(1) The department shall serve as the state agency for screening applicants for state funding pursuant to s. 212.20 and for certifying one applicant as the professional golf hall of fame facility in the state.

(2) Before certifying the professional golf hall of fame facility, the department must determine that:

(a) The professional golf hall of fame facility is the only professional golf hall of fame in the United States recognized by the PGA Tour, Inc.

(b) The applicant is a unit of local government as defined in s. 218.369 or a private sector group that has contracted to construct or operate the professional golf hall of fame facility on land owned by a unit of local government.

(c) The municipality in which the professional golf hall of fame facility is located, or the county if the facility is located in an unincorporated area, has certified by resolution after a public hearing that the application serves a public purpose.

(d) There are existing projections that the professional golf hall of fame facility will attract a paid attendance of more than 300,000 annually.

(e) There is an independent analysis or study, using methodology approved by the department, which demonstrates that the amount of the revenues generated by the taxes imposed under chapter 212 with respect to the use and operation of the professional golf hall of fame facility will equal or exceed $2 million annually.

(f) The applicant has submitted an agreement to provide $2 million annually in national and international media promotion of the professional golf hall of fame facility, Florida, and Florida tourism, through the PGA Tour, Inc., or its affiliates, at the then-current commercial rate, during the period of time that the facility receives funds pursuant to s. 212.20. The department and the PGA Tour, Inc., or its affiliates, must agree annually on a reasonable percentage of advertising specifically allocated for generic Florida advertising. The department shall have final approval of all generic advertising. Failure on the part of the PGA Tour, Inc., or its affiliates to annually provide the advertising as provided in this paragraph or subsection (6) shall result in the termination of funding as provided in s. 212.20.

(g) Documentation exists that demonstrates that the applicant has provided, is capable of providing, or has financial or other commitments to provide more than one-half of the costs incurred or related to the improvement and development of the facility.

(h) The application is signed by an official senior executive of the applicant and is notarized according to Florida law providing for penalties for falsification.

(3) The applicant may use funds provided pursuant to s. 212.20 for the public purpose of paying for the construction, reconstruction, renovation, or operation of the professional golf hall of fame facility, or to pay or pledge for payment of debt service on, or to fund debt service reserve funds, arbitrage rebate obligations, or other amounts payable with respect to, bonds issued for the construction, reconstruction, or renovation of the facility or for the reimbursement of such costs or the refinancing of bonds issued for such purpose.

(4) Upon determining that an applicant is or is not certifiable, the department shall notify the applicant of his or her status by means of an official letter. If certifiable, the department shall notify the executive director of the Department of Revenue and the applicant of such certification by means of an official letter granting certification. From the date of such certification, the applicant shall have 5 years to open the professional golf hall of fame facility to the public and notify the department of such opening. The Department of Revenue shall not begin distributing funds until 30 days following notice by the department that the professional golf hall of fame facility is open to the public.

(5) The Department of Revenue must audit as provided in s. 213.34 to verify that the distributions under this section have been expended as required by this section on or before October 1, 2017, and provide a copy of such audit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before December 1, 2017.

(6) The department must recertify every 10 years that the facility is open, continues to be the only professional golf hall of fame in the United States recognized by the PGA Tour, Inc., and is meeting the minimum projections for attendance or sales tax revenue as required at the time of original certification. If the facility is not certified as meeting the minimum projections, the PGA Tour, Inc., shall increase its required advertising contribution of $2 million annually to $2.5 million annually in lieu of reduction of any funds as provided by s. 212.20. The additional $500,000 must be allocated in its entirety for the use and promotion of generic Florida advertising as determined by the department. If the facility is not open to the public or is no longer in use as the only professional golf hall of fame in the United States recognized by the PGA Tour, Inc., the entire $2.5 million for advertising must be used for generic Florida advertising as determined by the department.

(7) On or before January 1, 2018, the applicant must certify and provide the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with a certified financial report indicating that all payments received from the state pursuant to s. 212.20 are being used to pay or pledge for payment of debt service on, or to fund debt service reserve funds, arbitrage rebate obligations, or other amounts payable with respect to, bonds issued for the construction, reconstruction, or renovation of the facility or for the reimbursement of such costs or the refinancing of bonds issued for such purpose.

(a) Such report must identify to whom the bonds were issued, in what amounts, the date of final maturity, the level of funding achieved and whether bond payments are outstanding.

(b) If the applicant fails to certify and provide proof as required by this subsection, then all payments in accordance with this section and s. 212.20 shall cease on January 1, 2018.

(c) If the applicant fails to meet the requirements of this subsection, no new or additional applications or certifications shall be approved, no new letters of certification may be issued, no new contracts or agreements may be executed, and no new awards may be made.

(8) This section is repealed June 30, 2023.

History.—s. 2, ch. 93-233; s. 221, ch. 95-148; s. 34, ch. 95-196; s. 5, ch. 95-420; s. 4, ch. 96-221; s. 46, ch. 96-320; s. 137, ch. 96-406; s. 33, ch. 97-99; s. 160, ch. 2011-142; s. 15, ch. 2011-213; s. 42, ch. 2012-96; s. 16, ch. 2017-233.