
  594         bonds are not required to be validated but may be
  595         validated at the option of the Division of Bond
  596         Finance; providing filing, notice, and service
  597         requirements for complaints and circuit court orders
  598         concerning such validation; amending s. 339.135, F.S.;
  599         providing an additional exception related to the
  600         amendment of adopted work programs when an emergency
  601         exists; amending s. 339.2405, F.S.; replacing the
  602         Florida Highway Beautification Council within the
  603         department with the Florida Highway Beautification
  604         Grant Program; providing the purpose of the program;
  605         providing duties of the department; conforming
  606         provisions to changes made by the act; amending s.
  607         343.52, F.S.; defining the term “department”; amending
  608         s. 343.54, F.S.; prohibiting the South Florida
  609         Regional Transportation Authority from entering into,
  610         extending, or renewing certain contracts or other
  611         agreements without the department’s prior review and
  612         written approval if such contracts or agreements may
  613         be funded with funds provided by the department;
  614         amending s. 343.58, F.S.; providing that certain funds
  615         provided to the authority by the department constitute
  616         state financial assistance for specified purposes,
  617         subject to certain requirements; requiring the
  618         department to provide certain funds in accordance with
  619         the terms of an agreement between the authority and
  620         the department; authorizing the department to advance
  621         the authority a certain amount of the total funding
  622         for a state fiscal year at the beginning of each state
  623         fiscal year, subject to certain requirements;
  624         requiring the authority to promptly provide the
  625         department any documentation or information, in
  626         addition to the proposed annual budget, which is
  627         required by the department for its evaluation of the
  628         proposed uses of state funds; amending s. 215.82,
  629         F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made by the
  630         act; amending s. 343.53, F.S.; conforming a cross
  631         reference; amending s. 427.011, F.S.; revising the
  632         definition of the term “paratransit”; authorizing the
  633         Secretary of Transportation to enroll the State of
  634         Florida in federal pilot programs or projects for the
  635         collection and study of data for the review of federal
  636         or state roadway safety, infrastructure
  637         sustainability, congestion mitigation, transportation
  638         system efficiency, autonomous vehicle technology, or
  639         capacity challenges; providing effective dates, one of
  640         which is contingent.