(1) This part shall be funded through a surcharge, to be assessed pursuant to s. 125.56(4) or s. 166.201 at the rate of 1.5 percent of all permit fees associated with enforcement of the Florida Building Code as defined by the uniform account criteria and specifically the uniform account code for building permits adopted for local government financial reporting pursuant to s. 218.32. The minimum amount collected on any permit issued shall be $2. The unit of government responsible for collecting permit fees pursuant to s. 125.56 or s. 166.201 shall collect such surcharge and shall remit the funds to the department on a quarterly calendar basis beginning not later than December 31, 2010, for the preceding quarter, and continuing each third month thereafter; and such unit of government shall retain 10 percent of the surcharge collected to fund the participation of building departments in the national and state building code adoption processes and to provide education related to enforcement of the Florida Building Code. There is created within the Professional Regulation Trust Fund a separate account to be known as the Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Fund, which shall deposit and disburse funds as necessary for the implementation of this part. The proceeds from this surcharge shall be allocated equally to fund the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund established by s. 489.140 and the functions of the Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board. The department may transfer excess cash to the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund that it determines is not required to fund the board from the board’s account within the Professional Regulation Trust Fund. However, the department may not transfer excess cash that would exceed the amount appropriated in the General Appropriations Act, and any amount approved by the Legislative Budget Commission pursuant to s. 216.181, to be used for the payment of claims from the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund. (2) The unit of government responsible for collecting permit fees under this section shall report to the department quarterly the number of permits issued for under-roof floor space during the quarter, the total square footage for the number of permits issued for under-roof floor space during the quarter, and the calculation of the amount of funds being remitted to the department. The report shall be attested to by the officer in charge of collecting permit fees.
