(1) The Legislature finds and declares that the development of community-based treatment facilities for persons with developmental disabilities is desirable and recommended and should be encouraged and fostered by the state. The Legislature further recognizes that the development of such facilities is financially difficult for private individuals, due to initial expenditures required to adapt existing structures to the special needs of such persons who may be served in community-based foster care, group home, and supported employment programs. Therefore, the Legislature intends that the agency develop and administer a loan program to provide support and encouragement in the establishment of community-based foster care, group home, and supported employment programs for persons with developmental disabilities.

(2) There is created a Community Resources Development Loan Program in the agency for the purpose of granting loans to eligible programs for the initial costs of development of the programs. In order to be eligible for the program, a foster home, group home, or supported employment program must:

(a) Serve persons with developmental disabilities;

(b) Be a nonprofit corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship; and

(c) Be in compliance with the zoning regulations of the local community.

(3) Loans may be made to pay for the costs of development and structural modification, the purchase of equipment and fire and safety devices, preoperational staff training, and the purchase of insurance. Such costs may not include the actual construction of a facility and may not be in lieu of payment for maintenance, client services, or care provided.

(4) The agency may grant to an eligible program a lump-sum loan in one payment not to exceed the cost of providing 2 months’ services, care, or maintenance to each person with developmental disabilities to be placed in the program by the agency, or the actual cost of firesafety renovations to a facility required by the state, whichever is greater.

(5) The agency shall adopt rules to determine the criteria under which a program shall be eligible to receive a loan and the methodology for the equitable allocation of loan funds when eligible applications exceed the funds available.

(6) Any loan granted by the agency under this section shall be repaid by the program within 5 years, and the amount paid shall be deposited into the agency’s Administrative Trust Fund. Moneys repaid shall be used to fund new loans. A program that operates as a nonprofit corporation meeting the requirements of s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and that seeks forgiveness of its loan shall submit to the agency an annual statement setting forth the service it has provided during the year together with such other information as the agency by rule shall require, and, upon approval of each such annual statement, the agency may forgive up to 20 percent of the principal of any such loan granted.

(7) If any program that has received a loan under this section ceases to accept, or provide care, services, or maintenance to persons placed in the program by the department, or if such program files papers of bankruptcy, at that point in time the loan shall become an interest-bearing loan at the rate of 5 percent per annum on the entire amount of the initial loan which shall be repaid within a 1-year period from the date on which the program ceases to provide care, services, or maintenance, or files papers in bankruptcy, and the amount of the loan due plus interest shall constitute a lien in favor of the state against all real and personal property of the program. The lien shall be perfected by the appropriate officer of the agency by executing and acknowledging a statement of the name of the program and the amount due on the loan and a copy of the promissory note, which shall be recorded by the agency with the clerk of the circuit court in the county wherein the program is located. If the program has filed a petition for bankruptcy, the agency shall file and enforce the lien in the bankruptcy proceedings. Otherwise, the lien shall be enforced in the manner provided in s. 85.011. All funds received by the agency from the enforcement of the lien shall be deposited in the agency’s Administrative Trust Fund and used to fund new loans.

History.—ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 75-197; s. 1, ch. 76-128; s. 1, ch. 79-321; s. 4, ch. 80-174; s. 20, ch. 89-308; s. 52, ch. 96-418; s. 91, ch. 99-8; s. 110, ch. 2004-267; s. 31, ch. 2006-227.