PUB 700641: FLORIDA CONSERVATION LANDS BOARD of TRUSTEES by BRET SHAWN CLARK

ARTICLE X: MISCELLANEOUS, Section 28. Land Acquisition Trust Fund.

1. Effective on July 1 of the year following passage of this amendment by the voters, and for a period of 20 years after that effective date, the Land Acquisition Trust Fund shall receive no less than 33 percent of net revenues derived from the existing excise tax on documents, as defined in the statutes in effect on January 1, 2012, as amended from time to time, or any successor or replacement tax, after the Department of Revenue first deducts a service charge to pay the costs of the collection and enforcement of the excise tax on documents.
2. Funds in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund shall be expended only for the following purposes:
   1. As provided by law, tTo finance or refinance: the acquisition and improvement of land, water areas, and related property interests, including conservation easements, and resources for conservation lands including wetlands, forests, and fish and wildlife habitat; wildlife management areas; lands that protect water resources and drinking water sources, including lands protecting the water quality and quantity of rivers, lakes, streams, springsheds, and lands providing recharge for groundwater and aquifer systems; lands in the Everglades Agricultural Area and the Everglades Protection Area, as defined in Article II, Section 7(b); beaches and shores; outdoor recreation lands, including recreational trails, parks, and urban open space; rural landscapes; working farms and ranches; historic or geologic sites; together with management, restoration of natural systems, and the enhancement of public access or recreational enjoyment of conservation lands.
   2. To pay the debt service on bonds issued pursuant to Article VII, Section 11(e).
   3. To fund the operations and management of the Florida Conservation Lands Board of Trustees established in this Section.
3. The moneys deposited into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund, as defined by the statutes in effect on January 1, 2012, shall not be or become commingled with the general revenue fund of the state. Nothing in this part shall prevent the Board of Trustees from awarding grants, upon proper application, to those state agencies seeking funding for projects undertaken by them in futherance of the purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this Section.
4. Expenditure of moneys deposited in the Land Acquisiton Trust Fund shall be as determined by the Florida Conservation Lands Board of Trustees, a collegial body hereby established by this amendment, which shall be constituted as follows:
   1. The Board shall consist of five Trustees elected by vote of Florida Electors on the first occasion of a statewide election to office subsequent to the adoption of this amendment, and every four years thereafter. To qualify candidates seeking election to the Board shall be Florida Electors in good standing. Votes cast for candidates shall be tabulated with the top five candidates receiving the most votes being elected as Trustees.
   2. Trustees shall be elected to four-year terms but may not serve more than two consecutive terms in office. Vacanies occuring on the Board shall be filled by the remaining Trustees on the Board until the next-occuring election to the Board. Removal of Trustees from the Board shall occur upon the same grounds and in like manner to impeachment of constitutional officers of the state.
   3. The Board shall convene and conduct meetings, hearings and undertake such other actions in furtherance of the duties imposed upon the Trustees by this Section, and shall adopt such rules of governance and other procedures and rules as is determined by the Board to most efficiently and fairly discharge those duties, consistent with law and this Constitution.