FL
Florida House Bill H1063

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1063 Compare Versions

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1010 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
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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to carbon sequestration; creating s. 2
1616 403.945, F.S.; providing definitions; providing 3
1717 legislative findings; creating the Carbon 4
1818 Sequestration Task Force adjunct to the Department of 5
1919 Environmental Protection; providing for task force 6
2020 membership and duties; requiring the task force to 7
2121 submit specified reports to the Secretary of 8
2222 Environmental Protection and to the Governor and 9
2323 Legislature by specified dates; providing for 10
24-expiration of the task force; providing construction; 11
25-providing that participation in certain programs or 12
26-activities is voluntary; requiring certain frameworks 13
27-or enforcement mechanisms to have explicit legislative 14
28-approval; providing an effective date. 15
29- 16
30-Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
31- 18
32- Section 1. Section 403.945, Florida Statutes, is created 19
33-to read: 20
34- 403.945 Carbon Sequestration Task Force .— 21
35- (1) As used in this section, the term: 22
36- (a) "Blue carbon" means carbon sequestered by marine and 23
37-coastal ecosystems. 24
38- (b) "Carbon sequestration" mean s the long-term storage of 25
24+expiration of the task force; providing an 11
25+appropriation; providing an effective date. 12
26+ 13
27+Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
28+ 15
29+ Section 1. Section 403.945, Florida Statutes, is created 16
30+to read: 17
31+ 403.945 Carbon Sequestration Task Force .— 18
32+ (1) As used in this section, the term: 19
33+ (a) "Blue carbon" means carbon sequestered by marine and 20
34+coastal ecosystems. 21
35+ (b) "Carbon sequestration" means the long -term storage of 22
36+carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean 23
37+through land and aquatic habitat management. 24
38+ (2) The Legislature finds that: 25
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4747 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
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51-carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the ocean 26
52-through land and aquatic habitat management. 27
53- (2) The Legislature finds that: 28
54- (a) Maintaining coastal and freshwater wetlands, nearshore 29
55-and offshore aquatic ecosyste ms, conservation lands, healthy and 30
56-sustainable agriculture, shellfish aquaculture, and timber and 31
57-silvicultural industries is vital to the state's economy, 32
58-environment, and natural resources, including significant 33
59-environmental contributions to water qual ity and quantity, air 34
60-purification, carbon sequestration, blue carbon, coastal 35
61-resilience, and habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife. 36
62- (b) The continued expansion of urban sprawl and the 37
63-development of coastal areas have led to losses of the stat e's 38
64-natural and agricultural lands and decreases in water quality 39
65-and quantity that have harmed coastal ecosystems and industries, 40
66-including imperiled wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, and 41
67-shellfish aquaculture. 42
68- (c) To ensure healthy and sustainable agr iculture, 43
69-shellfish aquaculture and silvicultural industries, and natural 44
70-and working lands and waters, a statewide program is necessary 45
71-to provide incentives for landowners and managers to continue 46
72-activities and land uses that sequester carbon. 47
73- (3) The Carbon Sequestration Task Force, a task force as 48
74-defined in s. 20.03, is created adjunct to the department to 49
75-provide recommendations for the development of a statewide 50
51+ (a) Maintaining coastal and freshwater wetlands, nearshore 26
52+and offshore aquatic ecosystems, conservation lands, healthy and 27
53+sustainable agriculture, shellfish a quaculture, and timber and 28
54+silvicultural industries is vital to the state's economy, 29
55+environment, and natural resources, including significant 30
56+environmental contributions to water quality and quantity, air 31
57+purification, carbon sequestration, blue carbon, c oastal 32
58+resilience, and habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife. 33
59+ (b) The continued expansion of urban sprawl and the 34
60+development of coastal areas have led to losses of the state's 35
61+natural and agricultural lands and decreases in water quality 36
62+and quantity that have harmed coastal ecosystems and industries, 37
63+including imperiled wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, and 38
64+shellfish aquaculture. 39
65+ (c) To ensure healthy and sustainable agriculture, 40
66+shellfish aquaculture and silvicultural industries, and natura l 41
67+and working lands and waters, a statewide program is necessary 42
68+to provide incentives for landowners and managers to continue 43
69+activities and land uses that sequester carbon. 44
70+ (3) The Carbon Sequestration Task Force, a task force as 45
71+defined in s. 20.03, i s created adjunct to the department to 46
72+provide recommendations for the development of a statewide 47
73+carbon sequestration program. The task force shall operate in a 48
74+manner consistent with the requirements of s. 20.052. 49
75+ (4)(a) The task force shall be compose d of the following 50
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8484 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
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88-carbon sequestration program. The task force shall operate in a 51
89-manner consistent with the requirements of s. 20.052. 52
90- (4)(a) The task force shall be composed of the following 53
91-members: 54
92- 1. The Secretary of Environmental Protection, or his or 55
93-her designee. 56
94- 2. The Commissioner of Agriculture, or his or her 57
95-designee. 58
96- 3. The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife 59
97-Conservation Commission, or his or her designee. 60
98- 4. The Chief Resilience Officer, or his or her designee. 61
99- 5. The State Geologist. 62
100- 6. A representative from the National Estuary Program, 63
101-appointed by the Secretary of E nvironmental Protection. 64
102- 7. A member of an environmental not -for-profit 65
103-organization, appointed by the Secretary of Environmental 66
104-Protection. 67
105- 8. A landowner of working agricultural lands, appointed by 68
106-the Commissioner of Agriculture. 69
107- 9. A representative from a state university with expertise 70
108-in energy or sustainability, appointed by the Secretary of 71
109-Environmental Protection. 72
110- 10. A representative from the University of Florida 73
111-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , appointed by the 74
112-Commissioner of Agriculture. 75
88+members: 51
89+ 1. The Secretary of Environmental Protection, or his or 52
90+her designee. 53
91+ 2. The Commissioner of Agriculture, or his or her 54
92+designee. 55
93+ 3. The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife 56
94+Conservation Commission, or his or her designee. 57
95+ 4. The Chief Resilience Officer, or his or her designee. 58
96+ 5. The State Geologist. 59
97+ 6. A representative from the National Estuary Program, 60
98+appointed by the Secretary of Environmental Protection. 61
99+ 7. A member of an environmental not -for-profit 62
100+organization, appointed by the Secretary of Environmental 63
101+Protection. 64
102+ 8. A landowner of working agricultural lands, appointed by 65
103+the Commissioner of Agriculture. 66
104+ 9. A representative from a state university with expertise 67
105+in energy or sustainability, a ppointed by the Secretary of 68
106+Environmental Protection. 69
107+ 10. A representative from the University of Florida 70
108+Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , appointed by the 71
109+Commissioner of Agriculture. 72
110+ 11. A representative from the Florida Sea Grant Program, 73
111+appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. 74
112+ (b) Appointments to the task force must be made by August 75
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121121 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
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125- 11. A representative from the Florida Sea Grant Program , 76
126-appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. 77
127- (b) Appointments to the task force must be made by August 78
128-1, 2025. 79
129- (c) Each appointed member serves at the pleasure of the 80
130-appointing official. 81
131- (d) A vacancy on the task force must be filled in the same 82
132-manner as the original appointment. 83
133- (e) The task force shall elect a chair from among the 84
134-members. 85
135- (f) The task force shall convene no later than September 86
136-1, 2025. The task for ce shall meet quarterly or upon the call of 87
137-the chair. The task force shall hold its meetings in person or 88
138-through teleconference or other electronic means. 89
139- (5) The duties of the task force shall include all of the 90
140-following: 91
141- (a) Identify and inventory terrestrial and aquatic 92
142-environments suitable for carbon sequestration in this state. 93
143- (b) Consider possible methods of increasing carbon 94
144-sequestration within the natural environment through state land 95
145-and marine resource use policies; agricultural, aqua cultural, 96
146-and silvicultural practices; and other practices to achieve 97
147-restoration of natural resources and long -term conservation. 98
148- (c) Develop a standardized methodology, including 99
149-appropriate technology and existing research, to establish 100
125+1, 2025. 76
126+ (c) Each appointed member serves at the pleasure of the 77
127+appointing official. 78
128+ (d) A vacancy on the task force must be filled in t he same 79
129+manner as the original appointment. 80
130+ (e) The task force shall elect a chair from among the 81
131+members. 82
132+ (f) The task force shall convene no later than September 83
133+1, 2025. The task force shall meet quarterly or upon the call of 84
134+the chair. The task for ce shall hold its meetings in person or 85
135+through teleconference or other electronic means. 86
136+ (5) The duties of the task force shall include all of the 87
137+following: 88
138+ (a) Identify and inventory terrestrial and aquatic 89
139+environments suitable for carbon sequestra tion in this state. 90
140+ (b) Consider possible methods of increasing carbon 91
141+sequestration within the natural environment through state land 92
142+and marine resource use policies; agricultural, aquacultural, 93
143+and silvicultural practices; and other practices to achie ve 94
144+restoration of natural resources and long -term conservation. 95
145+ (c) Develop a standardized methodology, including 96
146+appropriate technology and existing research, to establish 97
147+baseline carbon levels and account for increases in carbon 98
148+sequestration over tim e. 99
149+ (d) Evaluate additional ecosystem services and benefits of 100
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158158 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
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162-baseline carbon levels and account for increases in carbon 101
163-sequestration over time. 102
164- (d) Evaluate additional ecosystem services and benefits of 103
165-terrestrial and aquatic environments that may promote 104
166-conservation and ecosystem restoration success, including water 105
167-recharge, stormwater filtration, threatened or endangered 106
168-wildlife habitat, nutrient reduction, flood mitigation and 107
169-protection, coastal resilience, air quality, soil health, and 108
170-food security. 109
171- (e) Recommend short -term and long-term benchmarks for 110
172-increasing carbon sequestration in terrestrial and aquatic 111
173-ecosystems. 112
174- (f) Identify existing carbon markets and other 113
175-considerations relevant to participation by the state in such 114
176-markets. 115
177- (g) Identify potential funding mechanisms to encourage 116
178-carbon sequestration practices and activities in this state. 117
179- (6) By October 1, 2026, the task force shall submit to the 118
180-Secretary of Environmental Protection a report summarizing the 119
181-task force activities and findings in its first year, including 120
182-a nonrecurring budget reques t for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. 121
183- (7) By October 1, 2027, the task force shall submit to the 122
184-Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 123
185-House of Representatives a report that compiles the findings and 124
186-recommendations of the task force. The task force shall 125
162+terrestrial and aquatic environments that may promote 101
163+conservation and ecosystem restoration success, including water 102
164+recharge, stormwater filtration, threatened or endangered 103
165+wildlife habitat, nutrient reduction, flood mitigation and 104
166+protection, coastal resilience, air quality, soil health, and 105
167+food security. 106
168+ (e) Recommend short -term and long-term benchmarks for 107
169+increasing carbon sequestration in terrestrial and aquatic 108
170+ecosystems. 109
171+ (f) Identify existing carbon markets and other 110
172+considerations relevant to participation by the state in such 111
173+markets. 112
174+ (g) Identify potential funding mechanisms to encourage 113
175+carbon sequestration practices and activities in this state. 114
176+ (6) By October 1, 2026, t he task force shall submit to the 115
177+Secretary of Environmental Protection a report summarizing the 116
178+task force activities and findings in its first year, including 117
179+a nonrecurring budget request for the 2026 -2027 fiscal year. 118
180+ (7) By October 1, 2027, the task force shall submit to the 119
181+Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 120
182+House of Representatives a report that compiles the findings and 121
183+recommendations of the task force. The task force shall 122
184+terminate on April 30, 2028. 123
185+ Section 2. For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the sum of 124
186+$350,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the 125
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195195 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
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199-terminate on April 30, 2028. 126
200- (8) This act does not authorize access to private property 127
201-without the express written consent of the landowner. 128
202-Participation in any carbon sequestration program or activity 129
203-recommended by the task force is strictly voluntary. Landowners 130
204-may not be penalized or denied access to other state programs 131
205-for declining to participate. Any future regulatory framework or 132
206-enforcement mechanism related to carbon sequestration must 133
207-require explicit legislative approv al. 134
208- Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 135
199+Administrative Trust Fund to the Department of Environmental 126
200+Protection for the purpose of providing administrative and 127
201+support services to the Carbon Sequestra tion Task Force pursuant 128
202+to s. 403.945, Florida Statutes . 129
203+ Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 130