(1) The Division of Bond Finance of the State Board of Administration and the Chief Financial Officer shall plan and coordinate deferred-payment purchases made by or on behalf of the state or its agencies or by or on behalf of state universities or Florida College System institutions participating under this section pursuant to s. 1001.706(7) or s. 1001.64(26), respectively. The Division of Bond Finance shall negotiate and the Chief Financial Officer shall execute agreements and contracts to establish master equipment financing agreements for consolidated financing of deferred-payment, installment sale, or lease purchases with a financial institution or a consortium of financial institutions. As used in this act, the term “deferred-payment” includes installment sale and lease-purchase.(a) The period during which equipment may be acquired under any one master equipment financing agreement shall be limited to not more than 3 years.
(b) Repayment of the whole or a part of the funds drawn pursuant to the master equipment financing agreement may continue beyond the period established pursuant to paragraph (a).
(c) The interest rate component of any master equipment financing agreement shall be deemed to comply with the interest rate limitation imposed in s. 287.063 so long as the interest rate component of every interagency, state university, or community college agreement entered into under such master equipment financing agreement complies with the interest rate limitation imposed in s. 287.063. Such interest rate limitation does not apply when the payment obligation under the master equipment financing agreement is rated by a nationally recognized rating service in any one of the three highest classifications, which rating services and classifications are determined pursuant to rules adopted by the Chief Financial Officer. (2) Unless specifically exempted by the Chief Financial Officer, all deferred-payment purchases, including those made by a state university or community college that is participating under this section, shall be acquired by funding through master equipment financing agreements. The Chief Financial Officer is authorized to exempt any purchases from consolidated financing when, in his or her judgment, alternative financing would be cost-effective or otherwise beneficial to the state.
(3) The Chief Financial Officer may require agencies to enter into interagency agreements and may require participating state universities or community colleges to enter into systemwide agreements for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act.(a) The term of any interagency or systemwide agreement shall expire on June 30 of each fiscal year but shall automatically be renewed annually subject to appropriations and deferred-payment schedules. The period of any interagency or systemwide agreement shall not exceed the useful life of the equipment for which the agreement was made as determined by the Chief Financial Officer.
(b) The interagency or systemwide agreements may include, but are not limited to, equipment costs, terms, and a pro rata share of program and issuance expenses.
(4) Each state university or community college may choose to have its purchasing agreements involving administrative and instructional materials consolidated under this section.
(5) The Chief Financial Officer is authorized to automatically debit each agency’s or state university’s funds and each community college’s portion of the Community College Program Fund consistently with the deferred-payment schedules.
(6) All funds debited from each agency, state university, and community college pursuant to the provisions of this section may be deposited in the trust fund and shall be used to meet the financial obligations incurred pursuant to this act. Any income from the investment of funds may be used to fund administrative costs associated with this program.
(7) The Chief Financial Officer may borrow sufficient amounts from trust funds to pay issuance expenses for the purposes of administering this section. Such amounts shall be subject to approval of the Executive Office of the Governor and subject to the notice, review, and objection procedures of s. 216.177. Amounts loaned shall be repaid as soon as practicable not to exceed the length of time obligations are issued to establish the master equipment financing agreement. (8) The State Board of Administration and the Chief Financial Officer, individually, shall adopt rules to implement their respective responsibilities under this section.
(9) For purposes of this section, deferred-payment commodity contracts for replacing the state accounting and cash management systems may include equipment, accounting software, and implementation and project management services.
(10)(a) A master equipment financing agreement may finance the cost of energy, water, or wastewater efficiency and conservation measures as defined in s. 489.145, excluding the costs of training, operation, and maintenance, for a term of repayment that may exceed 5 years but may not exceed 20 years. (b) The guaranteed energy, water, and wastewater savings contractor shall provide for the replacement or the extension of the useful life of the equipment during the term of the contract.
(11) For purposes of consolidated financing of deferred payment commodity contracts under this section by a state agency, the annualized amount of any such contract must be supported from available recurring funds appropriated to the agency in an appropriation category, as defined in chapter 216, which the Chief Financial Officer has determined is appropriate or which the Legislature has designated for payment of the obligation incurred under this section.
