(1) The Legislature finds that efforts to increase funding for capital expenditures for the transportation system are necessary for the protection of the public safety and general welfare and for the preservation of transportation facilities in this state. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to:
(a) Create a mechanism for factoring future revenues received by the department from leases for wireless communication facilities on department property on a nonrecourse basis;
(b) Fund fixed capital expenditures for the statewide transportation system from proceeds generated through this mechanism; and
(c) Maximize revenues from factoring by ensuring that such revenues are exempt from income taxation under federal law in order to increase funds available for capital expenditures.
(2) For the purposes of factoring 1future revenues under this section, department property includes real property located within the department’s limited access rights-of-way, 2real property located outside the current operating right-of-way limits which is not needed to support current transportation facilities, other property owned by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund and leased by the department, space on department telecommunications facilities, and space on department structures.
(3) The department may solicit investors willing to enter into agreements to purchase the revenue stream from one or more existing department leases for wireless communication facilities on property owned or controlled by the department through the issuance of an invitation to negotiate. Such agreements shall be structured as tax-exempt financings for federal income tax purposes in order to result in the largest possible payout.
(4) The department may not pledge the credit, the general revenues, or the taxing power of the state or of any political subdivision of the state. The obligations of the department and investors under the agreement do not constitute a general obligation of the state or a pledge of the full faith and credit or taxing power of the state. The agreement is payable from and secured solely by payments received from department leases for wireless communication facilities on property owned or controlled by the department, and neither the state nor any of its agencies has any liability beyond such payments.
(5) The department may make any covenant or representation necessary or desirable in connection with the agreement, including a commitment by the department to take whatever actions are necessary on behalf of investors to enforce the department’s rights to payments on property leased for wireless communications facilities. However, the department may not guarantee that actual revenues received in a future year will be those anticipated in its leases for wireless communication facilities. The department may agree to use its best efforts to ensure that anticipated future-year revenues are protected. Any risk that actual revenues received from department leases for wireless communications facilities are lower than anticipated shall be borne exclusively by investors.
(6) Subject to annual appropriation, the investors shall collect the lease payments on a schedule and in a manner established in the agreements entered into by the department and the investors pursuant to this section. The agreements may provide for lease payments to be made directly to investors by lessees if the lease agreements entered into by the department and the lessees pursuant to s. 365.172(13)(f) allow direct payment.
(7) Proceeds received by the department from leases for wireless communication facilities shall be deposited in the State Transportation Trust Fund created under s. 206.46 and used for fixed capital expenditures for the statewide transportation system.
History.—s. 6, ch. 2014-169; s. 1, ch. 2014-215; s. 16, ch. 2014-223; s. 25, ch. 2015-2.
1Note.—As created by s. 1, ch. 2014-215. Section 6, ch. 2014-169, and s. 16, ch. 2014-223, also created subsection (2), and that version did not use the word “future.”
2Note.—As created by s. 1, ch. 2014-215. Section 6, ch. 2014-169, and s. 16, ch. 2014-223, also created subsection (2), and that version did not use the word “real.”