Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1628
       
       
        
       By Senator Simon
       
       
       
       
       
       3-01424-23                                            20231628__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to financial assistance for rural
    3         areas of opportunity; amending s. 215.971, F.S.;
    4         prohibiting certain agency agreements from requiring
    5         the expenditure of funds before reimbursement;
    6         authorizing agencies to undertake certain actions;
    7         providing construction; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Present subsections (2) and (3) of section
   12  215.971, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (3)
   13  and (4), respectively, and a new subsection (2) is added to that
   14  section to read:
   15         215.971 Agreements funded with federal or state
   16  assistance.—
   17         (2)(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an
   18  agency agreement that provides state or federal financial
   19  assistance to a county or municipal entity within a rural area
   20  of opportunity, as defined in s. 288.0656(2), may not require
   21  the county or municipal entity to expend funds in order to be
   22  reimbursed. For such counties or municipal entities, an agency
   23  may advance funding based on an analysis of estimated costs, pay
   24  service providers and vendors directly, or undertake other
   25  options to meet the requirements of this section.
   26         (b) This subsection may not be construed to alter or limit
   27  any other provision of this section.
   28         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.