The Florida Senate

14.22  Florida Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Amateur Sports; Sunshine State Games; national and international amateur athletic competitions and Olympic development centers; direct-support organizations; Olympics and Pan American Games Task Force.--

(1)(a)  The Florida Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Amateur Sports is created within the Office of the Governor, to be composed of 25 members with appropriate interests and representing the various geographical areas of the state. The members shall be appointed by the Governor for staggered terms of 4 years expiring on July 1 in the appropriate year. The Governor may reappoint any person who has served or is serving as a member of the council.

(b)  The council shall elect one of its members to serve as chairperson, and one of its members to serve as vice chairperson. Each shall serve terms of 2 years.

(c)  The council shall meet semiannually and at the call of the chairperson.

(d)  Members of the council shall receive no compensation, but shall receive per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.

(e)  The Governor may appoint, upon the recommendation of the council, an executive director, and the executive director may employ such staff as may be authorized by the Governor. The compensation of the executive director and staff shall be set by the Governor.

(f)  By a two-thirds vote of the council, a member may be dismissed from membership for such reasons as the council may establish, which reasons shall include lack of interest in council duties or repeated absences from council meetings. Vacancies created by dismissal shall be filled by the Governor.

(2)  To promote physical fitness and sports, the Florida Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Amateur Sports shall:

(a)  Develop, foster, and coordinate services and programs of physical fitness and amateur sports for the people of Florida.

(b)  Sponsor physical fitness and amateur sports workshops, clinics, conferences, and other similar activities.

(c)  Give recognition to outstanding developments and achievements in, and contributions to, physical fitness and amateur sports.

(d)  Stimulate physical fitness research.

(e)  Collect and disseminate physical fitness and sports information and initiate advertising campaigns promoting physical fitness and amateur sports.

(f)  Assist schools in developing health and physical fitness programs for students.

(g)  Encourage local governments and communities to develop local physical fitness programs and amateur athletic competitions.

(h)  Develop programs to promote personal health and physical fitness in cooperation with medical, dental, and other similar professional societies.

(i)  Enlist the support of individuals, civic groups, amateur and professional sports associations, and other organizations to promote and improve physical fitness and amateur sports programs.

(j)  Promote the development of a program of statewide amateur athletic competition to be known as the "Sunshine State Games."

(k)  Promote the development of Olympic development centers within the state. The centers shall be managed by a Sunshine State Games and Olympic development centers direct-support organization under contract with the Executive Office of the Governor. The council shall assure that state and local governmental entities and other entities cooperate to the extent feasible in providing existing facilities for use in Olympic development.

(l)  Promote national and international amateur athletic competitions.

(m)  Recommend rules for adoption and establish policies for the operation of the Sunshine State Games, the promotion of national and international amateur athletic competitions, and the development of Olympic development.

(3)(a)  The Sunshine State Games shall be patterned after the Summer Olympics with variations as necessitated by availability of facilities, equipment, and expertise. The games shall be designed to encourage the participation of athletes representing a broad range of age groups, skill levels, and Florida communities. Participants shall be residents of this state. Regional competitions shall be held throughout the state, and the top qualifiers in each sport shall proceed to the final competitions to be held at a site in the state with the necessary facilities and equipment for conducting the competitions. The frequency of the games shall be determined by the council.

(b)1.  The Governor may authorize a direct-support organization to assist in the operation of the Sunshine State Games, the promotion of national and international amateur athletic competitions, and the development of Olympic development centers. The direct-support organization shall operate under contract with the Governor. Such a direct-support organization is an organization which is:

a.  Incorporated under the provisions of chapter 617 and approved by the Department of State as a Florida corporation not for profit;

b.  Organized and operated to receive, hold, invest, and administer property and to make expenditures to or for the benefit of the Sunshine State Games, Olympic development centers, and the promotion of national and international amateur sports competition; and

c.  Approved by the Governor and the council to be operating for the benefit of the council and in the best interest of the state.

2.  The contract shall provide for:

a.  Approval of the articles of incorporation of the direct-support organization by the Governor and the council, and for the governance of the direct-support organization by members appointed by the council and approved by the Governor.

b.  Submission of an annual budget for the approval of the council and the Governor. The budget shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the Governor upon the recommendation of the council.

c.  Certification by the Governor or the Governor's designee, after conducting an annual financial and performance review, that the direct-support organization is operating in compliance with the terms of the contract and in a manner consistent with the goals of the council and in the best interest of the state. Such certification shall be made to the council annually and reported in the official minutes of a meeting of the council.

d.  The release and conditions for the expenditure of any state revenues.

e.  The reversion to the state of funds held in trust by the direct-support organization if the contract is terminated.

f.  The fiscal year of the direct-support organization as beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30 in each and every year.

3.  The Executive Office of the Governor is authorized to permit the use of property, facilities, and personal services of or at any State University System facility or institution by any Sunshine State Games and Olympic development centers direct-support organization, subject to the provisions of this section. For the purposes of this subparagraph, personal services includes full-time or part-time personnel as well as payroll processing.

4.  The Sunshine State Games direct-support organization shall make provisions for an annual financial and compliance audit of its financial accounts and records by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with rules established by the Governor. The annual audit report shall be submitted to the Governor and the council for review and approval. Upon approval, the Governor and the council shall certify the audit report to the Auditor General for review and approval. The identity of donors who desire to remain anonymous and all information identifying such donors and such prospective donors are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1), and that anonymity shall be maintained in the auditor's report. All records of the organization made prior to October 1, 1986, other than the auditor's report shall not be considered public records for the purposes of chapter 119.

(4)  The council may accept grants, gifts, and bequests and enter into contracts to carry out the purposes of this act.

(5)(a)  The council shall establish on December 1, 1996, a 17-member Florida Olympics and Pan American Games Task Force, 5 members of which shall be from among the membership of the council. To the greatest extent possible, the remaining 12 members shall be appointed to represent Florida's diverse, multiethnic, and multicultural populace. Of these 12 members, 6 shall be appointed on December 1, 1996, by the President of the Senate, and 6 shall be appointed on December 1, 1996, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. These 12 members shall be appointed to serve terms of 4 years expiring on July 1 of the appropriate year. The task force shall be established for the purpose of studying the feasibility of and making recommendations to the council on preparing this state to submit bids for and to host the Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games.

(b)  Members of the task force shall receive no compensation but shall receive per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061 while in the performance of their duties.

(c)1.  The task force shall study the feasibility of bringing the Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games to this state and report its initial findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than December 1, 1997.

2.  Thereafter, the task force shall consult with sports industry leaders, local public and private amateur sports entities, public and private statewide amateur sports entities, and other persons or entities the task force deems necessary to make further recommendations to the council regarding the state's preparation to bid for the Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games.

3.  The task force may include in its recommendations a strategy for incorporating the Sunshine State Games, Olympic development center creation, and local and statewide amateur sports facility development into a comprehensive plan to prepare this state to host the Summer Olympics or the Pan American Games.

(d)  The council shall review the work of the task force and report the council's findings and recommendations to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than December 1 of each year, commencing December 1, 1998. In any year that the Summer Olympics or the Pan American Games are held in this state, the council shall make the appropriate report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the games for that year.

History.--ss. 1, 2, ch. 77-169; s. 1, ch. 79-195; s. 2, ch. 80-182; s. 1, ch. 82-46; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 4, ch. 86-139; ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 87-404; s. 1, ch. 90-360; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 40, ch. 95-147; s. 1, ch. 96-255; s. 1, ch. 96-406; s. 20, ch. 97-95.