(1) The department is authorized to borrow money as provided by the State Bond Act for the purpose of paying all or any part of the cost of any one or more legislatively approved turnpike projects. The principal of, and the interest on, such bonds will be payable solely from revenues pledged for their payment.
(2) The proceeds of the bonds of each issue shall be used solely for the payment of the cost of the turnpike projects for which such bonds shall have been issued, except as provided in the State Bond Act. Such proceeds shall be disbursed and used as provided by ss. 338.22-338.241 and in such manner and under such restrictions, if any, as the Division of Bond Finance may provide in the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or in the trust agreement hereinafter mentioned securing the same. All revenues and bond proceeds from the turnpike system received by the department pursuant to ss. 338.22-338.241, the Florida Turnpike Enterprise Law, shall be used only for the cost of turnpike projects and turnpike improvements and for the administration, operation, maintenance, and financing of the turnpike system. No revenues or bond proceeds from the turnpike system shall be spent for the operation, maintenance, construction, or financing of any project which is not part of the turnpike system.
(3) The Division of Bond Finance is authorized to issue revenue bonds on behalf of the department to finance or refinance the cost of turnpike projects approved in s. 338.2275, by the Legislature in accordance with s. 11(f), Art. VII of the State Constitution.
(4) The Department of Transportation and the Department of Management Services shall create and implement an outreach program designed to enhance the participation of minority persons and minority business enterprises in all contracts entered into by their respective departments for services related to the financing of department projects for the Strategic Intermodal System Plan developed pursuant to s. 339.64. These services shall include, but are not limited to, bond counsel and bond underwriters.
(5) Notwithstanding s. 215.82, bonds issued pursuant to this section are not required to be validated pursuant to chapter 75 but may be validated at the option of the Division of Bond Finance. A complaint about such validation must be filed in the circuit court of the county in which the seat of state government is situated. The notice required to be published by s. 75.06 must be published only in the county in which the complaint is filed. The complaint and order of the circuit court must be served only on the state attorney of the circuit in which the action is pending.
History.—s. 15, ch. 28128, 1953; s. 1, ch. 68-114; ss. 23, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 121, ch. 71-377; s. 26, ch. 73-302; s. 196, ch. 84-309; s. 75, ch. 85-180; s. 6, ch. 88-286; s. 10, ch. 90-136; s. 283, ch. 92-279; s. 55, ch. 92-326; s. 128, ch. 99-13; s. 93, ch. 99-385; s. 55, ch. 2000-152; s. 20, ch. 2002-20; s. 47, ch. 2012-174; s. 6, ch. 2017-42.
Note.—Former s. 340.15.