THE BILL ITSELF
CS/HB 273
Special District Funding
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An act relating to special district funding; amending
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s. 215.971, F.S.; revising agency agreements that
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provide state financial assistance to recipients or
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subrecipients to include specified special districts
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as an entity to which such agency may provide for the
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payment of invoices under specified circumstances;
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providing construction; requiring state agencies to
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expedite payment requests from certain counties,
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municipalities, and special districts for a specified
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purpose; amending s. 288.0656, F.S.; revising the
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definition of the term "rural community" to include
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specified special districts; providing an effective
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date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section
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215.971, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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215.971 Agreements funded with federal or state
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assistance.—
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(1) An agency agreement that provides state financial
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assistance to a recipient or subrecipient, as those terms are
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defined in s. 215.97, or that provides federal financial
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assistance to a subrecipient, as defined by applicable United
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States Office of Management and Budget circulars, must include
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all of the following:
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(h) If the agency agreement provides federal or state
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financial assistance to a county or municipality that is a rural
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community or rural area of opportunity as those terms are
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defined in s. 288.0656(2) or a special district located entirely
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within such county or municipality or an independent special
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district that provides water and wastewater services within a
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rural area of opportunity as defined in s. 288.0656(2), a
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provision allowing the agency to provide for the payment of
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invoices to such the county, municipality, or special district
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rural area of opportunity as that term is defined in s.
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288.0656(2), for verified and eligible performance that has been
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completed in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth
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in the agreement. The provision is not intended to require
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reimbursement to such county, municipality, or special district
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for invoices paid, but to allow the agency to provide for the
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payment of invoices due. The agency shall expedite payment
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requests in order to facilitate the timely payment of invoices
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received by such county, municipality, or special district. This
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provision is included to alleviate the financial hardships that
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such certain rural counties, and municipalities, or special
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districts encounter when administering agreements, and must be
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exercised by the agency if when a county, or municipality, or
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special district located entirely within such county or
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municipality or an independent special district that provides
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water and wastewater services within a rural area of
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opportunity, as defined in s. 288.0656(2), demonstrates
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financial hardship, to the extent that federal or state law,
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rule, or other regulation allows such payments. This paragraph
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may not be construed to alter or limit any other provisions of
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federal or state law, rule, or other regulation.
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Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
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288.0656, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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288.0656 Rural Economic Development Initiative.—
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(2) As used in this section, the term:
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(e) "Rural community" means:
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1. A county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
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2. A county with a population of 125,000 or fewer which is
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contiguous to a county with a population of 75,000 or fewer.
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3. A municipality or special district within a county
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described in subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2.
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4. An unincorporated federal enterprise community or an
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incorporated rural city with a population of 25,000 or fewer and
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an employment base focused on traditional agricultural or
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resource-based industries, located in a county not defined as
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rural, which has at least three or more of the economic distress
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factors identified in paragraph (c) and verified by the
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department.
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5. An independent special district that provides water and
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wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity.
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For purposes of this paragraph, population shall be determined
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in accordance with the most recent official estimate pursuant to
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s. 186.901.
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Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.