Florida § 348.7546 - Wekiva Parkway, construction authorized; financing.

§ 348.7546. Wekiva Parkway, construction authorized; financing.

(1) The Central Florida Expressway Authority may exercise its condemnation powers and construct, finance, operate, own, and maintain those portions of the Wekiva Parkway which are identified by agreement between the authority and the department and which are included as part of the authority’s long-range capital improvement plan. The “Wekiva Parkway” means any limited access highway or expressway constructed between State Road 429 and Interstate 4 specifically incorporating the corridor alignment recommended by Recommendation 2 of the Wekiva River Basin Area Task Force final report dated January 15, 2003, and the recommendations of the SR 429 Working Group which were adopted January 16, 2004. This project may be financed with any funds available to the authority for such purpose or revenue bonds issued by the authority under s. 11, Art. VII of the State Constitution and s. 348.755(1)(b). This section does not invalidate the exercise by the authority of its condemnation powers or the acquisition of any property for the Wekiva Parkway before July 1, 2012. (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in order to ensure that funds are available to the department for its portion of the Wekiva Parkway, beginning July 1, 2012, the authority shall repay the expenditures by the department for costs of operation and maintenance of the Central Florida Expressway System in accordance with the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the authority and the department as ratified by the authority board on February 22, 2012, which requires the authority to pay the department $10 million on July 1, 2012, and $20 million on each successive July 1 until the department has been fully reimbursed for all costs of the Central Florida Expressway System which were paid, advanced, or reimbursed to the authority by the department, with a final payment in the amount of the balance remaining. Notwithstanding any other law, the funds paid to the department pursuant to this subsection must be allocated by the department for construction of the Wekiva Parkway. (3) The department’s obligation to construct its portions of the Wekiva Parkway is contingent upon the timely payment by the authority of the annual payments required of the authority and receipt of all required environmental permits and approvals by the Federal Government.