Florida Senate - 2026                   (PROPOSED BILL) SPB 2506
       
       
        
       FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Appropriations
       
       
       
       
       
       576-01991-26                                          20262506pb
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fuel taxes; amending s. 206.606,
    3         F.S.; revising the distribution of the proceeds of the
    4         fuel sales tax; amending s. 206.9945, F.S.; revising
    5         the transfer of funds received and collected into the
    6         Fuel Tax Collection Trust Fund; providing an effective
    7         date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 206.606, Florida
   12  Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         206.606 Distribution of certain proceeds.—
   14         (1) Moneys collected pursuant to ss. 206.41(1)(g) and
   15  206.87(1)(e) shall be deposited in the Fuel Tax Collection Trust
   16  Fund. Such moneys, after deducting the refunds granted pursuant
   17  to s. 206.41 and the administrative costs incurred by the
   18  department in collecting, administering, enforcing, and
   19  distributing the tax, which administrative costs may not exceed
   20  2 percent of collections, shall be distributed monthly to the
   21  State Transportation Trust Fund, except that:
   22         (a) A sum equal to 0.5 percent of moneys collected $6.30
   23  million shall be transferred to the Fish and Wildlife
   24  Conservation Commission in each fiscal year and deposited in the
   25  Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund to be used for aquatic plant
   26  management, including nonchemical control of aquatic weeds,
   27  research into nonchemical controls, and enforcement activities.
   28  The commission shall allocate at least $1 million of such funds
   29  to the eradication of melaleuca.
   30         (b) A sum equal to 0.2 percent of moneys collected
   31  Annually, $2.5 million shall be transferred to the State Game
   32  Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and
   33  used for recreational boating activities and freshwater
   34  fisheries management and research. The transfers must be made in
   35  equal monthly amounts beginning on July 1 of each fiscal year.
   36  The commission shall annually determine where unmet needs exist
   37  for boating-related activities, and may fund such activities in
   38  counties where, due to the number of vessel registrations,
   39  sufficient financial resources are unavailable.
   40         1. A minimum of $1.25 million shall be used to fund local
   41  projects to provide recreational channel marking and other
   42  uniform waterway markers, public boat ramps, lifts, and hoists,
   43  marine railways, and other public launching facilities, derelict
   44  vessel removal, and other local boating-related activities. In
   45  funding the projects, the commission shall give priority
   46  consideration to:
   47         a. Unmet needs in counties having populations of 100,000 or
   48  less.
   49         b. Unmet needs in coastal counties having a high level of
   50  boating-related activities from individuals residing in other
   51  counties.
   52         2. The remaining sum $1.25 million may be used for
   53  recreational boating activities and freshwater fisheries
   54  management and research.
   55         3. The commission may adopt rules to administer a Florida
   56  Boating Improvement Program.
   57  
   58  The commission shall prepare and make available on its Internet
   59  website an annual report outlining the status of its Florida
   60  Boating Improvement Program, including the projects funded, and
   61  a list of counties whose needs are unmet due to insufficient
   62  financial resources from vessel registration fees.
   63         (c) A sum equal to 1.15 0.65 percent of moneys collected
   64  pursuant to s. 206.41(1)(g) shall be transferred to the
   65  Agricultural Emergency Eradication Trust Fund.
   66         (d) A sum equal to 1.15 percent of moneys collected $13.4
   67  million in fiscal year 2007-2008 and each fiscal year thereafter
   68  of the moneys attributable to the sale of motor and diesel fuel
   69  at marinas shall be transferred from the Fuel Tax Collection
   70  Trust Fund to the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund in
   71  the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
   72         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 206.9945, Florida
   73  Statutes, is amended to read:
   74         206.9945 Funds collected; disposition; department
   75  authority.—
   76         (1) The department shall deposit all funds received and
   77  collected by it under this part into the Fuel Tax Collection
   78  Trust Fund to be transferred, less the costs of administration
   79  and less the service charges to be deducted pursuant to s.
   80  215.20, as follows:
   81         (a) Moneys collected pursuant to s. 206.9935(1) and tax
   82  revenues collected pursuant to s. 207.003 at the rates specified
   83  in s. 206.9935(3) shall be transferred to the Florida Coastal
   84  Protection Trust Fund as provided in s. 376.11;
   85         (b) Moneys collected pursuant to s. 206.9935(2) shall be
   86  transferred to the Water Quality Assurance Trust Fund as
   87  provided in s. 376.307; and
   88         (c) The first $150 million of moneys collected pursuant to
   89  s. 206.9935(3), less any refunds granted under s. 206.9942,
   90  shall be transferred to the Inland Protection Trust Fund as
   91  provided in s. 376.3071. All remaining moneys collected pursuant
   92  to s. 206.9935(3) shall be deposited into the General Revenue
   93  Fund. This paragraph does not apply to moneys collected pursuant
   94  to s. 207.003 and transferred pursuant to paragraph (a).
   95         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.