(1) Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., shall make awards from available funds to projects or programs that meet the priorities for economic recovery, diversification, and enhancement of the disproportionately affected counties. Awards may be provided for:

(a) Ad valorem tax rate reduction within disproportionately affected counties;

(b) Local match requirements of s. 288.0655 for projects in the disproportionately affected counties;

(c) Public infrastructure projects for construction, expansion, or maintenance which are shown to enhance economic recovery, diversification, and enhancement of the disproportionately affected counties;

(d) Grants to local governments in the disproportionately affected counties to establish and maintain equipment and trained personnel for local action plans of response to respond to disasters, such as plans created for the Coastal Impacts Assistance Program;

(e) Grants to support programs that prepare students for future occupations and careers at K-20 institutions that have campuses in the disproportionately affected counties. Eligible programs include those that increase students’ technology skills and knowledge; encourage industry certifications; provide rigorous, alternative pathways for students to meet high school graduation requirements; strengthen career readiness initiatives; fund high-demand programs of emphasis at the bachelor’s and master’s level designated by the Board of Governors; and, similar to or the same as talent retention programs created by the Chancellor of the State University System and the Commission of Education, encourage students with interest or aptitude for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical disciplines to pursue postsecondary education at a state university or a Florida College System institution within the disproportionately affected counties;

(f) Grants to support programs that provide participants in the disproportionately affected counties with transferable, sustainable workforce skills that are not confined to a single employer; and

(g) Grants to the tourism entity created under s. 288.1226 for the purpose of advertising and promoting tourism and Fresh From Florida, and grants to promote workforce and infrastructure, on behalf of all of the disproportionately affected counties.

(2) Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., shall establish an application procedure for awards and a scoring process for the selection of projects and programs that have the potential to generate increased economic activity in the disproportionately affected counties, giving priority to projects and programs that:

(a) Generate maximum estimated economic benefits, based on tools and models not generally employed by economic input-output analyses, including cost-benefit, return-on-investment, or dynamic scoring techniques to determine how the long-term economic growth potential of the disproportionately affected counties may be enhanced by the investment.

(b) Increase household income in the disproportionately affected counties above national average household income.

(c) Leverage or further enhance key regional assets, including educational institutions, research facilities, and military bases.

(d) Partner with local governments to provide funds, infrastructure, land, or other assistance for the project.

(e) Benefit the environment, in addition to the economy.

(f) Provide outcome measures.

(g) Partner with K-20 educational institutions or school districts located within the disproportionately affected counties as of January 1, 2017.

(h) Are recommended by the board of county commissioners of the county in which the project or program will be located.

(i) Partner with convention and visitor bureaus, tourist development councils, or chambers of commerce located within the disproportionately affected counties.

(3) Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., may make awards as applications are received or may establish application periods for selection. Awards may not be used to finance 100 percent of any project or program. Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., may require a one-to-one private-sector match or higher for an award, if applicable and deemed prudent by the board of directors. An awardee may not receive all of the funds available in any given year. An award may supplement but may not supplant existing funding sources.

(4) A contract executed by Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., with an awardee must include provisions requiring a performance report on the contracted activities, must account for the proper use of funds provided under the contract, and must include provisions for recovery of awards in the event the award was based upon fraudulent information or the awardee is not meeting the performance requirements of the award. Awardees must regularly report to Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., the expenditure of funds and the status of the project or program on a schedule determined by the corporation.

History.—s. 58, ch. 2013-39; s. 7, ch. 2017-63.