§ 14-3. Additional court costs when defendant found guilty of misdemeanor involving use of drugs or alcohol.

(a)

Authority. This section is enacted pursuant to F.S. § 939.017, which section authorizes a county of the state to impose by ordinance an additional separate court cost under the circumstances set forth therein.

(b)

Additional court cost imposed. There is hereby imposed an additional court cost in the amount of fifteen dollars ($15.00) to be levied upon each defendant found guilty of any misdemeanor involving the unlawful use of drugs or alcohol by judgment of any court sitting in the county. Fourteen dollars ($14.00) of each such additional court cost, if and when such additional court cost is collected by the clerk of the circuit court, shall be remitted to the state treasurer and one dollar ($1.00) of such additional court cost shall be retained by the clerk of the circuit court as a service charge of the office of the clerk of the circuit court, all pursuant to F.S. § 937.017(1)(b).

(c)

Allocation of funds. The board of county commissioners, from time to time, shall petition the department of health and rehabilitative services in order that the county may receive the funds remitted by the clerk of the circuit court to the department hereunder. Such funds, when received by the county, shall be expended for alcohol treatment programs pursuant to F.S. § 396.042(4) and for drug treatment programs pursuant to F.S. § 397.031(5)(b), according to such criteria and guidelines as may be established by the department of health and rehabilitative services.

(d)

Preference granted to recipients. In view of past program experience and other eminent qualifications, the board of county commissioners shall give preference to The Center For Drug Free Living, Inc., or its corporate successor, in the case of drug treatment programs, and The Metropolitan Alcoholism Council of Central Florida, Inc., or its corporate successor, in the case of alcohol treatment programs, in the award of a portion of any court cost funds received from the department of health and rehabilitative services hereunder for such purposes. Such preference shall continue so long as the board of county commissioners does not receive convincing evidence of the unsuitability of either entity, or its successor, as the case may be, to receive grant funds hereunder.

(Code 1965, § 8-16; Ord. No. 89-6, §§ 1—4, 4-3-89)