(1) Moneys collected pursuant to ss. 206.41(1)(g) and 206.87(1)(e) shall be deposited in the Fuel Tax Collection Trust Fund. Such moneys, after deducting the refunds granted pursuant to s. 206.41 and the administrative costs incurred by the department in collecting, administering, enforcing, and distributing the tax, which administrative costs may not exceed 2 percent of collections, shall be distributed monthly to the State Transportation Trust Fund, except that:
(a) $6.30 million shall be transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in each fiscal year and deposited in the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund to be used for aquatic plant management, including nonchemical control of aquatic weeds, research into nonchemical controls, and enforcement activities. The commission shall allocate at least $1 million of such funds to the eradication of melaleuca.
(b) Annually, $2.5 million shall be transferred to the State Game Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and used for recreational boating activities and freshwater fisheries management and research. The transfers must be made in equal monthly amounts beginning on July 1 of each fiscal year. The commission shall annually determine where unmet needs exist for boating-related activities, and may fund such activities in counties where, due to the number of vessel registrations, sufficient financial resources are unavailable.
1. A minimum of $1.25 million shall be used to fund local projects to provide recreational channel marking and other uniform waterway markers, public boat ramps, lifts, and hoists, marine railways, and other public launching facilities, derelict vessel removal, and other local boating-related activities. In funding the projects, the commission shall give priority consideration to:
a. Unmet needs in counties having populations of 100,000 or less.
b. Unmet needs in coastal counties having a high level of boating-related activities from individuals residing in other counties.
2. The remaining $1.25 million may be used for recreational boating activities and freshwater fisheries management and research.
3. The commission may adopt rules to administer a Florida Boating Improvement Program.
The commission shall prepare and make available on its Internet website an annual report outlining the status of its Florida Boating Improvement Program, including the projects funded, and a list of counties whose needs are unmet due to insufficient financial resources from vessel registration fees.
(c) 0.65 percent of moneys collected pursuant to s. 206.41(1)(g) shall be transferred to the Agricultural Emergency Eradication Trust Fund.
(d) $13.4 million in fiscal year 2007-2008 and each fiscal year thereafter of the moneys attributable to the sale of motor and diesel fuel at marinas shall be transferred from the Fuel Tax Collection Trust Fund to the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
(2) Not less than 10 percent of the moneys deposited in the State Transportation Trust Fund pursuant to this section shall be allocated by the Department of Transportation for public transit and rail capital projects, including service development projects, as defined in s. 341.031(7) and (8), unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act.
History.—s. 6, ch. 83-3; s. 1, ch. 84-348; s. 46, ch. 89-356; s. 115, ch. 91-112; ss. 116, 154, ch. 92-152; ss. 1, 2, ch. 92-308; s. 6, ch. 94-146; s. 53, ch. 94-356; ss. 60, 61, 115, ch. 95-417; ss. 7, 8, ch. 96-321; s. 27, ch. 96-323; ss. 2, 3, ch. 98-114; s. 4, ch. 98-307; s. 19, ch. 99-205; s. 15, ch. 99-245; s. 2, ch. 99-312; s. 3, ch. 2003-156; s. 1, ch. 2006-309; s. 11, ch. 2008-150; s. 1, ch. 2009-86; s. 49, ch. 2010-102; s. 29, ch. 2014-17; s. 4, ch. 2021-186.
