Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program.

The Legislature recognizes the vital contribution of farmworkers to the economy of this state. The Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program is created to provide scholarships for farmworkers, as defined in s. 420.503, and the children of such farmworkers.

(1) The Department of Education shall administer the Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program according to rules and procedures established by the State Board of Education. Up to 50 scholarships shall be awarded annually according to the criteria established in subsection (2) and contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature.

(2)(a) To be eligible for an initial scholarship, a student must, at a minimum:

1. Have a resident status as required by s. 1009.40 and rules of the State Board of Education;

2. Earn a minimum cumulative weighted grade point average of 3.5 for all high school courses creditable toward a diploma;

3. Complete a minimum of 30 hours of community service; and

4. Have at least a 90-percent attendance rate and not have had any disciplinary action brought against him or her, as documented on the student’s high school transcript.

For purposes of this section, students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes are not eligible for an award.

(b) The department shall rank eligible initial applicants for the purposes of awarding scholarships based on need, as determined by the department.

(c) To renew a scholarship awarded pursuant to this section, a student must maintain at least a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for college coursework.

(3) A scholarship recipient must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours per term, or the equivalent, at a public postsecondary educational institution in this state to receive funding.

(4) A scholarship recipient may receive an award for a maximum of 100 percent of the number of credit hours required to complete an associate or baccalaureate degree program or receive an award for a maximum of 100 percent of the credit hours or clock hours required to complete up to 90 credit hours of a program that terminates in a career certificate. The scholarship recipient is eligible for an award equal to the amount required to pay the tuition and fees established under ss. 1009.22(3), (6), (7), and (8); 1009.23(3), (4), (7), (8), (10), and (11); and 1009.24(4), (7)-(13), (14)(r), and (16), as applicable, at a public postsecondary educational institution in this state. Renewal scholarship awards must take precedence over new scholarship awards in a year in which funds are not sufficient to accommodate both initial and renewal awards. The scholarship must be prorated for any such year.

(5) Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the department shall annually issue awards from the scholarship program. Before the registration period each semester, the department shall transmit payment for each award to the president or director of the postsecondary educational institution, or his or her representative. However, the department may withhold payment if the receiving institution fails to submit the following reports or make the following refunds to the department:

(a) Each institution shall certify to the department the eligibility status of each student to receive a disbursement within 30 days before the end of its regular registration period, inclusive of a drop and add period. An institution is not required to reevaluate the student eligibility after the end of the drop and add period.

(b) An institution that receives funds from the scholarship program must certify to the department the amount of funds disbursed to each student and remit to the department any undisbursed advance within 60 days after the end of the regular registration period.

(6) The department shall allocate funds to the appropriate institutions and collect and maintain data regarding the scholarship program within the student financial assistance database as specified in s. 1009.94.