Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0451 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	HB 451 2024
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8	8	hb0451-00
9	9	Page 1 of 6
10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
11	11
12	12
13	13
14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund; 2
16	16	providing legislative findings; amending s. 375.041, 3
17	17	F.S.; providing an annual appropriation to the 4
18	18	Department of Environmental Protection to implement 5
19	19	the Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability 6
20	20	Act; requiring the funds to be used and distributed 7
21	21	for specified purposes; providing an effective date. 8
22	22	9
23	23	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10
24	24	11
25	25	Section 1. The Legislature finds that: 12
26	26	(1) The Legislature unanimously approved CS/CS/HB 573, the 13
27	27	Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act, in 2017, to 14
28	28	protect the headwaters of the Alafia, Hillsborough, Kissimmee, 15
29	29	Ocklawaha, Peace, and Withlacoochee Rivers located in the Green 16
30	30	Swamp and Polk County, which are some of the most important and 17
31	31	vulnerable water resources in the state. 18
32	32	(2) In the same act, the Legislature declared that it is 19
33	33	an important state interest to partner with regional water 20
34	34	supply authorities and local governments, in accordance with s. 21
35	35	373.705, Florida Statutes, to protect the water resources of the 22
36	36	headwaters of the Alafia, Hillsborough, Kissimmee, Ocklawaha, 23
37	37	Peace, and Withlacoochee Rivers and the surro unding areas. 24
38	38	(3) In 2020, the Central Florida Water Initiative Water 25
39	39
40	40	HB 451 2024
41	41
42	42
43	43
44	44	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45	45	hb0451-00
46	46	Page 2 of 6
47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	Supply Plan developed pursuant to s. 373.0465, Florida Statutes, 26
52	52	projected the population of the region to reach 4.4 million by 27
53	53	2040, which is a 49 percent increase from a 2015 estimat e. The 28
54	54	total average of surface and ground water use in the initiative 29
55	55	planning area is projected to increase 36 percent from 667 30
56	56	million gallons per day in 2015 to 908 million gallons per day 31
57	57	in 2040. 32
58	58	(4) The Central Florida Water Initiative Water Suppl y Plan 33
59	59	concluded that in some areas of the initiative planning area, 34
60	60	fresh groundwater is near or has exceeded the limits of 35
61	61	groundwater availability and that alternative water sources will 36
62	62	need to be developed along with additional water conservation 37
63	63	efforts and local management strategies to meet the 2040 38
64	64	projected water demands or currently permitted allocations while 39
65	65	allowing currently stressed water resources and natural systems 40
66	66	to recover. 41
67	67	(5) Consistent funding support is required in order to 42
68	68	support the efforts of the water management districts to protect 43
69	69	the rivers, springs, and wetlands in the region while providing 44
70	70	for responsible development of the water resources to support 45
71	71	growth and provide for public health and safety. 46
72	72	Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 47
73	73	375.041, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 48
74	74	375.041 Land Acquisition Trust Fund. — 49
75	75	(3) Funds distributed into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund 50
76	76
77	77	HB 451 2024
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
82	82	hb0451-00
83	83	Page 3 of 6
84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
85	85
86	86
87	87
88	88	pursuant to s. 201.15 shall be applied: 51
89	89	(b) Of the funds remaining af ter the payments required 52
90	90	under paragraph (a), but before funds may be appropriated, 53
91	91	pledged, or dedicated for other uses: 54
92	92	1. A minimum of the lesser of 25 percent or $200 million 55
93	93	shall be appropriated annually for Everglades projects that 56
94	94	implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as set 57
95	95	forth in s. 373.470, including the Central Everglades Planning 58
96	96	Project subject to congressional authorization; the Long -Term 59
97	97	Plan as defined in s. 373.4592(2); and the Northern Everglades 60
98	98	and Estuaries Protection Program as set forth in s. 373.4595. 61
99	99	From these funds, $32 million shall be distributed each fiscal 62
100	100	year through the 2023 -2024 fiscal year to the South Florida 63
101	101	Water Management District for the Long -Term Plan as defined in 64
102	102	s. 373.4592(2). After deduc ting the $32 million distributed 65
103	103	under this subparagraph, from the funds remaining, a minimum of 66
104	104	the lesser of 76.5 percent or $100 million shall be appropriated 67
105	105	each fiscal year through the 2025 -2026 fiscal year for the 68
106	106	planning, design, engineering, and construction of the 69
107	107	Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as set forth in s. 70
108	108	373.470, including the Central Everglades Planning Project, the 71
109	109	Everglades Agricultural Area Storage Reservoir Project, the Lake 72
110	110	Okeechobee Watershed Project, the C -43 West Basin Storage 73
111	111	Reservoir Project, the Indian River Lagoon -South Project, the 74
112	112	Western Everglades Restoration Project, and the Picayune Strand 75
113	113
114	114	HB 451 2024
115	115
116	116
117	117
118	118	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
119	119	hb0451-00
120	120	Page 4 of 6
121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
122	122
123	123
124	124
125	125	Restoration Project. The Department of Environmental Protection 76
126	126	and the South Florida Water Management District shall give 77
127	127	preference to those Everglades restoration projects that reduce 78
128	128	harmful discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. 79
129	129	Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries in a timely manner. For the 80
130	130	purpose of performing the calculation provided in this 81
131	131	subparagraph, the amount of debt service paid pursuant to 82
132	132	paragraph (a) for bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 83
133	133	purposes set forth under this paragraph shall be added to the 84
134	134	amount remaining after the payments required under paragraph 85
135	135	(a). The amount of the dis tribution calculated shall then be 86
136	136	reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 87
137	137	paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 88
138	138	purposes set forth under this subparagraph. 89
139	139	2. A minimum of the lesser of 7.6 percent or $50 mill ion 90
140	140	shall be appropriated annually for spring restoration, 91
141	141	protection, and management projects. For the purpose of 92
142	142	performing the calculation provided in this subparagraph, the 93
143	143	amount of debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) for bonds 94
144	144	issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under this 95
145	145	paragraph shall be added to the amount remaining after the 96
146	146	payments required under paragraph (a). The amount of the 97
147	147	distribution calculated shall then be reduced by an amount equal 98
148	148	to the debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds 99
149	149	issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under this 100
150	150
151	151	HB 451 2024
152	152
153	153
154	154
155	155	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
156	156	hb0451-00
157	157	Page 5 of 6
158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
159	159
160	160
161	161
162	162	subparagraph. 101
163	163	3. The sum of $5 million shall be appropriated annually 102
164	164	each fiscal year through the 2025 -2026 fiscal year to the St. 103
165	165	Johns River Water Management District for projects dedicated to 104
166	166	the restoration of Lake Apopka. This distribution shall be 105
167	167	reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 106
168	168	paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the 107
169	169	purposes set forth in this su bparagraph. 108
170	170	4. The sum of $64 million is appropriated and shall be 109
171	171	transferred to the Everglades Trust Fund for the 2018 -2019 110
172	172	fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, for the EAA 111
173	173	reservoir project pursuant to s. 373.4598. Any funds remaining 112
174	174	in any fiscal year shall be made available only for Phase II of 113
175	175	the C-51 reservoir project or projects identified in 114
176	176	subparagraph 1. and must be used in accordance with laws 115
177	177	relating to such projects. Any funds made available for such 116
178	178	purposes in a fiscal year ar e in addition to the amount 117
179	179	appropriated under subparagraph 1. This distribution shall be 118
180	180	reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to 119
181	181	paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2017, for the 120
182	182	purposes set forth in this subparagraph. 121
183	183	5. The sum of $50 million shall be appropriated annually 122
184	184	to the South Florida Water Management District for the Lake 123
185	185	Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project in accordance with s. 124
186	186	373.4599. This distribution must be reduced by an amount equal 125
187	187
188	188	HB 451 2024
189	189
190	190
191	191
192	192	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
193	193	hb0451-00
194	194	Page 6 of 6
195	195	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
196	196
197	197
198	198
199	199	to the debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds 126
200	200	issued after July 1, 2021, for the purposes set forth in this 127
201	201	subparagraph. 128
202	202	6. The sum of $100 million shall be appropriated annually 129
203	203	to the Department of Environmental Protection for the 130
204	204	acquisition of land pursuant to s. 259.105. 131
205	205	7. The sum of $20 million shall be appropriated annually 132
206	206	to the Department of Environmental Protection to implement the 133
207	207	Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act pursuant 134
208	208	to chapter 2017-111, Laws of Florida. The fund s must be used to 135
209	209	enter into financial assistance agreements and distributed in 136
210	210	accordance with the projects identified in the Heartland 137
211	211	Headwaters Annual Report submitted to the Legislature pursuant 138
212	212	to s. 373.463 to finance the cost of designing or constr ucting 139
213	213	projects that protect, restore, or enhance the headwaters of the 140
214	214	river systems located in Heartland Region of Central Florida. 141
215	215	This distribution shall be reduced by an amount equal to the 142
216	216	debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds issued 143
217	217	after July 1, 2024, for the purposes set forth in this 144
218	218	subparagraph. 145
219	219	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 146