Florida 2023 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0915 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/16/2023

                       
 
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A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized 2 
Trail Network; amending s. 260.014, F.S.; authorizing 3 
the Department of Environmental Protection to 4 
establish a program to recognize specified local 5 
communities as trail towns; amending s. 260.0142, 6 
F.S.; increasing the membership of the Florida 7 
Greenways and Trails Council; revising the duties of 8 
the council; defining the term "regionally significant 9 
trails"; amending s. 260.016, F.S.; revising the 10 
general powers of the department to include 11 
development and dissemination of criteria for 12 
prioritization of regionally significant trails within 13 
or connected to the Florida wildlife corridor; 14 
amending s. 288.1226, F.S.; revising the membership of 15 
the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation; 16 
amending s. 288.923, F.S.; specifying additional 17 
requirements for the marketing plan of the Division of 18 
Tourism Marketing; amending s. 320.072, F.S.; 19 
increasing the amount of funding the Department of 20 
Transportation is required to use for the Florida 21 
Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network; amending s. 22 
335.065, F.S.; revising the funding priorities for the 23 
Department of Transportation's trail projects; 24 
amending s. 339.175, F.S.; revising required 25     
 
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components of long-range transportation plans 26 
developed by metropolitan pl anning organizations; 27 
amending s. 339.81, F.S.; revising legislative 28 
findings and intent; clarifying the components that 29 
make up Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail Network; 30 
extending the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail 31 
Network to lands of the Flor ida wildlife corridor; 32 
including certain connecting components as parts of 33 
the statewide network; increasing the amount the 34 
Department of Transportation is required to allocate 35 
for purposes of funding and maintaining projects 36 
within the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail 37 
Network; requiring the department to give funding 38 
priority to specified trail projects; requiring the 39 
department to construct projects within the Florida 40 
wildlife corridor or on other specified lands using 41 
previously disturbed lands; req uiring the department 42 
to coordinate with other state agencies to ensure 43 
recreation and public access in developing the 44 
planning and design of trails; requiring the 45 
department to program projects in the work program for 46 
development of the entire trail and t o minimize 47 
creation of gaps between trail segments; requiring the 48 
department to ensure that local support exists for 49 
projects and trail segments; requiring metropolitan 50     
 
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planning organizations or boards of county 51 
commissioners to include trails in project p riorities; 52 
requiring the department to create and erect certain 53 
signage; authorizing the department and local 54 
governments to enter into a sponsorship agreement with 55 
certain entities for commercial sponsorship displays 56 
on multiuse trails and related facilit ies; requiring 57 
the department or local government to administer a 58 
sponsorship agreement and ensure that a sponsorship 59 
agreement complies with specified requirements; 60 
subjecting sponsorship agreements to specified federal 61 
laws and agreements; providing that no proprietary or 62 
compensable interest in any sign, display site, or 63 
location is created; requiring the Department of 64 
Transportation, in coordination with the Department of 65 
Environmental Protection, to submit a report by a 66 
certain date, and at specified i ntervals thereafter, 67 
to the Governor and the Legislature summarizing the 68 
status of the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail 69 
Network; authorizing the Department of Transportation 70 
to include in the report its recommendations for 71 
legislative revisions that w ould facilitate 72 
connectivity of the statewide network; requiring that 73 
specified items be included in the report; requiring 74 
the department to coordinate with certain entities 75     
 
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regarding certain items in the report; providing an 76 
appropriation; providing for c onstruction; authorizing 77 
the department to take certain action regarding 78 
funding for the trail network projects in response to 79 
appropriations made by the act; providing an effective 80 
date. 81 
  82 
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 83 
 84 
 Section 1.  Section 260.014, Florida Statutes, is amended 85 
to read: 86 
 260.014  Florida Greenways and Trails System. —The Florida 87 
Greenways and Trails System shall be a statewide system of 88 
greenways and trails which shall consist of individual greenways 89 
and trails and networks of greenways and trails which may be 90 
designated as a part of the statewide system by the department. 91 
The department may establish a program to recognize local 92 
communities located along or in proximity to one or more long -93 
distance nonmotorized recreational trails as trail towns. 94 
Mapping or other forms of identification of lands and waterways 95 
as suitable for inclusion in the system of greenways and trails, 96 
mapping of ecological characteristics for any purpose, or 97 
development of information for planning purposes shall not 98 
constitute designation. No lands or waterways may be designated 99 
as a part of the statewide system of greenways and trails 100     
 
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without the specific written consent of the landowner. 101 
 Section 2.  Subsections (1) and (4) of secti on 260.0142, 102 
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 103 
 260.0142  Florida Greenways and Trails Council; 104 
composition; powers and duties. — 105 
 (1)  There is created within the department the Florida 106 
Greenways and Trails Council which shall advise the department 107 
in the execution of the department's powers and duties under 108 
this chapter. The council shall be composed of 21 20 members, 109 
consisting of: 110 
 (a)1.  Six Five members appointed by the Governor, with two 111 
members representing the trail user community, two members 112 
representing the greenway user community, one member from the 113 
board of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and one 114 
member representing private landowners. 115 
 2.  Three members appointed by the President of the Senate, 116 
with one member representing the t rail user community and two 117 
members representing the greenway user community. 118 
 3.  Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of 119 
Representatives, with two members representing the trail user 120 
community and one member representing the greenway user 121 
community. 122 
 123 
Those eligible to represent the trail user community shall be 124 
chosen from, but not be limited to, paved trail users, hikers, 125     
 
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off-road bicyclists, users of off -highway vehicles, paddlers, 126 
equestrians, disabled outdoor recreational users, and com mercial 127 
recreational interests. Those eligible to represent the greenway 128 
user community must shall be chosen from, but not be limited to, 129 
conservation organizations, nature study organizations, and 130 
scientists and university experts. 131 
 (b)  The 9 remaining m embers shall include: 132 
 1.  The Secretary of Environmental Protection or a 133 
designee. 134 
 2.  The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife 135 
Conservation Commission or a designee. 136 
 3.  The Secretary of Transportation or a designee. 137 
 4.  The Director of the Florida Forest Service of the 138 
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or a designee. 139 
 5.  The director of the Division of Historical Resources of 140 
the Department of State or a designee. 141 
 6.  A representative of the water management districts. 142 
Membership on the council must shall rotate among the five 143 
districts. The districts shall determine the order of rotation. 144 
 7.  A representative of a federal land management agency. 145 
The Secretary of Environmental Protection shall identify the 146 
appropriate federal agency and request designation of a 147 
representative from the agency to serve on the council. 148 
 8.  A representative of the regional planning councils to 149 
be appointed by the Secretary of Environmental Protection. 150     
 
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Membership on the council must shall rotate among the seven 151 
regional planning councils. The regional planning councils shall 152 
determine the order of rotation. 153 
 9.  A representative of local governments to be appointed 154 
by the Secretary of Environmental Protection. Membership must 155 
shall alternate between a county representative and a municipal 156 
representative. 157 
 (4)  The duties of the council shall include the following: 158 
 (a)  Facilitate a statewide system of interconnected 159 
landscape linkages, conservation corridors, lands and waters of 160 
the Florida wildlife corridor, greenbelts, recreational 161 
corridors and trails, scenic corridors, utilitarian corridors, 162 
reserves, regional parks and preserves, ecological sites, and 163 
cultural/historic/recreational sites using land -based trails 164 
that connect urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state and 165 
facilitate expansion of the statewide system of freshwater and 166 
saltwater paddling trails. 167 
 (b)  Recommend priorities for critical links in the Florida 168 
Greenways and Trails System. 169 
 (c)  Recommend priorities for regionally sign ificant trails 170 
within the Florida Greenways and Trails System for inclusion by 171 
the Department of Transportation in the Florida Shared -Use 172 
Nonmotorized Trail Network as defined by s. 339.81. For purposes 173 
of this section, the term "regionally significant tra ils" means 174 
trails that cross multiple counties, attract national and 175     
 
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international visitors, and serve as an opportunity for economic 176 
and ecotourism development; showcase the natural value of this 177 
state's wildlife areas, ecology, and natural resources; and 178 
serve as main corridors for critical links and trail 179 
connectedness across this state. 180 
 (d) Review recommendations of the office for acquisition 181 
funding under the Florida Greenways and Trails Program and 182 
recommend to the Secretary of Environmental Protect ion which 183 
projects should be acquired. 184 
 (e)(d) Review designation proposals for inclusion in the 185 
Florida Greenways and Trails System. 186 
 (f)(e) Encourage public-private partnerships to develop 187 
and manage greenways and trails. 188 
 (g)(f) Review progress towar d meeting established 189 
benchmarks and recommend appropriate action. 190 
 (h)(g) Make recommendations for updating and revising the 191 
implementation plan for the Florida Greenways and Trails System , 192 
including, but not limited to, recommendations for 193 
prioritization of regionally significant trails within the 194 
Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network . 195 
 (i)  Coordinate and facilitate land acquisition efforts for 196 
lands to be used, in whole or in part, for regionally 197 
significant trails on the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail 198 
Network with the Department of Transportation, the Florida 199 
Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 200     
 
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Services, and other appropriate entities. 201 
 (j)(h) Promote greenways and trails support organizations. 202 
 (k)(i) Support the Florida Greenways and Trails System 203 
through intergovernmental coordination, budget recommendations, 204 
advocacy, education, and any other appropriate way. 205 
 Section 3.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section 206 
260.016, Florida Statutes, is amended to r ead: 207 
 260.016  General powers of the department. — 208 
 (2)  The department shall: 209 
 (d)  Develop and implement a process for designation of 210 
lands and waterways as a part of the statewide system of 211 
greenways and trails, which shall include: 212 
 1.  Development and dissemination of criteria for 213 
designation, including, but not limited to, criteria for 214 
prioritization of regionally significant trails within or 215 
connected to the Florida wildlife corridor as described in s. 216 
259.1055. 217 
 2.  Development and dissemination of c riteria for changes 218 
in the terms or conditions of designation, including withdrawal 219 
or termination of designation. A landowner may have his or her 220 
lands removed from designation by providing the department with 221 
a written request that contains an adequate d escription of such 222 
lands to be removed. Provisions shall be made in the designation 223 
agreement for disposition of any future improvements made to the 224 
land by the department. 225     
 
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 3.  Public notice pursuant to s. 120.525 in all phases of 226 
the process. 227 
 4.  Written authorization from the landowner in the form of 228 
a lease or other instrument for the designation and granting of 229 
public access, if appropriate, to a landowner's property. 230 
 5.  A greenway or trail use plan as a part of the 231 
designation agreement which shall , at a minimum, describe the 232 
types and intensities of uses of the property. 233 
 Section 4.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 234 
288.1226, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 235 
 288.1226  Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation; 236 
use of property; board of directors; duties; audit. — 237 
 (4)  BOARD OF DIRECTORS. —The board of directors of the 238 
corporation shall be composed of 31 tourism -industry-related 239 
members, appointed by Enterprise Florida, Inc., in conjunction 240 
with the department. Board mem bers shall serve without 241 
compensation, but are entitled to receive reimbursement for per 242 
diem and travel expenses pursuant to s. 112.061. Such expenses 243 
must be paid out of funds of the corporation. 244 
 (b)  The 15 additional tourism -industry-related members 245 
shall include 1 representative from the statewide rental car 246 
industry; 6 7 representatives from tourist -related statewide 247 
associations, including those that represent hotels, 248 
campgrounds, county destination marketing organizations, 249 
museums, restaurants, ret ail, and attractions; 3 representatives 250     
 
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from county destination marketing organizations; 1 251 
representative from the cruise industry; 1 representative from 252 
an automobile and travel services membership organization that 253 
has at least 2.8 million members in Flo rida; 1 representative 254 
from the airline industry; 1 representative from the nature -255 
based tourism industry; and 1 representative from the space 256 
tourism industry, who will each serve for a term of 2 years. 257 
 Section 5.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of se ction 258 
288.923, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 259 
 288.923  Division of Tourism Marketing; definitions; 260 
responsibilities.— 261 
 (4)  The division's responsibilities and duties include, 262 
but are not limited to: 263 
 (c)  Developing a 4-year marketing plan. 264 
 1.  At a minimum, the marketing plan shall discuss the 265 
following: 266 
 a.  Continuation of overall tourism growth in this state. 267 
 b.  Expansion to new or under -represented tourist markets. 268 
 c.  Maintenance of traditional and loyal tourist markets. 269 
 d.  Coordination of efforts with county destination 270 
marketing organizations, other local government marketing 271 
groups, privately owned attractions and destinations, and other 272 
private sector partners to create a seamless, four -season 273 
advertising campaign for the state and i ts regions. 274 
 e.  Development of innovative techniques or promotions to 275     
 
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build repeat visitation by targeted segments of the tourist 276 
population. 277 
 f.  Consideration of innovative sources of state funding 278 
for tourism marketing. 279 
 g.  Promotion of nature -based tourism, including, but not 280 
limited to, promotion of the Florida Greenways and Trails System 281 
as described under s. 260.014 and the Florida Shared -Use 282 
Nonmotorized Trail Network as described under s. 339.81 and 283 
heritage tourism. 284 
 h.  Coordination of efforts with the Office of Greenways 285 
and Trails of the Department of Environmental Protection and the 286 
department to promote and assist local communities, including, 287 
but not limited to, communities designated as trail towns by the 288 
Office of Greenways and Trails, to maximize use of nearby trails 289 
as economic assets, including specific promotion of trail -based 290 
tourism. 291 
 i.  Promotion of heritage tourism. 292 
 j. Development of a component to address emergency 293 
response to natural and manmade disasters from a marketing 294 
standpoint. 295 
 2.  The plan must shall be annual in construction and 296 
ongoing in nature. Any annual revisions of the plan must shall 297 
carry forward the concepts of the remaining 3 -year portion of 298 
the plan and consider a continuum portion to preserve the 4 -year 299 
timeframe of the plan. The plan also must shall include 300     
 
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recommendations for specific performance standards and 301 
measurable outcomes for the division and direct -support 302 
organization. The department, in consultation with the board of 303 
directors of Enterprise Flor ida, Inc., shall base the actual 304 
performance metrics on these recommendations. 305 
 3.  The 4-year marketing plan must shall be developed in 306 
collaboration with the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing 307 
Corporation. The plan must shall be annually reviewed and 308 
approved by the board of directors of Enterprise Florida, Inc. 309 
 Section 6.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 310 
320.072, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 311 
 320.072  Additional fee imposed on certain motor vehicle 312 
registration transactions. — 313 
 (4)  A tax collector or other authorized agent of the 314 
department shall promptly remit all moneys collected pursuant to 315 
this section, less any refunds granted pursuant to subsection 316 
(3), to the department. The department shall deposit 85.7 317 
percent of such money s into the State Transportation Trust Fund 318 
and 14.3 percent into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund. 319 
Notwithstanding any other law, the moneys deposited into the 320 
State Transportation Trust Fund pursuant to this subsection 321 
shall be used by the Departme nt of Transportation for the 322 
following: 323 
 (a)  The Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail Network 324 
established in s. 339.81, $50 million $25 million. 325     
 
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 Section 7.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 326 
335.065, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 327 
 335.065  Bicycle and pedestrian ways along state roads and 328 
transportation facilities. — 329 
 (4)(a)  The department may use appropriated funds to 330 
support the establishment of a statewide system of 331 
interconnected multiuse trails and to pay the costs of planning, 332 
land acquisition, design, and construction of such trails and 333 
related facilities. The department shall give funding priority 334 
to projects that: 335 
 1.  Are recommended priorities by the Florida Greenways and 336 
Trails Council as regionally significant trails pursua nt to s. 337 
260.0142(4)(c). 338 
 3. Are otherwise identified by the Florida Greenways and 339 
Trails Council as a priority for critical linkage and trail 340 
connectedness within the Florida Greenways and Trails System 341 
under chapter 260. 342 
 5.2. Support the transportation needs of bicyclists and 343 
pedestrians. 344 
 2.3. Have national, statewide, or regional importance. 345 
 4.  Facilitate an interconnected system of trails by 346 
completing gaps between existing trails. 347 
 Section 8.  Paragraph (d) of subsec tion (7) of section 348 
339.175, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 349 
 339.175  Metropolitan planning organization. — 350     
 
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 (7)  LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. —Each M.P.O. must 351 
develop a long-range transportation plan that addresses at least 352 
a 20-year planning horizon. The plan must include both long -353 
range and short-range strategies and must comply with all other 354 
state and federal requirements. The prevailing principles to be 355 
considered in the long -range transportation plan are: preserving 356 
the existing transportati on infrastructure; enhancing Florida's 357 
economic competitiveness; and improving travel choices to ensure 358 
mobility. The long-range transportation plan must be consistent, 359 
to the maximum extent feasible, with future land use elements 360 
and the goals, objectives , and policies of the approved local 361 
government comprehensive plans of the units of local government 362 
located within the jurisdiction of the M.P.O. Each M.P.O. is 363 
encouraged to consider strategies that integrate transportation 364 
and land use planning to provi de for sustainable development and 365 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The approved long -range 366 
transportation plan must be considered by local governments in 367 
the development of the transportation elements in local 368 
government comprehensive plans and any amendm ents thereto. The 369 
long-range transportation plan must, at a minimum: 370 
 (d)  Indicate, as appropriate, proposed transportation 371 
enhancement activities, including, but not limited to, 372 
pedestrian and bicycle facilities, trails or facilities that are 373 
regionally significant or critical linkages for the Florida 374 
Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, scenic easements, 375     
 
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landscaping, historic preservation, mitigation of water 376 
pollution due to highway runoff, and control of outdoor 377 
advertising. 378 
 379 
In the development of it s long-range transportation plan, each 380 
M.P.O. must provide the public, affected public agencies, 381 
representatives of transportation agency employees, freight 382 
shippers, providers of freight transportation services, private 383 
providers of transportation, repres entatives of users of public 384 
transit, and other interested parties with a reasonable 385 
opportunity to comment on the long -range transportation plan. 386 
The long-range transportation plan must be approved by the 387 
M.P.O. 388 
 Section 9.  Section 339.81, Florida Stat utes, is amended to 389 
read: 390 
 339.81  Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail Network. — 391 
 (1)  The Legislature finds that increasing demands continue 392 
to be placed on the state's transportation system by a growing 393 
economy, continued population growth, and increas ing tourism. 394 
The Legislature also finds that accommodating significant 395 
challenges to providing additional capacity to the conventional 396 
transportation system exist and will require enhanced 397 
accommodation of alternative travel modes to meet the needs of 398 
residents and visitors and providing trails for bicyclist and 399 
pedestrian travel that allows for the appreciation of the 400     
 
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conservation and stewardship of environmentally important lands 401 
in Florida are of significant importance. The Legislature finds 402 
that the investment of the state in the Florida wildlife 403 
corridor as defined in s. 259.1055 is of significant interest to 404 
the public and that the provision of paved multiuse trails 405 
within or between areas of the Florida wildlife corridor would 406 
provide the public the a bility to enjoy Florida's natural 407 
resources and bring ecotourism and economic opportunities to 408 
local trail town communities . The Legislature further finds that 409 
improving bicyclist and pedestrian safety for both residents and 410 
visitors is remains a high priority. Therefore, the Legislature 411 
declares that the development of a nonmotorized trail network 412 
will increase mobility and recreational alternatives for 413 
Florida's residents and visitors ;, enhance economic prosperity ;, 414 
enrich quality of life ;, enhance safety;, and reflect 415 
responsible environmental stewardship ; and facilitate support 416 
for the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the natural 417 
and recreational value of the Florida wildlife corridor by 418 
providing minimally invasive public access to it when f easible 419 
and compatible with the lands . To that end, it is the intent of 420 
the Legislature that the department make use of its expertise in 421 
efficiently providing transportation projects to develop and 422 
construct the Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Networ k, 423 
consisting of a statewide network of nonmotorized trails which 424 
allows nonmotorized vehicles and pedestrians to access a variety 425     
 
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of origins and destinations with limited exposure to motorized 426 
vehicles. 427 
 (2)(a) The Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail N etwork 428 
is created as a component of the Florida Greenways and Trails 429 
System established in chapter 260. The Florida Shared-Use 430 
Nonmotorized Trail Network consists of a statewide network of 431 
nonmotorized trails that allow bicyclists and pedestrians to 432 
access a variety of points of origin and destinations with 433 
limited exposure to motorized vehicles. 434 
 (b) The multiuse trails or shared -use paths of the 435 
statewide network must be consists of multiuse trails or shared -436 
use paths physically separated from motor vehicle traffic and 437 
constructed with asphalt, concrete, or another hard surface . 438 
 (c)  The statewide network which, by virtue of design, 439 
location, extent of connectivity or potential connectivity, and 440 
allowable uses, provides nonmotorized transportation 441 
opportunities for bicyclists and pedestrians statewide between 442 
and within a wide range of points of origin and destinations, 443 
including, but not limited to, communities, conservation areas, 444 
lands of the Florida wildlife corrid or, state parks, beaches, 445 
and other natural or cultural attractions for a variety of trip 446 
purposes, including work, school, shopping, and other personal 447 
business, as well as social, recreational, and personal fitness 448 
purposes. 449 
 (3)  Network components do n ot include sidewalks, nature 450     
 
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trails, loop trails wholly within a single park or natural area, 451 
or on-road facilities, such as bicycle lanes or routes . However, 452 
components that connect to nature trails, loop trails, or other 453 
points of public access wholly wi thin a single park or natural 454 
area may be included in the network, as well as any of the 455 
following other than: 456 
 (a)  On-road facilities that are no longer than one -half 457 
mile connecting two or more nonmotorized trails, if the 458 
provision of non-road facilities is infeasible and if such on -459 
road facilities are signed and marked for nonmotorized use .; or 460 
 (b)  On-road components of the Florida Keys Overseas 461 
Heritage Trail. 462 
 (4)  The planning, development, operation, and maintenance 463 
of the Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail Network is declared 464 
to be a public purpose, and the department, together with other 465 
agencies of this state and all counties, municipalities, and 466 
special districts of this state, may spend public funds for such 467 
purposes and accept gifts and gr ants of funds, property, or 468 
property rights from public or private sources to be used for 469 
such purposes. 470 
 (5)(a) The department shall include the Florida Shared -Use 471 
Nonmotorized Trail Network in its work program developed 472 
pursuant to s. 339.135. For purpo ses of funding and maintaining 473 
projects within the network, the department shall allocate in 474 
its program and resource plan a minimum of $50 million $25 475     
 
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million annually, beginning with in the 2023-2024 2015-2016 476 
fiscal year. 477 
 (b)  The department shall give funding priority to projects 478 
that: 479 
 1.  Are recommended priorities by the Florida Greenways and 480 
Trails Council as regionally significant trails pursuant to s. 481 
260.0142(4)(c). 482 
 2.  Have national, statewide, or regional importance. 483 
 3.  Are otherwise identi fied by the Florida Greenways and 484 
Trails Council as a priority for critical linkage and trail 485 
connectedness within the Florida Greenways and Trails System 486 
under chapter 260. 487 
 4.  Facilitate an interconnected system of trails by 488 
completing gaps between exis ting trails. 489 
 5.  Support the transportation needs of bicyclists and 490 
pedestrians. 491 
 (c)  For trail projects to be constructed within the 492 
Florida wildlife corridor as defined in s. 259.1055 or on 493 
conservation lands or other lands subject to conservation 494 
easements, land management plans, or agreements, to the greatest 495 
extent possible, the department shall ensure projects are 496 
constructed using previously disturbed lands, such as abandoned 497 
roads and railroads, utility rights -of-way, canal corridors and 498 
drainage berms, permanent fire lines, and other lands having 499 
appropriate potential to serve the purposes specified by law of 500     
 
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both the trail network and the Florida wildlife corridor. In 501 
developing the planning and design of trails, the department 502 
shall coordinate with other state agencies to ensure that 503 
appropriate recreation or public access is available for such 504 
projects. 505 
 (d)  To the greatest extent practicable, the department 506 
shall program projects in the work program to plan for 507 
development of the entire trail and to minimize the creation of 508 
gaps between trail segments. The department shall, at a minimum, 509 
ensure that local support exists for projects and trail 510 
segments, including the availability or dedication of local 511 
funding sources and of contributions by pri vate landowners who 512 
agree to make their land, or property interests in such land, 513 
available for public use as a trail. 514 
 (e)  Each metropolitan planning organization or board of 515 
county commissioners, as appropriate, shall include in its list 516 
of project priorities required under ss. 339.135(4)(c)1. and 517 
339.175(8) one or more projects that are a priority under 518 
paragraph (b) and meet the requirements of this section. When 519 
developing the district work program under s. 339.135(4), each 520 
district must ensure that p rojects are included in the work 521 
program which are a priority under paragraph (b) and meet the 522 
requirements of this section. 523 
 (6)(a)  The department shall create uniform signage to 524 
identify trails that are part of the statewide network and 525     
 
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shall, when feasible and permissible, erect signage on all such 526 
trails open to public use, regardless of when the trail was 527 
first opened. The department is not otherwise obligated to 528 
provide funds for the operation and maintenance of any trail on 529 
the statewide network . 530 
 (b) The department may enter into a memorandum of 531 
agreement with a local government or other agency of the state 532 
to transfer maintenance responsibilities of an individual 533 
network component. The department may contract with a not -for-534 
profit entity or private sector business or entity to provide 535 
maintenance services on an individual network component. 536 
 (7)(a)  The department may enter into a sponsorship 537 
agreement with a not -for-profit entity or private sector 538 
business or entity for commercial sponsorship displays on 539 
multiuse trails and related facilities. The department shall 540 
deposit any sponsorship agreement revenues into the State 541 
Transportation Trust Fund to be used for maintenance, signage, 542 
and provision of amenities on the multiuse trails and related 543 
facilities. Local governments may also enter into sponsorship 544 
agreements and likewise use the revenues for maintenance, 545 
signage, and provision of amenities on the multiuse trails and 546 
related facilities. A sponsorship agreement shall be 547 
administered by the department or the local government, as 548 
appropriate, and the department or the local government shall 549 
ensure that the sponsorship agreement complies with the 550     
 
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requirements of s. 335.065(3)(b) and (c). 551 
 (b)  Commercial sponsorship displays are subject to the 552 
requirements of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 and all 553 
federal laws and agreements, when applicable. This subsection 554 
does not create a proprietary or compensable interest in any 555 
sign, display site, or location. 556 
 (8)  By June 30, 2026, and every thi rd year on June 30 557 
thereafter, the department, in coordination with the Department 558 
of Environmental Protection, shall submit a report to the 559 
Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 560 
House of Representatives summarizing the status of th e Florida 561 
Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network. The report may include 562 
recommendations for any legislative revisions deemed appropriate 563 
to facilitate connectivity of the statewide network. 564 
 (a)  At a minimum, the report must include all of the 565 
following: 566 
 1.  The total number of completed miles of nonmotorized 567 
trails on the network. 568 
 2.  The total number of completed miles of nonmotorized 569 
trails on the network not adjacent to a roadway facility. 570 
 3.  The total number of completed miles of nonmotorized 571 
trails on the network adjacent to a roadway facility. 572 
 4.  The total number of completed miles of nonmotorized 573 
trails on the network which are within or between areas of the 574 
Florida wildlife corridor as defined in s. 259.1055. 575     
 
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 5.  The total remaining miles of nonmotorized trails on the 576 
network which are planned for acquisition and construction. 577 
 6.  The total expenditures, by funding source, associated 578 
with implementing the network. 579 
 7.  The total expenditures, by project phase, including 580 
preliminary and envir onmental planning, design, acquisition of 581 
right-of-way, and new construction of trail surfaces and bridges 582 
on the network. 583 
 (b)  The department shall also coordinate with the Florida 584 
Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, local governments, or 585 
other entities who have related information to include in the 586 
report. For each existing trail on the network which is open to 587 
public use, identified by the department's trailway 588 
identification number, segment name, segment length, and county 589 
of location, the departme nt's report must provide nonmotorized 590 
trail operational and performance measures that include, but are 591 
not limited to: 592 
 1.  The total number of trail visits. 593 
 2.  The primary travel modes used on the trail. 594 
 3.  The frequency of trail usage. 595 
 4.  The average duration of trail usage. 596 
 5.  The distance traveled during a trail visit. 597 
 6.  The average amount spent by a user during a typical 598 
trail visit. 599 
 7.  The total amount of user expenditures. 600     
 
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 8.  Any other measure deemed appropriate. 601 
 Section 10.  For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $200 602 
million in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is 603 
appropriated to the Department of Transportation as fixed 604 
capital outlay to plan, design, and construct projects on the 605 
Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network as provided by 606 
this act. 607 
 Section 11.  The amendments made to s. 339.81, Florida 608 
Statutes, by this act, are not intended to delete, defer, delay, 609 
or otherwise revise Florida Shared -Use Nonmotorized Trail 610 
Network projects programmed in the Department of 611 
Transportation's tentative 5 -Year work program for Fiscal Year 612 
2023-2024 through 2027-2028. The department may maintain such 613 
projects in development of the adopted work program. For 614 
additional funding allocated to the network in section 9 of this 615 
act or appropriated in section 10 of this act, the department 616 
shall work with the metropolitan planning organizations, boards 617 
of county commissioners, and districts, where appropriate, to 618 
revise any year of the 5 -year work program pursuant to s. 619 
339.135(5), Florida Statutes, to identify new Florida Shared -Use 620 
Nonmotorized Trail Network projects to be added or projects or 621 
phases thereof that may be moved up from the portion of the 622 
tentative work program for the following 4 fiscal years. 623 
 Section 12.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 624