HB 5A 2022A
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to toll relief; requiring the Florida 2
Turnpike Enterprise to establish a toll relief program 3
for a specified timeframe; defining terms; specifying 4
the requirements for eligibility for account credits 5
under the program; appropriating funds f or the 6
Department of Transportation to reimburse the 7
department, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, and other 8
Florida toll facilities and Florida toll facility 9
entities for account credits issued under the program; 10
requiring the department to ensure complian ce with 11
certain covenants; prohibiting the department from 12
using appropriated funds for specified purposes; 13
authorizing the department to reimburse each Florida 14
toll facility or Florida toll facility entity for the 15
actual account credits issued, based on s pecified 16
reports; requiring each Florida toll facility or 17
Florida toll facility entity to submit certain 18
documentation for reimbursement; providing for the 19
reversion of unexpended funds; requiring the 20
department to submit quarterly reports documenting 21
specified reimbursements to the Governor and specified 22
legislative entities; specifying the documentation to 23
be submitted with the department's report; requiring 24
the department to reconcile disbursements and 25
HB 5A 2022A
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
transfers, to transfer interest earned to the Genera l 26
Revenue Fund, and to provide a quarterly report 27
regarding reconciliation to the Governor and specified 28
legislative entities; providing for expiration; 29
providing an effective date. 30
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 32
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Section 1. (1) The Florida Turnpike Enterprise shall 35
establish a toll relief program effective January 1, 2023, 36
through December 31, 2023, for all Florida toll facilities or 37
Florida toll facility entities that use a Florida -issued 38
transponder or are interopera ble with the Department of 39
Transportation's prepaid electronic transponder toll system. 40
(a) As used in this subsection, the term: 41
1. "Qualifying account" means a private prepaid SunPass 42
account or another Florida -based electronic prepaid toll program 43
account in good standing. 44
2. "Qualifying transaction" means a paid transponder -based 45
toll transaction incurred by a two -axle vehicle for travel on a 46
Florida toll facility using a Florida issued transponder linked 47
to a qualifying account. 48
(b) A qualifying account that records 35 or more 49
qualifying transactions per transponder per calendar month is 50
HB 5A 2022A
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
eligible for an account credit equal to 50 percent of the amount 51
paid in that calendar month for the qualifying transactions per 52
transponder. The account credi t shall be posted to the 53
qualifying account the month after the credit is earned. 54
(c) A SunPass or other transponder issued by a Florida 55
toll entity must be linked to a qualifying account. 56
(2) In order to facilitate this act, for the 2022 -2023 57
fiscal year, the nonrecurring sum of $500 million from the 58
General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the State Transportation 59
Trust Fund for the Department of Transportation to reimburse the 60
department, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, and other Florida 61
toll facilities or Florida toll facility entities for account 62
credits issued for promotional purposes as authorized in s. 63
338.161(1), Florida Statutes, and under the toll relief program 64
created by this act. The department shall provide reimbursements 65
to support compliance with covenants made with the bondholders 66
of the department, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, or other 67
Florida toll facility entities which are in the trust indentures 68
or resolutions adopted in connection with the issuance of such 69
bonds. The department may not use appropriated funds for 70
administration, contracted services, or expenses of the 71
department, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, a Florida toll 72
facility or Florida toll facility entity, or any contractor or 73
vendor thereof. 74
(3) The department may reimburse each Florida toll 75
HB 5A 2022A
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
facility or Florida toll facility entities, as applicable, from 76
appropriated funds for the amount of actual account credits 77
issued, based upon auditable reports prepared by the Florida 78
toll facility or Florida toll facility enti ties which aggregate 79
the account credits issued. The reports must include any 80
documentation required by the department to provide the 81
department with sufficient information for reimbursement of 82
account credits issued. 83
(4) The unexpended balance of funds appropriated to the 84
department for toll relief as of June 30, 2023, shall revert and 85
is appropriated to the department for the same purpose for the 86
2023-2024 fiscal year. Any unexpended balance of funds as of 87
February 29, 2024, shall immediately revert to the General 88
Revenue Fund. 89
(5) The department shall submit quarterly reports to the 90
Executive Office of the Governor and the chairs of the 91
legislative appropriations committees documenting reimbursements 92
issued under this program to the department, the Fl orida 93
Turnpike Enterprise, and other Florida toll facilities and 94
Florida toll facility entities. The department's report must 95
include supporting documentation with auditable data to support 96
the account credits issued. 97
(6) By the end of the month followi ng each quarter, the 98
department shall reconcile all disbursements and transfers for 99
reimbursement, transfer to the General Revenue Fund all interest 100
HB 5A 2022A
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earnings from the appropriated funds, and provide a report of 101
reconciliation to the Executive Office of the Governor and the 102
chairs of the legislative appropriations committees. 103
(7) This act expires February 29, 2024. 104
Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 105