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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 VE S
1
An act relating to disaster relief; creating s. 2
193.4518, F.S.; defining terms; providing a tangible 3
personal property assessment limitation, during a 4
certain timeframe and in certain counties, for certain 5
agricultural equipment rendered unable to be used due 6
to Hurricane Idalia; specifying conditions for 7
applying for and receiving the assessment limitation; 8
providing procedures for petitioning the value 9
adjustment board if an application is denied; 10
providing applicability; providing a sales tax 11
exemption for the purchase, within a certain timeframe 12
and in certain counties, of certain fencing materials 13
used to replace or repair fences damaged by Hurricane 14
Idalia on agricultural lands; specifying that the 15
exemption is available only through a refund by the 16
Department of Revenue of previously paid taxes; 17
specifying requirements for applying for the refund; 18
providing criminal penalties for furnishing a false 19
affidavit; providing construction and retroactive 20
applicability; authorizing the department to adopt 21
emergency rules; providing a sales tax exemption for 22
the purchase, within a certain timeframe and in 23
certain counties, of building materials used to 24
replace or repair nonresidential farm buildings 25
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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 VE S
damaged by Hurricane Idalia; specifying that the 26
exemption is available only through a refund by the 27
department of previously paid taxes; defining the 28
terms "building materials" and "nonresidential farm 29
building"; specifying requirements for applying for 30
the refund; providing criminal penalties for 31
furnishing a false affidavit; providing construction 32
and retroactive applicability; authorizing the 33
department to adopt emergency rules; providing an 34
exemption from certa in fuel taxes for fuel purchased, 35
within a certain timeframe, for use for agricultural 36
shipment or hurricane debris removal after Hurricane 37
Idalia; specifying that the exemption is available 38
only through a refund by the department; defining 39
terms; specifying requirements for applying for the 40
refund; providing criminal penalties for furnishing a 41
false affidavit; providing applicability and 42
construction; providing for retroactive operation; 43
authorizing the department to adopt emergency rules; 44
amending s. 215.5586, F.S.; revising legislative 45
intent; specifying a requirement for the Department of 46
Financial Services in implementing the My Safe Florida 47
Home Program; authorizing the department to accept 48
applications for the program up to the amount of 49
available funds; providing an appropriation for 50
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certain applications for the program; prohibiting the 51
department from continuing to accept certain 52
applications or creating a waiting list in 53
anticipation of additional funding in the absence of 54
express authority from the Legislature to do so; 55
providing an appropriation for administration of the 56
My Safe Florida Home program; amending s. 252.37, 57
F.S.; providing legislative intent; requiring the 58
Division of Emergency Management and local governments 59
to enter into certain agr eements to receive specified 60
funds; providing requirements for such agreements; 61
providing for allocation of funds; requiring the 62
division to report progress on a certain timetable to 63
specified parties; providing for expiration; providing 64
an appropriation for the Public Assistance Program; 65
providing requirements for appropriated funds; 66
authorizing the undisbursed appropriation to carry 67
forward to a certain date; amending s. 252.71, F.S.; 68
extending the date for future review and repeal of 69
provisions related t o the Florida Emergency Management 70
Assistance Foundation; amending s. 288.066, F.S.; 71
revising the maximum length of a loan term under the 72
Local Government Emergency Revolving Bridge Loan 73
Program; authorizing the Department of Commerce to 74
amend certain previously executed loan agreements 75
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under certain circumstances; providing an 76
appropriation for the Hurricane Housing Recovery 77
Program; requiring such appropriations to be used for 78
specified purposes; requiring the Florida Housing 79
Finance Corporation to coordi nate with the division 80
and the Department of Commerce for a specified 81
purpose; providing an appropriation for hurricane 82
repair and recovery projects within counties with a 83
certain Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster 84
designation; authorizing certai n entities to apply for 85
such appropriated funds; requiring such entities 86
requesting funding for certain purposes to secure 87
certain matching funds by the time of making the 88
application; requiring certain certifications for 89
applications for appropriated fund s; authorizing the 90
division to request budget amendments up to a 91
specified amount to fund gaps in certain projects; 92
requiring the division and certain entities to 93
coordinate for a specified purpose; specifying 94
criteria for providing appropriated funds as g rants or 95
loans; requiring reimbursed funds to be deposited into 96
the General Revenue Fund; providing for appropriations 97
for the Small County Outreach Program for certain 98
counties; amending chapter 2023 -304, Laws of Florida; 99
revising a prohibition on countie s and municipalities 100
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proposing or adopting certain amendments to specified 101
regulations; revising the expiration date of such 102
prohibition; providing an appropriation for certain 103
planning and design grants; authorizing certain 104
fiscally constrained counties t o apply for 105
appropriated funds; requiring the division to 106
prioritize certain applications; requiring the 107
division to conduct a certain assessment and consider 108
certain information; amending s. 288.0655, F.S.; 109
authorizing the Department of Commerce to award 110
certain grants to certain fiscally constrained 111
counties; providing a purpose and eligible uses for 112
such grants; providing for expiration; providing an 113
appropriation for the grants; repealing s. 570.82, 114
F.S., relating to Agricultural Economic Development 115
Program disaster loans and grants and aid; creating s. 116
570.822, F.S.; defining terms; establishing the 117
Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster 118
Recovery Loan Program within the Department of 119
Agriculture and Consumer Services; providing the 120
purpose of the program; establishing the authorized 121
use of the loans; requiring that structures or 122
buildings constructed with loan funds meet certain 123
standards; requiring the department to adopt such 124
standards by rule; requiring that the loans be low -125
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interest or interest-free; providing loan limits; 126
establishing eligibility requirements for loans; 127
establishing application periods; setting the terms of 128
repayment; providing for a reduction in the principal 129
balance by a certain amount each year; restricting the 130
amount the department may use for deferred loans; 131
requiring repayment upon the sale of the property 132
within a certain timeframe; specifying requirements 133
for the department in administering the program; 134
requiring the department to create and maintain a 135
separate account in the General Inspection Trust Fund 136
for the program; requiring that loan payments be 137
returned to the loan program; providing that 138
appropriated funds are not subject to reversion; 139
requiring the department, or a specified third -party 140
administrator, to manage the loan fund; requiring the 141
department to coordinate with certain entities; 142
requiring the department to adopt rules; requiring the 143
department to provide an annual report to the 144
Legislature by a specified date; specifying 145
requirements for the r eport; providing for the 146
expiration of the program on a specified date, unless 147
reviewed and saved from repeal by the Legislature; 148
amending s. 201.25, F.S.; exempting loans made by the 149
Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster 150
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Recovery Loan Program from certain taxes; requiring 151
the department to adopt emergency rules to implement 152
the program; providing for the expiration of such 153
authority; requiring the transfer of specified amounts 154
from the General Revenue Fund to the General 155
Inspection Trust Fund within the department within a 156
specified timeframe; providing appropriations for 157
specified programs; providing requirements for grant 158
administration under such programs; specifying the 159
amount the department may use to administer the 160
programs; authorizing the department to adopt 161
emergency rules to implement the cost -sharing grant 162
program; requiring the department to coordinate with 163
certain entities; providing an effective date. 164
165
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 166
167
Section 1. Section 193.4518, Florida Statutes, is created 168
to read: 169
193.4518 Assessment of agricultural equipment rendered 170
unable to be used due to Hurricane Idalia. — 171
(1) As used in this section, the term: 172
(a) "Farm" has the same meaning as provided in s. 173
823.14(3). 174
(b) "Farm operation" has the same meaning as provided in 175
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s. 823.14(3). 176
(c) "Unable to be used" means the tangible personal 177
property was damaged, or the farm, farm operation, or 178
agricultural processing facility was affected, to such a degree 179
that the tangible personal property could not be used for its 180
intended purpose. 181
(2) For purposes of ad valorem taxation and applying to 182
the 2024 tax roll only, tangible personal property owned and 183
operated by a farm, a farm operation, or an agriculture 184
processing facility located in Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, 185
Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, 186
Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, or 187
Taylor County is deemed to have a market value no greater than 188
its value for salvage if the tangible personal property was 189
unable to be used for at least 60 days due to the effects of 190
Hurricane Idalia. 191
(3) The deadline for an applicant to file an application 192
with the property appraiser for assessment pursuant to this 193
section is March 1, 2024. 194
(4) If the property appraiser denies an application, the 195
applicant may file, pursuant to s. 194.011(3), a petition with 196
the value adjustment board which requests that the tangible 197
personal property be assessed pursuant to this section. Su ch 198
petition must be filed on or before the 25th day after the 199
mailing by the property appraiser during the 2024 calendar year 200
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of the notice required under s. 194.011(1). 201
(5) This section applies to tax rolls beginning January 1, 202
2024. 203
Section 2. Fencing materials purchased for use on 204
agricultural lands due to Hurricane Idalia damage. — 205
(1) The purchase of fencing materials used to replace or 206
repair farm fences on land classified as agricultural under s. 207
193.461, Florida Statutes, is exempt from the t ax imposed under 208
chapter 212, Florida Statutes, during the period from August 30, 209
2023, through June 30, 2024, if the fencing materials will be or 210
were used to replace or repair fences located in Charlotte, 211
Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Her nando, 212
Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, 213
Sarasota, Suwannee, or Taylor County that were damaged as a 214
direct result of the impact of Hurricane Idalia. The exemption 215
provided by this section is available only through a refund fro m 216
the Department of Revenue of previously paid taxes. 217
(2) To receive a refund pursuant to this section, the 218
owner of the fencing materials or the real property into which 219
the fencing materials were incorporated must apply to the 220
Department of Revenue by December 31, 2024. The refund 221
application must include the following information: 222
(a) The name and address of the person claiming the 223
refund. 224
(b) The address and assessment roll parcel number of the 225
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agricultural land on which the fencing materials were or will be 226
used. 227
(c) The sales invoice or other proof of purchase of the 228
fencing materials which shows the amount of sales tax paid, the 229
date of purchase, and the name and address of the dealer from 230
whom the materials were purchased. 231
(d) An affidavit executed by the owner of the fencing 232
materials or the real property into which the fencing materials 233
were or will be incorporated, including a statement that the 234
fencing materials were or will be used to replace or repair 235
fencing damaged as a direct result of the impact of Hurricane 236
Idalia. 237
(3) A person furnishing a false affidavit to the 238
Department of Revenue pursuant to subsection (2) is subject to 239
the penalties set forth in s. 212.085, Florida Statut es, and as 240
otherwise authorized by law. 241
(4) This section is deemed a revenue law for the purposes 242
of ss. 213.05 and 213.06, Florida Statutes, and s. 72.011, 243
Florida Statutes, applies to this section. 244
(5) This section operates retroactively to August 30 , 245
2023. 246
(6) The Department of Revenue is authorized, and all 247
conditions are deemed met, to adopt emergency rules pursuant to 248
s. 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, for the purpose of implementing 249
this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 250
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emergency rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are 251
effective until December 31, 2024, and may be renewed during the 252
pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the 253
subject of the emergency rules. 254
Section 3. Building materials used to repla ce or repair 255
nonresidential farm buildings damaged by Hurricane Idalia. — 256
(1) Building materials used to replace or repair a 257
nonresidential farm building located in Charlotte, Citrus, 258
Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, 259
Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, 260
Suwannee, or Taylor County that was damaged as a direct result 261
of the impact of Hurricane Idalia and purchased during the 262
period from August 30, 2023, through June 30, 2024, are exempt 263
from the tax imposed under chapter 212, Florida Statutes. The 264
exemption provided by this section is available only through a 265
refund from the Department of Revenue of previously paid taxes. 266
(2) As used in this section, the term: 267
(a) "Building materials" means tangible perso nal property 268
that becomes a component part of a nonresidential farm building. 269
(b) "Nonresidential farm building" has the same meaning as 270
provided in s. 604.50(2), Florida Statutes. 271
(3) To receive a refund pursuant to this section, the 272
owner of the building materials or of the real property into 273
which the building materials will be or were incorporated must 274
apply to the Department of Revenue by December 31, 2024. The 275
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refund application must include all of the following 276
information: 277
(a) The name and add ress of the person claiming the 278
refund. 279
(b) The address and assessment roll parcel number of the 280
real property where the building materials were or will be used. 281
(c) The sales invoice or other proof of purchase of the 282
building materials which shows the amount of sales tax paid, the 283
date of purchase, and the name and address of the dealer from 284
whom the materials were purchased. 285
(d) An affidavit executed by the owner of the building 286
materials or the real property into which the building materials 287
will be or were incorporated, including a statement that the 288
building materials were or will be used to replace or repair the 289
nonresidential farm building damaged as a direct result of the 290
impact of Hurricane Idalia. 291
(4) A person furnishing a false affidavit t o the 292
Department of Revenue pursuant to subsection (3) is subject to 293
the penalties set forth in s. 212.085, Florida Statutes, and as 294
otherwise provided by law. 295
(5) This section is deemed a revenue law for the purposes 296
of ss. 213.05 and 213.06, Florida St atutes, and s. 72.011, 297
Florida Statutes, applies to this section. 298
(6) This section operates retroactively to August 30, 299
2023. 300
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(7) The Department of Revenue is authorized, and all 301
conditions are deemed met, to adopt emergency rules pursuant to 302
s. 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, for the purpose of implementing 303
this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 304
emergency rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are 305
effective until December 31, 2024, and may be renewed during the 306
pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the 307
subject of the emergency rules. 308
Section 4. Refund of taxes on fuel used for agricultural 309
shipment or hurricane debris removal after Hurricane Idalia. — 310
(1) Fuel purchased and used in this state during the 311
period from August 30, 2023, through June 30, 2024, which is or 312
was used in any motor vehicle driven or operated upon the public 313
highways of this state for agricultural shipment or hurricane 314
debris removal is exempt from all state and county taxes 315
authorized or imposed under parts I and II of chapter 206, 316
Florida Statutes, excluding the taxes imposed under s. 317
206.41(1)(a) and (h), Florida Statutes. The exemption provided 318
by this section is available to the fuel purchaser in an amount 319
equal to the fuel tax impose d on fuel that was purchased for 320
agricultural shipment or hurricane debris removal during the 321
period from August 30, 2023, through June 30, 2024. The 322
exemption provided by this section is only available through a 323
refund from the Department of Revenue. 324
(2) As used in this section, the term: 325
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(a) "Agricultural processing or storage facility" means 326
property used or useful in separating, cleaning, processing, 327
converting, packaging, handling, storing, and other activities 328
necessary to prepare crops, livestock , related products, and 329
other products of agriculture, and includes nonfarm facilities 330
that produce agricultural products, in whole or in part, through 331
natural processes, animal husbandry, and apiaries. 332
(b) "Agricultural product" means the natural products of a 333
farm, nursery, forest, grove, orchard, vineyard, garden, or 334
apiary, including livestock as defined in s. 585.01, Florida 335
Statutes. 336
(c) "Agricultural shipment" means the transport of any 337
agricultural product from a farm, nursery, forest, grove, 338
orchard, vineyard, garden, or apiary located in Charlotte, 339
Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, 340
Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, 341
Sarasota, Suwannee, or Taylo r County to an agricultural 342
processing or storage facility. 343
(d) "Fuel" means motor fuel or diesel fuel, as those terms 344
are defined in ss. 206.01(9) and 206.86(1), Florida Statutes, 345
respectively. 346
(e) "Fuel tax" means all state and county taxes authorized 347
or imposed on fuel under chapter 206, Florida Statutes. 348
(f) "Hurricane debris removal" means the transport of 349
Hurricane Idalia debris from a farm, nursery, forest, grove, 350
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orchard, vineyard, gard en, or apiary located in Charlotte, 351
Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, 352
Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, 353
Sarasota, Suwannee, or Taylor County. 354
(g) "Motor vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in s. 355
206.01(23), Florida Statutes. 356
(h) "Public highways" has the same meaning as provided in 357
s. 206.01(11), Florida Statutes. 358
(3) To receive a refund pursuant to this section, the fuel 359
purchaser must apply to the Department of Revenue by December 360
31, 2024. The refund application must include all of the 361
following information: 362
(a) The name and address of the person claiming the 363
refund. 364
(b) The names and addresses of up to three owners of 365
farms, nurseries, forests, groves, orchards, vineyards, gardens, 366
or apiaries whose agricultural products were shipped or 367
hurricane debris was removed by the person seeking the refund 368
pursuant to this section. 369
(c) The sales invoice or other proof of purchase of the 370
fuel which shows the number of gallons of fuel purchased, th e 371
type of fuel purchased, the date of purchase, and the name and 372
place of business of the dealer from whom the fuel was 373
purchased. 374
(d) The license number or other identification number of 375
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the motor vehicle that used the exempt fuel. 376
(e) An affidavit ex ecuted by the person seeking the refund 377
pursuant to this section, including a statement that he or she 378
purchased and used the fuel for which the refund is being 379
claimed during the period from August 30, 2023, through June 30, 380
2024, for an agricultural ship ment or hurricane debris removal. 381
(4) A person furnishing a false affidavit to the 382
Department of Revenue pursuant to subsection (3) is subject to 383
the penalties set forth in s. 206.11, Florida Statutes, and as 384
otherwise provided by law. 385
(5) The tax imposed under s. 212.0501, Florida Statutes, 386
does not apply to fuel that is exempt under this section and for 387
which a fuel purchaser received a refund under this section. 388
(6) This section is deemed a revenue law for the purposes 389
of ss. 213.05 and 213.06, Flo rida Statutes, and s. 72.011, 390
Florida Statutes, applies to this section. 391
(7) This section operates retroactively to August 30, 392
2023. 393
(8) The Department of Revenue is authorized, and all 394
conditions are deemed met, to adopt emergency rules pursuant to 395
s. 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, for the purpose of implementing 396
this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 397
emergency rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are 398
effective until December 31, 2024, and may be renewed during the 399
pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the 400
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subject of the emergency rules. 401
Section 5. Section 215.5586, Florida Statutes, is amended 402
to read: 403
215.5586 My Safe Florida Home Program. —There is 404
established within the Department of Financial Services the My 405
Safe Florida Home Program. The department shall provide fiscal 406
accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership 407
for the program, consistent with this section. This section does 408
not create an entitlement for property owners or obligate the 409
state in any way to fund the inspection or retrofitting of 410
residential property in this state. Implementation of this 411
program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. It is 412
the intent of the Legislature that , subject to the availability 413
of funds, the My Safe Florida Home Program provide licensed 414
inspectors to perform inspections for owners of site -built, 415
single-family, residential properties and grants to eligible 416
applicants as funding allows. The department shall implement the 417
program in such a manner that the total amount of funding 418
requested by accepted applications, whether for inspections, 419
grants, or other services or assistance, does not exceed the 420
total amount of available funds. If, after applications are 421
processed and approved, funds rem ain available, the department 422
may accept applications up to the available amount. The program 423
shall develop and implement a comprehensive and coordinated 424
approach for hurricane damage mitigation that may include the 425
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following: 426
(1) HURRICANE MITIGATION IN SPECTIONS.— 427
(a) Licensed inspectors are to provide home inspections of 428
site-built, single-family, residential properties for which a 429
homestead exemption has been granted, to determine what 430
mitigation measures are needed, what insurance premium discounts 431
may be available, and what improvements to existing residential 432
properties are needed to reduce the property's vulnerability to 433
hurricane damage. An inspector may inspect a townhouse as 434
defined in s. 481.203 to determine if opening protection 435
mitigation as listed in paragraph (2)(e) would provide 436
improvements to mitigate hurricane damage. 437
(b) The Department of Financial Services shall contract 438
with wind certification entities to provide hurricane mitigation 439
inspections. The inspections provided to homeown ers, at a 440
minimum, must include: 441
1. A home inspection and report that summarizes the 442
results and identifies recommended improvements a homeowner may 443
take to mitigate hurricane damage. 444
2. A range of cost estimates regarding the recommended 445
mitigation improvements. 446
3. Information regarding estimated premium discounts, 447
correlated to the current mitigation features and the 448
recommended mitigation improvements identified by the 449
inspection. 450
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(c) To qualify for selection by the department as a wind 451
certification entity to provide hurricane mitigation 452
inspections, the entity must, at a minimum, meet the following 453
requirements: 454
1. Use hurricane mitigation inspectors who are licensed or 455
certified as: 456
a. A building inspector under s. 468.607; 457
b. A general, building, or residential contractor under s. 458
489.111; 459
c. A professional engineer under s. 471.015; 460
d. A professional architect under s. 481.213; or 461
e. A home inspector under s. 468.8314 and who have 462
completed at least 3 hours of hurricane mitigation training 463
approved by the Construction Industry Licensing Board, which 464
training must include hurricane mitigation techniques, 465
compliance with the uniform mitigation verification form, and 466
completion of a proficiency exam. 467
2. Use hurricane mitigation inspectors who also have 468
undergone drug testing and a background screening. The 469
department may conduct criminal record checks of inspectors used 470
by wind certification entities. Inspectors must submit a set of 471
fingerprints to the department for state and national criminal 472
history checks and must pay the fingerprint processing fee set 473
forth in s. 624.501. The fingerprints must be sent by the 474
department to the Department of Law Enforcement and forwarded to 475
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the Federal Bureau of Investigation for processing. The results 476
must be returned to the department for screening. The 477
fingerprints must be taken by a law enforcement agency, 478
designated examination center, or other department -approved 479
entity. 480
3. Provide a quality assurance program including a 481
reinspection component. 482
(d) An application for an inspection must contain a signed 483
or electronically verified statement made under penalty of 484
perjury that the applicant has submitted only a single 485
application for that home. 486
(e) The owner of a site -built, single-family, residential 487
property or townhouse as defined in s. 481.203, for which a 488
homestead exemption has been granted, may apply for and receive 489
an inspection without also applying for a grant pursuant to 490
subsection (2) and without meeting the requirements of paragraph 491
(2)(a). 492
(2) MITIGATION GRANTS. —Financial grants shall be used to 493
encourage single-family, site-built, owner-occupied, residential 494
property owners to retrofit their properties to make them less 495
vulnerable to hurricane damage. 496
(a) For a homeowner to be eligible for a grant, the 497
following criteria must be met: 498
1. The homeowner must have been granted a homestead 499
exemption on the home under chapter 196. 500
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2. The home must be a dwelling with an insured v alue of 501
$700,000 or less. Homeowners who are low -income persons, as 502
defined in s. 420.0004(11), are exempt from this requirement. 503
3. The home must undergo an acceptable hurricane 504
mitigation inspection as provided in subsection (1). 505
4. The building perm it application for initial 506
construction of the home must have been made before January 1, 507
2008. 508
5. The homeowner must agree to make his or her home 509
available for inspection once a mitigation project is completed. 510
511
An application for a grant must contain a signed or 512
electronically verified statement made under penalty of perjury 513
that the applicant has submitted only a single application and 514
must have attached documents demonstrating the applicant meets 515
the requirements of this paragraph. 516
(b) All grants must be matched on the basis of $1 provided 517
by the applicant for $2 provided by the state up to a maximum 518
state contribution of $10,000 toward the actual cost of the 519
mitigation project. 520
(c) The program shall create a process in which 521
contractors agree to participate and homeowners select from a 522
list of participating contractors. All mitigation must be based 523
upon the securing of all required local permits and inspections 524
and must be performed by properly licensed contractors. 525
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Hurricane mitigation inspectors qualifying for the program may 526
also participate as mitigation contractors as long as the 527
inspectors meet the department's qualifications and 528
certification requirements for mitigation contractors. 529
(d) Matching fund grants shall also be made available to 530
local governments and nonprofit entities for projects that will 531
reduce hurricane damage to single -family, site-built, owner-532
occupied, residential property. The department shall liberally 533
construe those requirements in favor of availing the state of 534
the opportunity to leverage funding for the My Safe Florida Home 535
Program with other sources of funding. 536
(e) When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, 537
grants for eligible homes may be used for the following 538
improvements: 539
1. Opening protection. 540
2. Exterior doors, including garage doors. 541
3. Reinforcing roof -to-wall connections. 542
4. Improving the strength of roof -deck attachments. 543
5. Secondary water barrier for roof. 544
(f) When recommended by a hurricane mitigation inspection, 545
grants for townhouses, as defined in s. 481.203, may only be 546
used for opening protection. 547
548
The department may require that improvements be made to all 549
openings, including exterior doors and garage doors, as a 550
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condition of reimbursing a homeowner approved for a grant. The 551
department may adopt, by rule, the maximum grant allowances for 552
any improvement allowable under paragraph (e) or this paragraph. 553
(g) Grants may be used on a previously inspected existing 554
structure or on a rebuild. A rebuild is defined as a site -built, 555
single-family dwelling under construction to replace a home that 556
was destroyed or significantly damaged by a hurricane and deemed 557
unlivable by a regulatory authority. The homeowner must be a 558
low-income homeowner as defined in paragraph (h), must have had 559
a homestead exemption for that home before the hurricane, and 560
must be intending to rebuild the home as that homeowner's 561
homestead. 562
(h) Low-income homeowners, as defined in s. 420.0004(11), 563
who otherwise meet the requirements of paragraphs (a), (c), (e), 564
and (g) are eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 and are not 565
required to provide a matching amount to receive the grant. The 566
program may accept a certification directly from a low -income 567
homeowner that the homeowner meets the requirements of s. 568
420.0004(11) if the homeowner provides such certification in a 569
signed or electronically verified statement made under penalty 570
of perjury. 571
(i) The department shall develop a process that ensures 572
the most efficient means to collect and verify grant 573
applications to deter mine eligibility and may direct hurricane 574
mitigation inspectors to collect and verify grant application 575
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information or use the Internet or other electronic means to 576
collect information and determine eligibility. 577
(3) EDUCATION, CONSUMER AWARENESS, AND OUTREACH.— 578
(a) The department may undertake a statewide multimedia 579
public outreach and advertising campaign to inform consumers of 580
the availability and benefits of hurricane inspections and of 581
the safety and financial benefits of residential hurricane 582
damage mitigation. The department may seek out and use local, 583
state, federal, and private funds to support the campaign. 584
(b) The program may develop brochures for distribution to 585
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, general contractors, 586
roofing contractors, and real estate brokers and sales 587
associates who are licensed under part I of chapter 475 which 588
provide information on the benefits to homeowners of residential 589
hurricane damage mitigation. Citizens Property Insurance 590
Corporation is encouraged to dis tribute the brochure to 591
policyholders of the corporation. Contractors are encouraged to 592
distribute the brochures to homeowners at the first meeting with 593
a homeowner who is considering contracting for home or roof 594
repair or contracting for the construction of a new home. Real 595
estate brokers and sales associates are encouraged to distribute 596
the brochure to clients before the purchase of a home. The 597
brochures may be made available electronically. 598
(4) FUNDING.—The department may seek out and leverage 599
local, state, federal, or private funds to enhance the financial 600
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resources of the program. 601
(5) RULES.—The Department of Financial Services shall 602
adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to govern the 603
program; implement the provisions of this section; in cluding 604
rules governing hurricane mitigation inspections and grants, 605
mitigation contractors, and training of inspectors and 606
contractors; and carry out the duties of the department under 607
this section. 608
(6) HURRICANE MITIGATION INSPECTOR LIST. —The department 609
shall develop and maintain as a public record a current list of 610
hurricane mitigation inspectors authorized to conduct hurricane 611
mitigation inspections pursuant to this section. 612
(7) CONTRACT MANAGEMENT. — 613
(a) The department may contract with third part ies for 614
grants management, inspection services, contractor services for 615
low-income homeowners, information technology, educational 616
outreach, and auditing services. Such contracts are considered 617
direct costs of the program and are not subject to 618
administrative cost limits. The department shall contract with 619
providers that have a demonstrated record of successful business 620
operations in areas directly related to the services to be 621
provided and shall ensure the highest accountability for use of 622
state funds, consistent with this section. 623
(b) The department shall implement a quality assurance and 624
reinspection program that determines whether initial inspections 625
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and home improvements are completed in a manner consistent with 626
the intent of the program. The departme nt may use valid random 627
sampling in order to perform the quality assurance portion of 628
the program. 629
(8) INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature that 630
grants made to residential property owners under this section 631
shall be considered disaster -relief assistance within the 632
meaning of s. 139 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as 633
amended. 634
(9) REPORTS.—The department shall make an annual report on 635
the activities of the program that shall account for the use of 636
state funds and indicate the number of inspec tions requested, 637
the number of inspections performed, the number of grant 638
applications received, the number and value of grants approved, 639
and the estimated average annual amount of insurance premium 640
discounts and total estimated annual amount of insurance premium 641
discounts homeowners received from insurers as a result of 642
mitigation funded through the program. The report must be 643
delivered to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the 644
House of Representatives by February 1 of each year. 645
Section 6. (1) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of 646
$176,170,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the 647
General Revenue Fund to the Department of Financial Services to 648
provide mitigation grants pursuant to s. 215.5586(2), Florida 649
Statutes, under the My Safe Florida Home Program. Funds must be 650
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used for applications submitted on or before October 15, 2023. 651
The department may not continue to accept applications or to 652
create a waiting list in anticipation of additional funding 653
unless the Legislature provide s express authority to implement 654
such actions. 655
(2) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $5,285,100 656
in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General Revenue 657
Fund to the Department of Financial Services for administrative 658
costs related to implem entation of mitigation grants pursuant to 659
s. 215.5586(2), Florida Statutes, under the My Safe Florida Home 660
Program. 661
Section 7. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (5) of 662
section 252.37, Florida Statutes, to read: 663
252.37 Financing.— 664
(5) Unless otherwise specified in the General 665
Appropriations Act: 666
(d) Subject to appropriation, and notwithstanding 667
paragraph (a), the Legislature intends to provide the entire 668
match requirement for Public Assistance Program grants to local 669
governments within a county designated for individual assistance 670
and public assistance (categories A -G) in the Federal Emergency 671
Management Agency disaster declaration for Hurricane Idalia. 672
Such local governments must enter into agreements with the 673
division to have their portions of the match requirements waived 674
and must agree to use an equal amount of funds toward further 675
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disaster recovery or mitigation. Funds shall be allocated on a 676
first-come, first-served basis. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a 677
local government in an agreement wit h the division under this 678
paragraph is not required to provide one -half of the required 679
match before it receives Public Assistance Program financial 680
assistance. The division shall report quarterly to the Executive 681
Office of the Governor and the chair of ea ch legislative 682
appropriations committee on the amount of match requirements 683
waived, agreements entered into with local governments, and the 684
amount of remaining appropriated funds. This paragraph expires 685
June 30, 2028. 686
Section 8. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the nonrecurring 687
sum of $30 million from the General Revenue Fund is appropriated 688
to the Division of Emergency Management within the Executive 689
Office of the Governor to provide the match requirement for 690
Public Assistance Program grants pursuant to s. 252.37(5)(d), 691
Florida Statutes, as created by this act. Appropriated funds may 692
only be used to meet federal match requirements as provided in 693
s. 252.37(5)(d), Florida Statutes, as created by this act. 694
Notwithstanding s. 216.301, Florida Statutes, and pu rsuant to s. 695
216.351, Florida Statutes, the balance of this appropriation 696
which is not disbursed by June 30, 2024, may be carried forward 697
for up to 5 years after the effective date of this act. 698
Section 9. Subsection (8) of section 252.71, Florida 699
Statutes, is amended to read: 700
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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 VE S
252.71 Florida Emergency Management Assistance 701
Foundation.— 702
(8) This section is repealed October 1, 2027 December 31, 703
2024, unless reviewed and saved from repeal by the Legislature. 704
Section 10. Paragraph (c) of subsection ( 3) of section 705
288.066, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 706
288.066 Local Government Emergency Revolving Bridge Loan 707
Program.— 708
(3) LOAN TERMS.— 709
(c) The term of the loan is up to 5 years 24 months. 710
However, the department may extend loan terms for up to 6 months 711
based on the local government's financial condition. 712
Section 11. The Department of Commerce is authorized to 713
amend a loan agreement executed before November 1, 2023, and 714
made pursuant to s. 288.066, Florida Statutes, in order to 715
increase the loan term to a total of 5 years from the original 716
date of execution, as authorized by this act, upon request of 717
the local government and as determined by the department to be 718
in the best interests of the state. 719
Section 12. (1) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the 720
nonrecurring sum of $25 million from the Local Government 721
Housing Trust Fund is appropriated in the Affordable Housing for 722
Hurricane Recovery appropriation category to the Florida Housing 723
Finance Corporation. The corporation shall use these f unds for 724
hurricane recovery purposes through the Hurricane Housing 725
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Recovery Program, to be administered in accordance with part VII 726
of chapter 420, Florida Statutes, for eligible counties and 727
municipalities based on Hurricane Idalia Federal Emergency 728
Management Agency damage assessment data and population. 729
Hurricane recovery purposes may include, but are not limited to, 730
any of the following: 731
(a) Site preparation, demolition, repair, and replacement 732
of housing. 733
(b) Repair, replacement, and relocation ass istance for 734
manufactured homes. 735
(c) Acquisition of building materials for home repair and 736
construction. 737
(d) Assistance to homeowners to pay insurance deductibles. 738
(e) Down payment assistance. 739
(f) Housing reentry assistance, such as security deposits, 740
utility deposits, and temporary storage of household 741
furnishings. 742
(2) The Florida Housing Finance Corporation shall 743
coordinate with the Division of Emergency Management within the 744
Executive Office of the Governor and the Department of Commerce 745
to prevent duplication of benefits related to other state or 746
federal programs for recipients of funds appropriated under this 747
section. 748
Section 13. (1) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the 749
nonrecurring sum of $50 million from the General Revenue Fund is 750
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appropriated to the Division of Emergency Management within the 751
Executive Office of the Governor to provide grants or loans for 752
hurricane repair and recovery projects within counties 753
designated for individual assistance and public assistance 754
(categories A-G) in the Federal Emergency Management Agency 755
disaster declaration for Hurricane Idalia. Local governments, 756
independent special districts, and school boards, including 757
charter schools, may ap ply to the division for the appropriated 758
funds in a manner designated by the division. At the time of the 759
application, a local government, an independent special 760
district, or a school board requesting funding for 761
infrastructure repair, beach renourishment projects, or dredging 762
of public waterway projects must have secured matching funds of 763
at least 50 percent of the project costs. The matching 764
requirement for a project within a fiscally constrained county 765
may be waived. 766
(2) Applications to the division mu st contain a 767
certification that includes, but is not limited to, both of the 768
following statements: 769
(a) That the funding requested is necessary to maintain 770
services or infrastructure essential to support health, safety, 771
and welfare functions, and to reimb urse the local government, 772
independent special district, or school board for unanticipated 773
expenses related to responding to Hurricane Idalia or for the 774
loss of revenues related to the impact of Hurricane Idalia. 775
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(b) That insufficient state funds, federa l funds, private 776
funds, or insurance proceeds are available and that should 777
sufficient funds subsequently become available to meet the need 778
of the original application, the local government or entity will 779
reimburse the state in the amount of such funds sub sequently 780
received. 781
(3) The division is authorized to request budget 782
amendments up to $50 million which request the release of funds 783
pursuant to chapter 216, Florida Statutes, to provide resources 784
to fund gaps in the following projects: 785
(a) Mitigation of local and county revenue losses and 786
operating deficits. 787
(b) Infrastructure repair and replacement, including road, 788
sewer, and water facilities. 789
(c) Beach renourishment. 790
(d) Debris removal. 791
(e) Dredging of public waterways. 792
(4) The division sha ll coordinate with other state 793
agencies and the local government, independent special district, 794
or school board to ensure there is no duplication of benefits 795
between these funds and other funding sources, such as insurance 796
proceeds and any other federal or state programs, including 797
Public Assistance Program requests to the Federal Emergency 798
Management Agency and Community Development Block Grant Disaster 799
Recovery grants. Applications approved by the division for 800
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funding which are for projects ineligible for any other funding 801
sources, whether federal or state programs, may be provided as 802
grants. Funding for requests approved by the division, which 803
requests are for projects eligible for other funding sources, 804
must be provided as loans that must be repayable up to the 805
amount of other funding sources subsequently received. Any funds 806
reimbursed to the state must be deposited in the General Revenue 807
Fund. 808
Section 14. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the 809
nonrecurring sum of $10 million from the State Transportation 810
Trust Fund is appropriated to the Department of Transportation 811
for transportation projects under the Small County Outreach 812
Program under s. 339.2818, Florida Statutes, within counties 813
designated for individual assistance and public assistance 814
(categories A-G) in the Federal Emergency Management Agency 815
disaster declaration for Hurricane Idalia. 816
Section 15. Section 14 of chapter 2023 -304, Laws of 817
Florida, is amended to read: 818
Section 14. (1) Due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian, 819
Charlotte, Collier, De soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, 820
Lee, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties, and any a county or 821
municipality located within one of those counties, may entirely 822
or partially within 100 miles of where either Hurricane Ian or 823
Hurricane Nicole made landfall shall not propose or adopt any 824
moratorium on construction, reconstruction, or redevelopment of 825
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any property damaged by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole; 826
propose or adopt more restrictive or burdensome amendments to 827
its comprehensive plan or land developme nt regulations; or 828
propose or adopt more restrictive or burdensome procedures 829
concerning review, approval, or issuance of a site plan, 830
development permit, or development order, to the extent that 831
those terms are defined by s. 163.3164, Florida Statutes, be fore 832
October 1, 2026 2024, and any such moratorium or restrictive or 833
burdensome comprehensive plan amendment, land development 834
regulation, or procedure shall be null and void ab initio. This 835
subsection applies retroactively to September 28, 2022. 836
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any comprehensive plan 837
amendment, land development regulation amendment, site plan, 838
development permit, or development order approved or adopted by 839
a county or municipality before or after the effective date of 840
this section may be enforced if: 841
(a) The associated application is initiated by a private 842
party other than the county or municipality. 843
(b) The property that is the subject of the application is 844
owned by the initiating private party. 845
(3) This section shall take effect upon becoming a law and 846
expire June 30, 2027 2025. 847
Section 16. (1) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the 848
nonrecurring sum of $3 million in Fixed Capital Outlay from the 849
General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the Division of 850
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Emergency Management within the Executive Office of the Governor 851
to provide planning and design grants for new facilities for 852
emergency operations to the following fiscally constrained 853
counties impacted by Hurricane Idalia: Columbia, Dixie, 854
Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, 855
Suwannee, and Taylor counties. 856
(2) Such fiscally constrained counties may apply to the 857
division in a manner designated by the division for a grant to 858
be used for engineering, planning, and design services. The 859
division shall prioritize ap plications for grants that will fund 860
public safety complexes, combining emergency operations, fire 861
services, police services, emergency medical services, or 862
dispatch in one facility. 863
(3) The division must also conduct an assessment of need 864
of the applicants and award grants based on the greatest need. 865
The division, in awarding a grant, shall consider all of the 866
following information: 867
(a) Whether current structures are damaged or unsafe. 868
(b) Whether current structures are aged or appropriately 869
hurricane rated for the geographic location or proposed site. 870
(c) The need for a consolidated and updated facility. 871
(d) Whether the proposed facility can be expanded in the 872
future as population increases or needs of the locality change. 873
Section 17. Subsection (7) is added to section 288.0655, 874
Florida Statutes, to read: 875
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288.0655 Rural Infrastructure Fund. — 876
(7) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the Department of 877
Commerce may award grants for the following fiscally constrained 878
counties impacted by Hurricane Idalia: Columbia, Dixie, 879
Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, 880
Suwannee, and Taylor. The purpose of the grants is to facilitate 881
the planning, preparing, and financing of infrastructure 882
projects. Eligible uses of the g rants include roads or other 883
remedies to transportation impediments, stormwater systems, 884
water or wastewater facilities, and telecommunications 885
facilities. This subsection expires July 1, 2024. 886
Section 18. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the 887
nonrecurring sum of $5 million in Fixed Capital Outlay from the 888
General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the Department of 889
Commerce for grants awarded pursuant to s. 288.0655(7), Florida 890
Statutes, as created by this act. 891
Section 19. Section 570.82, Florida Statute s, is repealed. 892
Section 20. Section 570.822, Florida Statutes, is created 893
to read: 894
570.822 Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural 895
Disaster Recovery Loan Program. — 896
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 897
(a) "Bona fide farm oper ation" means a farm operation 898
engaged in a good faith commercial agricultural use of land on 899
land classified as agricultural pursuant to s. 193.461 or on 900
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sovereign submerged land that is leased to the applicant by the 901
department pursuant to s. 597.010 and that produces agricultural 902
products within the definition of agriculture under s. 570.02. 903
(b) "Declared natural disaster" means a natural disaster 904
for which a state of emergency is declared pursuant to s. 905
252.36. 906
(c) "Department" means the Department o f Agriculture and 907
Consumer Services. 908
(d) "Essential physical property" means fences, equipment, 909
structural production facilities, such as shade houses and 910
greenhouses, or other agriculture or aquaculture facilities or 911
infrastructure. 912
(e) "Program" means the Agriculture and Aquaculture 913
Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. 914
(2) USE OF LOAN FUNDS; LOAN TERMS. — 915
(a) The program is established within the department to 916
make loans to agriculture and aquaculture producers that have 917
experienced damage or destruction from a declared natural 918
disaster. Loan funds may be used to restore, repair, or replace 919
essential physical property or remove vegetative debris from 920
essential physical property. A structure or building constructed 921
using loan proceeds must comply with storm -hardening standards 922
for nonresidential farm buildings as defined in s. 604.50(2). 923
The department shall adopt such standards by rule. 924
(b) The department may make a low -interest or interest -925
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free loan to an eligible applic ant. The maximum amount that an 926
applicant may receive during the application period for a loan 927
is $500,000. An applicant may not receive more than one loan per 928
application period and no more than two loans per year or no 929
more than five loans in any 3 -year period. A loan term is 10 930
years. 931
(3) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. —To be eligible for the program, 932
an applicant must: 933
(a) Own or lease a bona fide farm operation that is 934
located in a county named in a declared natural disaster and 935
that was damaged or destroyed as a result of such declared 936
natural disaster. 937
(b) Maintain complete and acceptable farm records, 938
pursuant to criteria published by the department, and present 939
them as proof of production levels and bona fide farm 940
operations. 941
(4) LOAN APPLICATION AND A GREEMENT.— 942
(a) Requests for loans must be made by application to the 943
department. Upon a determination that funding for loans is 944
available, the department shall publicly notice an application 945
period for the declared natural disaster, beginning within 60 946
days after the date of the declared natural disaster and running 947
up to 1 year after the date of the declared natural disaster or 948
until all available loan funds are exhausted, whichever occurs 949
first. 950
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(b) An applicant must demonstrate the need for financial 951
assistance and an ability to repay or meet a standard credit 952
rating determined by the department. 953
(c) Loans must be made pursuant to written agreements 954
specifying the terms and conditions agreed to by the approved 955
applicant and the department. The loan agreement must specify 956
that the loan is due upon sale if the property or other 957
collateral for the loan is sold. 958
(d) An approved applicant must agree to stay in production 959
for the duration of the loan. A loan is not assumable. 960
(5) LOAN SECURITY REQUIREM ENTS.—All loans must be secured 961
by a lien, subordinate only to any mortgage held by a financial 962
institution as defined in s. 655.005, on property or other 963
collateral as set forth in the loan agreement. The specific type 964
of collateral required may vary depe nding upon the loan purpose, 965
repayment ability, and the particular circumstances of the 966
applicant. The department shall record the lien in public 967
records in the county where the property is located and, in the 968
case of personal property, perfect the securit y interest by 969
filing appropriate Uniform Commercial Code forms with the 970
Florida Secured Transaction Registry as required pursuant to 971
chapter 679. 972
(6) LOAN REPAYMENT. — 973
(a) A loan is due and payable in accordance with the terms 974
of the loan agreement. 975
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(b) The department shall defer payments for the first 3 976
years of the loan. After 3 years, the department shall reduce 977
the principal balance annually through the end of the loan term 978
such that the original principal balance is reduced by 30 979
percent. If the principal balance is repaid before the end of 980
the 10th year, the applicant may not be required to pay more 981
than 70 percent of the original principal balance. The approved 982
applicant must continue to be actively engaged in production in 983
order to receive the o riginal principal balance reductions and 984
must continue to meet the loan agreement terms to the 985
satisfaction of the department. 986
(c) An approved applicant may make payments on the loan at 987
any time without penalty. Early repayment is encouraged as other 988
funding sources or revenues become available to the approved 989
applicant. 990
(d) All repayments of principal and interest, if 991
applicable, received by the department in a fiscal year must be 992
returned to the loan fund and made available for loans to other 993
applicants in the next application period. 994
(e) The department may periodically review an approved 995
applicant to determine whether he or she continues to be in 996
compliance with the terms of the loan agreement. If the 997
department finds that an applicant is no long er in production or 998
has otherwise violated the loan agreement, the department may 999
seek repayment of the full original principal balance 1000
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outstanding, including any interest or costs, as applicable, and 1001
excluding any applied or anticipated original principal balance 1002
reductions. 1003
(7) ADMINISTRATION. — 1004
(a) The department shall create and maintain a separate 1005
account in the General Inspection Trust Fund as a fund for the 1006
program. All repayments must be returned to the loan fund and 1007
made available as provided in this section. Notwithstanding s. 1008
216.301, funds appropriated for the loan program are not subject 1009
to reversion. The department shall manage the fund, establishing 1010
loan practices that must include, but are not limited to, 1011
procedures for establishing loan i nterest rates, uses of 1012
funding, application procedures, and application review 1013
procedures. The department is authorized to contract with a 1014
third-party administrator to administer the program and manage 1015
the loan fund. A contract for a third -party administrator that 1016
includes management of the loan fund must, at a minimum, require 1017
maintenance of the loan fund to ensure that the program may 1018
operate in a revolving manner. 1019
(b) The department shall coordinate with other state 1020
agencies and other entities to ensur e to the greatest extent 1021
possible that agriculture and aquaculture producers in this 1022
state have access to the maximum financial assistance available 1023
following a natural disaster. The coordination must endeavor to 1024
ensure that there is no duplication of fina ncial assistance 1025
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between the loan program and other funding sources, such as any 1026
federal or other state programs, including public assistance 1027
requests to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or financial 1028
assistance from the United States Department of A griculture, 1029
which could render the approved applicant ineligible for other 1030
financial assistance. 1031
(8) RULES.—The department shall adopt rules to implement 1032
this section. 1033
(9) REPORTS.—By December 1, 2024, and each December 1 1034
thereafter, the department sha ll provide a report on program 1035
activities during the previous fiscal year to the President of 1036
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The 1037
report must include information on noticed application periods, 1038
the number and value of loans awar ded under the program for each 1039
application period, the number and value of loans outstanding, 1040
the number and value of any loan repayments received, and an 1041
anticipated repayment schedule for all loans. 1042
(10) SUNSET.—This section expires July 1, 2043, unles s 1043
reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the 1044
Legislature. 1045
Section 21. Subsection (3) of section 201.25, Florida 1046
Statutes, is amended to read: 1047
201.25 Tax exemptions for certain loans. —There shall be 1048
exempt from all taxes imposed by this chapter: 1049
(3) Any loan made by the Agriculture and Aquaculture 1050
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Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program pursuant to s. 1051
570.822 Agricultural Economic Development Program pursuant to s. 1052
570.82. 1053
Section 22. The Department of Agriculture and Cons umer 1054
Services shall, and all conditions are deemed met to, adopt 1055
emergency rules pursuant to s. 120.54(4), Florida Statutes, for 1056
the purpose of implementing s. 570.822, Florida Statutes. 1057
Notwithstanding any other law, emergency rules adopted pursuant 1058
to this section are effective for 6 months after adoption and 1059
may be renewed during the pendency of the procedure to adopt 1060
permanent rules addressing the subject of the emergency rules. 1061
Section 23. Within 30 days after this act becomes a law, 1062
the Chief Financial Officer shall transfer $75 million in 1063
nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund to the General 1064
Inspection Trust Fund within the Department of Agriculture and 1065
Consumer Services. For the 2023 -2024 fiscal year, the sum of $75 1066
million in nonrecurr ing funds from the General Inspection Trust 1067
Fund is appropriated in fixed capital outlay to the Department 1068
of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the Agriculture and 1069
Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program 1070
established pursuant to s. 570.822, Florida Statutes. The 1071
department is authorized to use up to 5 percent of the 1072
appropriated funds for administrative costs to implement the 1073
program. Notwithstanding s. 570.822(4)(a), Florida Statutes, as 1074
created by this act, in order for the departm ent to adopt 1075
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emergency rules and establish the administration of the program, 1076
the department is authorized to publicly notice the opening of 1077
the application period for Hurricane Idalia no later than 60 1078
days after this act becomes a law. 1079
Section 24. (1) For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of 1080
$37.5 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue 1081
Fund in fixed capital outlay is appropriated to the Department 1082
of Agriculture and Consumer Services to administer a cost -1083
sharing grant program to assis t timber landowners in Charlotte, 1084
Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, 1085
Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, 1086
Sarasota, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties whose timber land was 1087
damaged as a result of Hurricane Idalia. Grants made to eligible 1088
timber landowners must be for up to 75 percent of the costs for 1089
site preparation and tree replanting on lands classified as 1090
agricultural lands under s. 193.461, Florida Statutes. The 1091
maximum grant award is $250,000. Site preparation work may 1092
include downed tree removal by a variety of methods, including 1093
mechanical harvesting or prescribed burns authorized by the 1094
Florida Forest Service pursuant to s. 590.125, Florida Statutes. 1095
The department may use up to $1 million of the appropriate d 1096
funds for administrative costs to implement the grant program. 1097
(2) The department is authorized, and all conditions are 1098
deemed met, to adopt emergency rules pursuant to s. 120.54(4), 1099
Florida Statutes, for the purpose of implementing this section. 1100
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Notwithstanding any other provision of law, emergency rules 1101
adopted pursuant to this subsection are effective for 6 months 1102
after adoption and may be renewed during the pendency of 1103
procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the subject of 1104
the emergency rules. 1105
(3) The department shall coordinate with other state 1106
agencies and other entities to ensure to the greatest extent 1107
possible that timber landowners have access to the maximum 1108
financial assistance available following Hurricane Idalia. The 1109
coordination must endeavor to ensure that there is no 1110
duplication of financial assistance between these funds and 1111
other funding sources, such as any federal or other state 1112
programs, including public assistance requests to the Federal 1113
Emergency Management Agency or financi al assistance from the 1114
United States Department of Agriculture, which could render the 1115
approved applicant ineligible for other financial assistance. 1116
Section 25. This act shall take effect upon becoming a 1117
law. 1118