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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Office of the Blue Economy; 2
amending s. 20.60, F.S.; establishing the Office of 3
the Blue Economy within the Department of Commerce; 4
creating s. 288.102, F.S.; providing legislative 5
findings; providing definitions; providing duties of 6
the Office of the Blue Economy; creating the Marine 7
and Maritime Resources Grant Program within the Office 8
of the Blue Economy; requiring the Office of th e Blue 9
Economy to review and certify certain applications; 10
authorizing the Office of the Blue Economy to consult 11
with certain entities; requiring the department to 12
review certified applications and authorizing the 13
department to provide grant funds to certa in projects; 14
authorizing the department to identify projects and 15
solicit proposals that meet certain requirements; 16
authorizing the department to administer certain 17
contracts; authorizing the department to adopt rules; 18
requiring the department to annually p rovide a certain 19
report to the Governor and the Legislature; providing 20
an appropriation; providing an effective date. 21
22
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23
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Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 25
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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
20.60, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 26
20.60 Department of Commerce; creation; powers and 27
duties.— 28
(3)(a) The following divisions and offices of the 29
Department of Commerce are established: 30
1. The Division of Economic Development. 31
2. The Division of Community Development. 32
3. The Division of Workforce Services. 33
4. The Division of Finance and Administration. 34
5. The Division of Information Technology. 35
6. The Office of the Secretary. 36
7. The Office of Economic Accountability and Transparency, 37
which shall: 38
a. Oversee the department's critical objectives as 39
determined by the secretary and make sure that the department's 40
key objectives are clearly communicated to the public. 41
b. Organize department resources, expertise, data, and 42
research to focus on and s olve the complex economic challenges 43
facing the state. 44
c. Provide leadership for the department's priority issues 45
that require integration of policy, management, and critical 46
objectives from multiple programs and organizations internal and 47
external to the department; and organize and manage external 48
communication on such priority issues. 49
d. Promote and facilitate key department initiatives to 50
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address priority economic issues and explore data and identify 51
opportunities for innovative approaches to address such economic 52
issues. 53
e. Promote strategic planning for the department. 54
8. The Office of the Blue Economy. 55
Section 2. Section 288.102, Florida Statutes, is created 56
to read: 57
288.102 Office of the Blue Economy; grant program. — 58
(1) The Florida Legislature finds that marine and maritime 59
resources play a vital role in the state. The Legislature highly 60
values the partnership between the state and its universities 61
and the Florida College System and finds that through this 62
collaboration signific ant innovation and investment are driven 63
in targeted industries. 64
(2) For purposes of this section, the term: 65
(a) "Blue economy" means the economic uses of marine and 66
maritime resources with a focus on sustainable practices that 67
benefit the long-term outlook of relevant industry sectors and 68
the competitive positioning of the state in a global economy. 69
(b) "Marine and maritime resources" means ocean and 70
coastal resources, including, but not limited to, marine and 71
maritime industries such as shipyards, m arinas, marine 72
terminals, piers, fishing, aquaculture, seafood processing, 73
commercial diving, and marine transportation; marine biomedical 74
research; floating and amphibious housing; tourism; and outdoor 75
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recreational activities, including, but not limited t o, boating 76
and industry sectors dependent on such activities. 77
(c) "Targeted industry" means any industry identified in 78
the most recent list of target industries provided to the 79
Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 80
House of Representatives in accordance with s. 288.005(7). 81
(3) The Office of the Blue Economy shall: 82
(a) Support the state's economy by connecting the state's 83
ocean and coastal resources to economic development strategies 84
that enhance or contribute to the blue econom y with a focus on 85
research and development, technological innovation, emerging 86
industries, strategic business recruitment, public and private 87
funding opportunities, and workforce training and education. 88
(b) Survey state universities and Florida College S ystem 89
institutions on the development of academic research relating to 90
the blue economy across all disciplines. The office shall 91
encourage collaboration between state universities and Florida 92
College System institutions with overlapping areas of academic 93
research. The office shall publish on the department's website 94
information on such collaboration and the current research 95
inventory. 96
(c) Collaborate with relevant industries to identify 97
economic challenges that may be solved through innovation in the 98
blue economy by commercializing or otherwise providing public 99
access to academic research and resources. 100
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(d) Develop and facilitate a pipeline of academic 101
research, commercialization, accelerator programs, and startup 102
funding. 103
(e) Publish on the department 's website reports on the 104
number, growth, and average wages of jobs included in the blue 105
economy. Such reports shall identify and address any relevant 106
labor shortages projected by the Labor Market Estimating 107
Conference pursuant to s. 216.136(7). 108
(f) Educate other state and local entities on the 109
interests of the blue economy and how such entities may 110
positively address environmental issues while simultaneously 111
considering the economic impact of their policies. 112
(g) Communicate the state's role as an integ ral component 113
of the blue economy by promoting the state on national and 114
international platforms and other appropriate forums as the 115
premier destination for convening on pertinent subject matters. 116
(4) The Marine and Maritime Resources Grant Program is 117
created within the Office of the Blue Economy to promote 118
economic development by connecting the state's marine and 119
maritime resources to state universities and Florida College 120
System institutions to contribute or enhance relevant industry 121
sectors. 122
(a) The Office of the Blue Economy shall review and 123
certify applications for grant funding from state universities 124
and Florida College System institutions and may consult with the 125
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Department of Education, CareerSource Florida, Inc., the Office 126
of Reimagining Educa tion and Career Help, and other relevant 127
agencies, as appropriate. 128
(b) The department shall review applications certified by 129
the Office of the Blue Economy under paragraph (a) and may 130
authorize and provide grant funds to projects that promote: 131
1. Research and development and technological innovation 132
with the goal of commercialization. 133
2. Strategic business recruitment and economic enhancement 134
in a targeted industry with the goal of capital investment and 135
high wage job growth. 136
3. Workforce training a nd education in support of 137
subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. 138
(c) The department may identify projects and solicit 139
applications for projects that meet the requirements of 140
paragraph (b). 141
(d) The department may administer contracts for projects 142
approved and funded pursuant to this section. 143
(5) The department may adopt rules to administer this 144
section. 145
(6) By December 30, 2025, and each December 30 thereafter, 146
the department shall provide to the Governor, the President of 147
the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a 148
detailed report demonstrating the economic benefits of the 149
Office of the Blue Economy and the development of emerging 150
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marine and maritime industries or technologies. 151
Section 3. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sum of $ 1 152
million in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General 153
Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce to administer 154
contracts funded by the Marine and Maritime Resources Grant 155
Program under s. 288.102, Florida Statutes. 156
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 157