Florida Statutes 1013.31 – Educational plant survey; need assessment criteria; PECO project funding
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(1) At least every 5 years, each Florida College System institution and state university board shall arrange for an educational plant survey, to aid in formulating plans for housing the educational program and student population, faculty, administrators, staff, and auxiliary and ancillary services of the district or campus, including consideration of the local comprehensive plan. The Department of Education shall document the need for additional career and adult education programs and the continuation of existing programs before facility construction or renovation related to career or adult education may be included in the educational plant survey of a school district or Florida College System institution that delivers career or adult education programs. Information used by the Department of Education to establish facility needs must include, but need not be limited to, labor market data, needs analysis, and information submitted by the Florida College System institution.
(a) Survey preparation and required data.–Each survey must be conducted by the Florida College System institution or state university board or an agency employed by the board. Surveys must be reviewed and approved by the board, and a file copy must be submitted to the Department of Education or the Chancellor of the State University System, as appropriate. The survey report must include at least an inventory of existing educational and ancillary plants, including safe access facilities; recommendations for existing educational and ancillary plants; recommendations for new educational or ancillary plants, including the general location of each in coordination with the land use plan and safe access facilities; campus master plan update and detail for Florida College System institutions; and such other information as may be required by the Department of Education. This report may be amended, if conditions warrant, at the request of the department or commissioner.
(b) Required need assessment criteria for district, Florida College System institution, state university, and Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind plant surveys.–Educational plant surveys must use uniform data sources and criteria specified in this paragraph. Each revised educational plant survey and each new educational plant survey supersedes previous surveys.
1. Each survey of a special facility, joint-use facility, or cooperative career education facility must be based on capital outlay full-time equivalent student enrollment data prepared by the department for school districts and Florida College System institutions and by the Chancellor of the State University System for universities. A survey of space needs of a joint-use facility shall be based upon the respective space needs of the school districts, Florida College System institutions, and universities, as appropriate. Projections of a school district’s facility space needs may not exceed the norm space and occupant design criteria established by the State Requirements for Educational Facilities.
2. Each Florida College System institution’s survey must reflect the capacity of existing facilities as specified in the inventory maintained by the Department of Education. Projections of facility space needs must comply with standards for determining space needs as specified by rule of the State Board of Education. The 5-year projection of capital outlay student enrollment must be consistent with the annual report of capital outlay full-time student enrollment prepared by the Department of Education.
3. Each state university’s survey must reflect the capacity of existing facilities as specified in the inventory maintained and validated by the Chancellor of the State University System. Projections of facility space needs must be consistent with standards for determining space needs as specified by regulation of the Board of Governors. The projected capital outlay full-time equivalent student enrollment must be consistent with the 5-year planned enrollment cycle for the State University System approved by the Board of Governors.
4. The district educational facilities plan of a school district and the educational plant survey of a Florida College System institution, state university, or the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind may include space needs that deviate from approved standards for determining space needs if the deviation is justified by the district or institution and approved by the department or the Board of Governors, as appropriate, as necessary for the delivery of an approved educational program.
(c) Review and validation.–The Department of Education shall review and validate the surveys of school districts and Florida College System institutions, and the Chancellor of the State University System shall review and validate the surveys of universities, and any amendments thereto for compliance with the requirements of this chapter and shall recommend those in compliance for approval by the State Board of Education or the Board of Governors, as appropriate. The commissioner may condition the receipt of fixed capital outlay funds provided from general revenue or from state trust funds by district school boards until such time as the district school board submits a survey that accurately projects facilities needs as indicated by the Florida Inventory of School Houses, as compared with the district’s capital outlay full-time equivalent enrollment, as determined by the department.
(d) Periodic update of Florida Inventory of School Houses.–School districts shall periodically update their inventory of educational facilities as new capacity becomes available and as unsatisfactory space is eliminated. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to determine the timeframe in which districts must provide a periodic update.
(2) Only the district school superintendent, Florida College System institution president, or the university president shall certify to the Department of Education a project’s compliance with the requirements for expenditure of PECO funds prior to release of funds.
(a) Upon request for release of PECO funds for planning purposes, certification must be made to the Department of Education that the need for and location of the facility are in compliance with the board-approved survey recommendations, that the project meets the definition of a PECO project and the limiting criteria for expenditures of PECO funding, and that the plan is consistent with the local government comprehensive plan.
(b) Upon request for release of construction funds, certification must be made to the Department of Education that the need and location of the facility are in compliance with the board-approved survey recommendations, that the project meets the definition of a PECO project and the limiting criteria for expenditures of PECO funding, and that the construction documents meet the requirements of the Florida Building Code for educational facilities construction, subject to the authorization in s. 1013.385 to exempt certain facilities from the requirements of s. 1013.37, or other applicable codes as authorized in this chapter.