Florida Senate - 2019 SB 1368
By Senator Simpson
10-01231-19 20191368__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to fleet vehicle rebate programs;
3 creating s. 377.813, F.S.; creating an electric and
4 hybrid fleet vehicle rebate program within the
5 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
6 providing the purpose of the program; defining terms;
7 requiring the department to award rebates for the
8 program; providing an application process; requiring
9 the department to adopt rules by a specified date;
10 requiring the department to determine and publish
11 certain information regarding the availability of
12 funds on its website; requiring the department to
13 provide an annual assessment of the program to the
14 Governor, the Legislature, and the Office of Program
15 Policy Analysis and Government Accountability;
16 providing appropriations; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 377.813, Florida Statutes, is created to
21 read:
22 377.813 Electric and hybrid fleet vehicle rebate program.—
23 (1) CREATION AND PURPOSE OF PROGRAM.—There is created
24 within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services an
25 electric and hybrid fleet vehicle rebate program. The purpose of
26 this program is to help reduce transportation costs in this
27 state and to encourage freight mobility investments that
28 contribute to the economic growth of this state.
29 (2) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the term:
30 (a) “Conversion cost” means the excess cost associated with
31 converting from a diesel- or gasoline-powered motor vehicle to
32 an electric or hybrid vehicle.
33 (b) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and
34 Consumer Services.
35 (c) “Electric vehicle” means a motor vehicle that is
36 powered by an electric motor that draws current from
37 rechargeable storage batteries, fuel cells, or other sources of
38 electrical current.
39 (d) “Eligible costs” means the conversion cost or the
40 incremental cost incurred by an applicant in connection with an
41 investment in the conversion, purchase, or lease of at least 5
42 years of an electric or hybrid fleet vehicle placed into service
43 on or after July 1, 2019. The term does not include costs for
44 project development, fueling stations, or other fueling
45 infrastructure.
46 (e) “Fleet vehicles” means three or more motor vehicles
47 registered in this state and used for commercial business or
48 governmental purposes.
49 (f) “Hybrid vehicle” has the same meaning as in s.
50 316.0741.
51 (g) “Incremental costs” means the excess costs associated
52 with the purchase or lease of an electric or hybrid vehicle as
53 compared to an equivalent diesel- or gasoline-powered motor
54 vehicle.
55 (3) ELECTRIC OR HYBRID FLEET VEHICLE REBATE.—The department
56 shall award rebates for eligible costs as defined in this
57 section. Forty percent of the annual allocation must be reserved
58 for governmental applicants, with the remaining funds allocated
59 for commercial applicants. A rebate may not exceed 50 percent of
60 the eligible costs of an electric or hybrid fleet vehicle placed
61 into service on or after July 1, 2019. An applicant is eligible
62 to receive a maximum rebate of $25,000 per vehicle, up to a
63 total of $250,000 per fiscal year. Between June 1 and June 30 of
64 each fiscal year, the department may receive additional
65 applications from applicants who have met the program maximum of
66 $250,000 per fiscal year. Those applicants may apply for
67 additional funds for vehicles that have not received a rebate,
68 for a maximum rebate of $25,000 per vehicle, up to a total of
69 $250,000. Governmental applicants have preference, and any other
70 remaining funds may be used by commercial applicants. Rebates
71 must be allocated to eligible applicants on a first-come, first
72 served basis, as determined by the date the department receives
73 the application, until all appropriated funds for the fiscal
74 year are expended.
75 (4) APPLICATION PROCESS.—
76 (a) An applicant seeking to obtain a rebate must submit an
77 application to the department by a specified date each year, as
78 established by department rule. The application must require a
79 complete description of all eligible costs, proof of purchase of
80 or lease of the vehicle for which the applicant is seeking a
81 rebate, a copy of the vehicle registration certificate, a
82 description of the total rebate the applicant seeks, and any
83 other information the department deems necessary. The
84 application form adopted by department rule must include an
85 affidavit from the applicant certifying that all information
86 contained in the application is true and correct.
87 (b) The department shall determine each applicant’s rebate
88 eligibility in accordance with the requirements of this section
89 and department rule. The total amount of rebates allocated to
90 applicants in each fiscal year may not exceed the amount of
91 funds appropriated for the program in a fiscal year. The
92 department must allocate rebates to eligible applicants on a
93 first-come, first-served basis, as determined by the date each
94 application is received, until all appropriated funds for the
95 fiscal year are expended or the program ends, whichever comes
96 first. Incomplete applications submitted to the department will
97 not be accepted and do not secure a place in the first-come,
98 first-served application process.
99 (5) RULES.—The department shall adopt rules by December 31,
100 2019, to implement and administer this section including rules
101 relating to the forms required to claim a rebate under this
102 section, the required documentation and basis for establishing
103 eligibility for a rebate, the procedures and guidelines for
104 claiming a rebate, and the collection of economic impact data
105 from applicants.
106 (6) PUBLICATION.—The department shall determine and publish
107 on its website, on an ongoing basis, the amount of available
108 funding for rebates remaining in each fiscal year.
109 (7) ANNUAL ASSESSMENT.—By October 1, 2020, and each year
110 thereafter in which the program is funded, the department shall
111 provide an annual assessment of the use of the rebate program
112 during the previous fiscal year to the Governor, the President
113 of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and
114 the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
115 Accountability. The assessment must include, at a minimum, all
116 of the following information:
117 (a) The name of each applicant awarded a rebate under this
118 section.
119 (b) The amount of the rebates awarded to each applicant.
120 (c) The type and description of each eligible vehicle for
121 which each applicant applied for a rebate.
122 (d) The aggregate amount of funding awarded for all
123 applicants claiming rebates under this section.
124 Section 2. Beginning in the 2019-2020 fiscal year and each
125 year thereafter through the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $6
126 million in recurring funds is appropriated in each fiscal year
127 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture
128 and Consumer Services to fund the natural gas fuel fleet vehicle
129 rebate program created pursuant to s. 377.810, Florida Statutes.
130 Section 3. Beginning in the 2019-2020 fiscal year and each
131 year thereafter through the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $3
132 million in recurring funds is appropriated in each fiscal year
133 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture
134 and Consumer Services to fund the electric and hybrid fleet
135 vehicle rebate program pursuant to s. 377.813, Florida Statutes,
136 as created by this act.
137 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.