The department or the conservancy may accept, from any public agency or nonprofit organization, fees collected for purposes of providing public access to coastal resources. Any funds collected from such source shall be expended by the department or the conservancy for the sole purpose of acquisition, development, and maintenance of public accessways to the coastline. To the maximum extent possible, such fees shall be expended in the general area where they are collected or in areas where public access to and along the coastline is clearly deficient. The department or the conservancy may transfer funds, including such fees, to a local public agency or nonprofit organization for the purposes of acquisition of sites for public access to and along the coastline.

(Amended by Stats. 1980, Ch. 667, Sec. 6.)