Powers of Division of Bond Finance.

There is hereby granted to and vested in the Division of Bond Finance of the State Board of Administration the power, right, franchise, and authority:

(1) To take, exclusively occupy, use, and possess rights-of-way for any projects, enterprises, or undertakings of the division, over and across state-owned lands not otherwise in use for state purposes.

(2)(a) The division is hereby authorized and empowered to exercise the power of eminent domain and may condemn for the use of the division any and all lands, easements, rights-of-way, riparian rights, property, and property rights of every description required in carrying out the objects and purposes of this chapter.

(b) The proceedings for condemnation hereunder may be instituted and conducted in the name of the division, and the procedure shall be the same as is prescribed by chapter 73.

(3) To own and to acquire by donation, purchase, or otherwise, real and personal property, tangible and intangible, and to lease, sell, alienate, and dispose of the same or any part or parts thereof in carrying out the objects and purposes of this chapter.

(4) To subscribe for, purchase, acquire, own, sell, or otherwise dispose of bonds and obligations of municipalities and political subdivisions of the state, needful or incident to carrying out the objects and purposes of this chapter, and exercise all the rights, powers, and privileges incident to ownership thereof.

(5) In order to carry out the objectives and purposes of this chapter, the division is authorized to acquire, own, construct, operate, maintain, improve, and extend public buildings, facilities, or works within the state which are of the character hereinafter specifically mentioned. All public buildings, facilities, and works which the division is authorized to own, construct, operate, and maintain must be such as can ultimately be owned and operated by an agency, department, board, bureau, or commission of the state. All or any such buildings, facilities, or works may be of a revenue-producing character in order that the cost of the same or some part of improvements or extensions thereto may be paid from receipts therefrom, including in Tallahassee only rentals, leases, and sales to both public and nonpublic agencies through the issue and sales or disposition of revenue bonds, notes, or certificates of the division. The buildings, facilities, and works which the division is hereby authorized to acquire, construct, operate, maintain, improve, and extend are:

(a) Toll bridges or tunnels, and toll roads wherever the same are connected with or form a part of the state system of public roads. The location and construction of same shall first be approved by the Department of Transportation.

(b) To accept as a gift or grant or to purchase or lease from the Federal Government any personal property or any real property, fixtures, or appurtenances thereto, located in the state, payment for which can be made from the revenues derived therefrom, which will be used in the development of the agriculture, forest and reforestation of the state or such property as will provide recreation for the public and citizens of the state.

(c) It is expressly declared that the Division of Bond Finance shall not be authorized:

1. Except as is provided in s. 288.13, to acquire, own, or construct any buildings, facilities, or works which are to be maintained and operated solely for municipal or local purpose; and

2. To so accept, purchase, or lease from the Federal Government any property or business ordinarily owned and operated by private business; provided, however, this provision does not prohibit or limit such purchase, acceptance of gift, or lease of surplus property to be used for noncompetitive government purposes.

(d) Public buildings, facilities, and additions or improvements to existing buildings and facilities for ultimate use in connection with any of the several state institutions, departments, bureaus, boards, or commissions; and, in furtherance of this paragraph, the Department of Management Services, the Board of Governors of the State University System, and the State Board of Education are authorized to cooperate with the Division of Bond Finance and to do and perform all acts and things necessary thereto. Any property acquired by the Division of Bond Finance under the provisions of this chapter may ultimately be conveyed to the state free and clear of all debt or other encumbrance.

(e) The Division of Bond Finance is hereby authorized to collect reasonable rentals, tolls, or charges for the use of public buildings, facilities, or works constructed, acquired, or owned by it and for the products and services of the same exclusively for the purpose of paying the expenses of improving, repairing, maintaining, and operating its facilities and properties and paying the principal and interest on its obligations. The division is authorized by reasonable regulations to prescribe for the use of buildings, facilities, works, or projects owned and operated by it, the amount of rentals, tolls, or charges and may make and enter into contracts with any municipality, district, county or other political subdivision, board, commission, agency, or department of the state for the use of such projects or sale of the products or services thereof; provided, that the receipts from any project shall not be expended on any other project except as provided in subsection (8).

(f) However, the provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to authorize the construction, acquisition, ownership, or operation by the division of any project other than the class of projects referred to in this subsection.

(6) To secure, assemble, study, map, plat, and chart any and all data which may pertain to the governance, rehabilitation, welfare, health, transportation, commerce, marketing, finance, business, population, land use, sanitation, waterways, mineral resources, parks, wildlife, public buildings and property, and the laws relating to social, economic, or conservational matters of the state, its political subdivisions, and its people for the purpose of advising and assisting, proposing, and recommending to state administrative officers, the state Legislature, and the people of the state plans for the future development, welfare, and governance of the state, in order that the state’s plan of development may be coordinated, its economic resources be conserved, and the welfare of its people be promoted.

(7) It is expressly provided:

(a) That nothing in this chapter shall be construed as vesting in the Division of Bond Finance the power, right, or privilege to engage in private enterprise or business for profit; and

(b) That nothing in this chapter shall authorize the purchase, condemnation, or other acquisition by the division of the properties or securities of privately owned utilities or any part of same.

(8) The division is hereby authorized and directed to proceed with the acquisition of land and buildings thereon now needed or to be needed for use in whole or in part by any agency, board, bureau, or commission of the state, such acquisition to be within the area defined by the Department of Management Services for the long-range development of the proposed Capitol Center; and

(a) To construct, acquire, own, and operate buildings and facilities thereon, such buildings and facilities to be financed by the revenue they yield, through the issuance of revenue certificates;

(b) To have specific authority in financing the acquisition, construction, and operation of such buildings and facilities, to utilize rentals to both public and nonpublic agencies as well as any regularly appropriated state or other public funds; however, no revenue from lands, buildings, or facilities now owned by the state may be pledged to finance the acquisition of land, buildings, or facilities pursuant to the provisions of this law, except revenue from land, buildings, or facilities purchased or acquired pursuant to the provisions of this law.

(9) Subsections (5) and (8) shall be liberally construed to effectuate the objectives and purposes thereof and the public policy of the state as hereby declared.