Chapter 215 — Chapter 215

(1) Upon the request of the Department of Transportation, the Division of Bond Finance is authorized pursuant to s. 11, Art. VII of the State Constitution and the State Bond Act to issue revenue bonds, for and on behalf of the Department of Transportation, for the purpose of fina…

(1)(a) The issuance of Florida Forever bonds, not to exceed $5.3 billion, to finance or refinance the cost of acquisition and improvement of land, water areas, and related property interests and resources, in urban and rural settings, for the purposes of restoration, conservation…

(1) The issuance of Everglades restoration bonds to finance or refinance the cost of the acquisition and improvement of land, water areas, and related property interests and resources for the purpose of implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan under s. 373.470, …

(1) There is created a division of the State Board of Administration of the state to be known as the Division of Bond Finance. The Governor shall be the chair of the governing board of the division, the Attorney General shall be the secretary of the board, and the Chief Financial…

(1) All obligations of the Florida Development Commission in connection with outstanding bond issues shall be assumed and performed either by the division or by the State Board of Administration, as provided by law or by contract. Any bond proceedings taken by the Florida Develop…

The division shall have power:(1) To sue and be sued in the corporate name of the division and to adopt a corporate seal.(2) To issue any bonds of the state heretofore or hereafter authorized by law or by the State Constitution, and to issue bonds on behalf of any state agency he…

(1) There is created a Bond Fee Trust Fund, which shall be maintained as a separate fund. The working capital reserve of this fund for any fiscal year shall never exceed the expenditures of the previous fiscal year. The “working capital reserve” is defined as the amount of cash, …

(1) There is created an Arbitrage Compliance Program to ensure compliance with the provisions of federal arbitrage laws.(2) The division shall adopt by resolution a schedule of fees and expenses, to be paid by the governmental agency for which services were provided, which may be…

(1) Before any bonds may be issued by the division on behalf of a state agency, such state agency shall file a request with the division by appropriate resolution for approval of the issuance of such proposed bonds, which request shall state such facts and shall have annexed ther…

All state bonds shall be issued by the division. No state bonds shall be issued by the division until the issuance thereof has been approved by the electors, if such approval is required by the constitution or laws of the state. If such approval has been obtained in such bond ele…

(1) The board is empowered to authorize, by resolution duly adopted, the issuance by the division, at one time or from time to time, of any state bonds or bonds on behalf of any state agency.(2) Such bonds may:(a) Be issued in either coupon form or registered form or both;(b) Hav…

(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Bonds” means any note, general obligation bond, revenue bond, special assessment bond, special obligation bond, private activity bond, certificate of participation, or other evidence of indebtedness or obligation, in either temporary or …

(1) Subject to the notice provided in subsection (2), the State of Florida shall not engage the services of any person or firm as a securities broker or bond underwriter that has been convicted or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to fraud in a federal or state court, f…

(1) The State Board of Administration is hereby designated and appointed as the agent of the board and the division to administer all debt service funds for bonds issued pursuant to this act, except as otherwise provided herein.(2) Upon sale and delivery of any bonds by the divis…

(1) If funds sufficient for the payment of the principal and interest due at any time on any bonds of the state or on any bonds issued on behalf of any state agency are not remitted to the State Board of Administration in sufficient time to pay the same when due, the State Board …

The division shall remit the proceeds of such bonds, after first deducting its fees, costs and expenses as provided in this act, for application in the manner provided in the laws relating to such bonds and in the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds.

(1) The board shall have power to enter into valid and legally binding covenants between the State of Florida or any state agency and the holders of any bonds, including, without limitation:(a) The manner and method of determining and paying rates, fees or other charges for servi…

At or prior to the sale by the division, all bonds proposed to be issued by the division shall be approved by the State Board of Administration as to fiscal sufficiency.

Any portion of the constitutional fuel tax provided for and allocated to the account of each of the several counties by s. 9(c), Art. XII of the State Constitution may be pledged and used for the payment of bonds issued by the division; provided, however, that such funds may only…

All bonds issued by the division, either for the state or on behalf of any state agency pursuant to this act, shall be and constitute legal investments for state, county, municipal, and all other public funds, and for banks, savings banks, insurance companies, executors, administ…

(1) As the exercise of the powers conferred by this act constitutes the performance of essential public functions, all properties, revenues, or other assets of the division or of any state agency on behalf of which bonds are issued under this act, and all bonds issued hereunder a…

The proceeds of all bonds and all taxes, revenues, or other funds provided for in this act and the proceedings which authorized the issuance of such bonds shall be and constitute trust funds and shall be used and applied solely in the manner and for the purposes provided in this …

Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of this act or of any of the coupons appertaining thereto, except to the extent the rights herein given may be restricted by the resolution or other proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds, may by civil action, mandamus, …

(1) The board is authorized to provide by resolution for the issuance by the division of refunding bonds of the state, or on behalf of any state agency, for the purpose of refunding any bonds then outstanding. The board is further authorized to provide by resolution for the issua…

The division or the State Board of Administration shall cause to be made at least once each year a comprehensive report of all debt service or other sinking funds for any bonds issued by the division for the state or any state agencies and the status of all such funds and account…

The state does hereby covenant and agree with the holders of the bonds issued pursuant to this act that the state will not limit or restrict the rights hereby vested in the board or the division or in any state agency on behalf of which such bonds are issued:(1) To construct, acq…

(1) Bonds issued pursuant to this act shall be validated in the manner provided by law through proceedings instituted by the attorneys for the division under chapter 75. Refunding bonds issued pursuant to s. 215.79, bonds issued pursuant to s. 9(a)(2), Art. XII of the State Const…

Prior to July 1, 1969, state agencies may issue bonds directly under the laws relating to such state agencies. Any state agency may, however, make application for the issuance of such bonds on behalf of such state agency by the division as provided in ss. 215.57-215.83 at any tim…

The provisions of this act shall be liberally construed to effect its purposes. The exercise of the powers provided by this act and the issuance of bonds and federal arbitrage compliance functions provided for hereunder shall not be subject to the limitations and provisions of an…

The Division of Bond Finance and the State Board of Administration may adopt rules deemed necessary to carry out the provisions and intent of this act, including, but not limited to, reporting of debt service accounts.

(1) It is the purpose of this section to maintain the fiscal solvency of public bodies, agencies, and political subdivisions in public borrowing; to prescribe a statewide maximum bond interest rate which is flexible with the bond market and from which are exempted bonds rated in …

Pursuant to s. 11(a)(21), Art. III of the State Constitution, the Legislature hereby prohibits any special law providing for the establishment of an interest rate on bonds in excess of the maximum prescribed in s. 215.84(3) or providing any procedure for exceeding such interest r…

(1) SHORT TITLE.—This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Direct Deposit of Public Funds Act.”(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the legislative intent that this act shall constitute authorization for all public agencies, and the judicial branch, to withdraw, pay, or disburse …

(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Governmental entity” means a state, regional, county, municipal, special district, or other political subdivision whether executive, judicial, or legislative, including, but not limited to, a department, division, board, bureau, commissi…

Each state agency and the judicial branch as defined in s. 216.011 shall establish and maintain management systems and internal controls designed to:(1) Prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse as defined in s. 11.45(1).(2) Promote and encourage compliance with applicable laws,…

(1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature that a mechanism be provided for obtaining detailed, uniform reporting of government financial information to enable citizens to view compatible information on the use of public funds by governmental entities. The Legisl…

Sections 215.90-215.96 may be cited as the “Florida Financial Management Information System Act.”

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that the executive branch of government, in consultation with the legislative fiscal committees, specifically design and implement the Florida Financial Management Information System to be the primary means by which state government manager…

For the purposes of ss. 215.90-215.96:(1) “Auditable” means the presence of features and characteristics that are needed to verify the proper functioning of controls in any given information subsystem.(2) “Board” means the Financial Management Information Board.(3) “Coordinating …

(1) To provide the information necessary to carry out the intent of the Legislature, there shall be a Florida Financial Management Information System. The Florida Financial Management Information System shall be fully implemented and shall be upgraded as necessary to ensure the e…

(1) The Executive Office of the Governor shall be the functional owner of the Planning and Budgeting Subsystem, which shall be designed, implemented, and operated in accordance with the provisions of ss. 215.90-215.96 and chapter 216. The Planning and Budgeting Subsystem shall in…

(1) There is created, as part of the Administration Commission, the Financial Management Information Board. The board shall be composed of the Governor, the Chief Financial Officer, the Commissioner of Agriculture, and the Attorney General. The Governor shall be chair of the boar…

(1) The Chief Financial Officer, as chief fiscal officer of the state, shall establish a coordinating council to function on a continuing basis. The coordinating council shall review and recommend to the board solutions and policy alternatives to ensure coordination between funct…

Each state agency that uses a card that relies on the electronic reading and use of information encoded in the card must comply with the following standards unless an exception is granted by the Florida Fiscal Accounting Management Information System Coordinating Council. The cou…

(1) Whenever any state agency intends to issue a bid, request for proposals, or contract in any manner to acquire commodities or services that include the use of card-based technology and will require the agency to expend more than the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for …

Except as provided in s. 17.076, s. 253.025(17), s. 717.124(4)(b) and (c), s. 732.107(5), or s. 733.816(5), all moneys in the State Treasury shall be disbursed by state warrant, drawn by the Chief Financial Officer upon the State Treasury and payable to the ultimate beneficiary. …

The Division of Bond Finance of the State Board of Administration is hereby authorized to refinance any or all bonds previously issued pursuant to the provisions of s. 11(d), Art. VII of the State Constitution, and all projects that have been built or are scheduled to be built wi…

(1) The purposes of the section are to:(a) Establish uniform state audit requirements for state financial assistance provided by state agencies to nonstate entities to carry out state projects.(b) Promote sound financial management, including effective internal controls, with res…

(1) An agency agreement that provides state financial assistance to a recipient or subrecipient, as those terms are defined in s. 215.97, or that provides federal financial assistance to a subrecipient, as defined by applicable United States Office of Management and Budget circul…

(1) It is the public policy of this state to encourage fiscal responsibility on matters pertaining to state debt. In an effort to finance essential capital projects for the benefit of residents at favorable interest rates, the state must continue to maintain its excellent credit …