Subject:
Title
Financial Assistance Agreement with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on behalf of the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory for Fiscal Year 2016.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approve the Financial Assistance Agreement with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on behalf of the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory for Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16).
Contract No. CL004, for an estimated total expenditure in the amount of $265,000.00. One year Agreement. Chairman authorized to sign and the Clerk to attest.
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Strategic Plan:
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.3 Ensure effective and efficient delivery of County services support
Summary:
Section 943.32, Florida Statutes, establishes a statewide criminal analysis laboratory system composed of the FDLE laboratories and five locally-funded laboratories in Broward, Indian River, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Pinellas Counties. These laboratories employ professionals who provide the law enforcement community a variety of forensic services, including, but not limited to, crime scene, DNA, firearms, toxicology, and trace evidence analysis.
Background Information:
Dependent upon the amount of funds collected through criminal fines, the State will provide funding up to 75 percent of the operating costs of the five locally-funded crime laboratories (943.35, F.S.). Fines are collected statewide by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and forwarded to FDLE pursuant to Sections 938.03 and 938.07, Florida Statutes. These include mandatory fines imposed for driving or boating under the influence and discretionary fines the courts may impose when a locally-funded crime laboratory provides services that are used in the prosecution of any violation included in Title XLVI, CRIMES, chapters 775-896 of the Section 943.361, Florida Statutes.
The financial assistance supplements the Medical Examiner’s forensic laboratory services while reducing reliance on local general revenue fund support. The funding is reoccurring with amounts determined by population served and total fines collected. Under this program, Pinellas County received laboratory support totaling $273,491.16 in FY14 and $293,542.99 in FY15.
Fiscal Impact:
The actual amount disbursed to the recipients will be a percentage of the fines collected. For this contract period, the County will receive 12.74 percent of the collected funds based on the population served in the County. The estimated amount for the County is $265,000.00. The Agreement is effective retroactive to October 1, 2015, and runs through September 30, 2016.
Staff Member Responsible:
Lourdes Benedict, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory
Attachments:
FDLE Agreement Number CL004