272.129 Florida Historic Capitol; space allocation; maintenance, repair, and security.
272.129 Florida Historic Capitol; space allocation; maintenance, repair, and security.
(1) The Legislature shall ensure that all space in the Florida Historic Capitol is restored in a manner consistent with the 1902 form and made available for allocation. Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 255.249 and 272.04 that relate to space allocation in state-owned buildings, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall have responsibility and authority for the allocation of all space in the restored Florida Historic Capitol, provided:
(a) The rotunda, corridors, Senate chamber, House of Representatives chamber, and Supreme Court chamber shall not be used as office space.
(b) The Legislature shall be allocated sufficient space for program and administrative functions relating to the preservation, museum, and cultural programs of the Legislature.
(2) The Florida Historic Capitol shall be maintained in accordance with good historic preservation practices as specified in the National Park Service Preservation Briefs and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings.
(3) Custodial and preventive maintenance and repair of the entire Historic Capitol and the grounds located adjacent thereto shall be the responsibility of the Department of Management Services, subject to the special requirements of the building as determined by the Capitol Curator.
(4)(a) The Legislative Research Center and Museum at the Historic Capitol, hereinafter referred to as “center,” may support the establishment of a citizen support organization to provide assistance, funding, and promotional support for the center. For the purposes of this subsection, “citizen support organization” means an organization that is:
1. A Florida corporation not for profit incorporated under the provisions of chapter 617 and approved by the Department of State.
2. Organized and operated to conduct programs and activities; raise funds; request and receive grants, gifts, and bequests of money; acquire, receive, hold, invest, and administer in its own name securities, funds, objects of value, or other real and personal property; and make expenditures to or for the direct or indirect benefit of the center.
3. Determined by the center to be consistent with the goals of the center and in the best interests of the state.
4. Annually approved in writing by the center to operate for the direct or indirect benefit of the center. Such approval shall be given in a letter of agreement from the center.
(b)1. The Legislative Research Center and Museum at the Historic Capitol may permit, without charge, appropriate use of fixed property and facilities of the center by the citizen support organization, subject to the provisions of this subsection. Such use must be directly in keeping with the approved purposes of the citizen support organization and may not be made at times or places that would unreasonably interfere with normal operations of the center.
2. The center may prescribe by rule any condition with which the citizen support organization must comply in order to use fixed property or facilities of the center.
3. The center may not permit the use of any fixed property or facilities by any citizen support organization if such organization does not provide equal membership and employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, or national origin.
(c) A citizen support organization shall provide for an annual financial audit in accordance with s. 215.981.
(d) All records of a citizen support organization constitute public records for the purposes of chapter 119.
(e) The citizen support organization for the Legislative Research Center and Museum at the Historic Capitol is authorized to collect rental fees, apply for and receive grants, and receive gifts and donations for the direct or indirect benefit of the center.
(f) All funds obtained through rental fees, grants, gifts, and donations to the citizen support organization shall be deposited into the account of the citizen support organization and used for the direct or indirect benefit of the Legislative Research Center and Museum at the Historic Capitol unless the citizen support organization is no longer authorized as required by this subsection, fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection, fails to maintain its tax-exempt status pursuant to s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or ceases to exist. If the citizen support organization is no longer authorized as required by this subsection, fails to comply with the requirements of this subsection, fails to maintain its tax-exempt status pursuant to s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or ceases to exist, all funds obtained through rental fees, grants, gifts, and donations in the citizen support organization account shall revert to the state and be deposited into an account designated by the Legislature.
History. ss. 1, 3, ch. 81-232; s. 210, ch. 92-279; s. 55, ch. 92-326; s. 5, ch. 2006-111; s. 13, ch. 2008-199.