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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to water management districts; 2
amending s. 112.3261, F.S.; defining the term 3
"expenditure"; requiring the Commission on Ethics to 4
investigate a lobbyist or principal who has made a 5
prohibited expenditure and to provide the Governor 6
with a report of its findings and recommendations 7
regarding such investigation; prohibiting certain 8
persons from making or accepting expenditures; 9
amending s. 373.079, F.S.; requiring a quorum for the 10
conduct of official business by the governing board of 11
a water management district; providing requirements 12
for a quorum; requiring an affirmative vote of a 13
majority of the members of the governing board before 14
any action may be taken by the board; amending s. 15
373.470, F.S.; requiring the South Florida Water 16
Management District, in cooperation with the 17
Department of Environmental Protection, to provide a 18
detailed report that includes the total estimated 19
remaining cost of implementation of the Everglades 20
restoration comprehensive plan and the status of all 21
performance indicators; requiring the subdivision of 22
the project components into specified categories based 23
on the project's status; providing legislative 24
findings; requiring recommendations for updates to the 25
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integrated delivery schedule to identify certain 26
funding sources; amending s. 373.501, F.S.; 27
prohibiting a water management district from using 28
state funds for a specified purpose; amending s. 29
373.503, F.S.; authorizing the districts to levy ad 30
valorem taxes on property by resolution adopted by a 31
majority vote of the governing board; requiring that a 32
certain levy take effect only upon approval by a 33
majority vote of the electors; requiring the 34
referendum question to include specified information; 35
requiring the resolution to take effect on a specified 36
date; providing requirements for the resolution; 37
providing requirements for certain millage; defining 38
the term "capital improvement projects"; providing the 39
maximum total millage rate for all purposes, rather 40
than for district and basin purposes; reenacting and 41
amending s. 373.535, F.S.; requiring that the 42
preliminary budget for each water management district 43
include a section that contains the district's capital 44
improvement plan for the current fiscal year and the 45
next fiscal year; requiring that the section contain 46
specified information; requiring the South Florida 47
Water Management District to include a section in its 48
preliminary budget for all projects within the 49
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; requiring 50
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that the section contain specified information; 51
providing that the South Florida Water Management 52
District may only incorporate state revenues up to a 53
specified amount when estimating expenditures for the 54
next fiscal year; providing an exception; amending s. 55
373.536, F.S.; authorizing the Legislative Budget 56
Commission to reject certain district budget 57
proposals; providing an exception; requiring the South 58
Florida Water Management District to include in its 59
budget document certain sections that incorporate the 60
actual amount of state revenues appropriated for the 61
fiscal year; requiring a water management district's 62
tentative budget for its proposed operations and 63
funding requirements to include the district's capital 64
improvement plan for the current fiscal year and the 65
next fiscal year; repealing s. 373.591, F.S., relating 66
to management review teams; amending s. 373.6075, 67
F.S.; requiring a water management district to give 68
preference to certain bids, proposals, or replies for 69
the design, engineering, or construction, or any 70
combination thereof, of capital improvemen t projects 71
in excess of a specified amount; providing 72
requirements for the competitive selection process and 73
procurement procedures; reenacting s. 373.0697, F.S., 74
relating to basin taxes, to incorporate the amendment 75
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made to s. 373.503, F.S., in a referenc e thereto; 76
reenacting s. 373.026(8)(d), F.S., relating to general 77
powers and duties of the Department of Environmental 78
Protection, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 79
373.536, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an 80
effective date. 81
82
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 83
84
Section 1. Present paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of 85
subsection (1) of section 112.3261, Florida Statutes, are 86
redesignated as paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), respectively, a 87
new paragraph (b) is added to th at subsection, subsection (9) is 88
added to that section, and subsection (7) of that section is 89
amended, to read: 90
112.3261 Lobbying before water management districts; 91
registration and reporting. — 92
(1) As used in this section, the term: 93
(b) "Expenditure" has the same meaning as in s. 94
112.3215(1). 95
(7) Upon receipt of a sworn complaint alleging that a 96
lobbyist or principal has failed to register with a district , 97
has made a prohibited expenditure, or has knowingly submitted 98
false information in a report or registration required under 99
this section, the commission shall investigate a lobbyist or 100
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principal pursuant to the procedures established under s. 101
112.324. The commission shall provide the Governor with a report 102
of its findings and recommendations in any investigation 103
conducted pursuant to this subsection. The Governor is 104
authorized to enforce the commission's findings and 105
recommendations. 106
(9) Notwithstanding s. 112.3148, s. 112.3149, or any other 107
law, a lobbyist or principal may not make, directly or 108
indirectly, and a district governing board member, executive 109
director, or any district employee who qualifies as a local 110
officer as defined in s. 112.3145(1) may not knowingly accept, 111
directly or indirectly, any expenditure. 112
Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 373.079, Florida 113
Statutes, is amended to read: 114
373.079 Members of governing board; oath of office; 115
staff.— 116
(7) The governing board shall meet at least once a month 117
and upon call of the chair. A quorum is necessary for the 118
governing board to con duct official business. A majority of the 119
members of the governing board, which includes both appointed 120
members and vacancies, constitutes a quorum. A board member's 121
appearance at a board meeting, whether such appearance is in 122
person or through the use of communications media technology, 123
must be counted for the determination of a quorum. Except where 124
otherwise provided by law, action may be taken by the governing 125
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board only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the members 126
of the governing board. The governing board, a basin board, a 127
committee, or an advisory board may conduct meetings by means of 128
communications media technology in accordance with rules adopted 129
pursuant to s. 120.54(5)(b) s. 120.54. 130
Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (7) of secti on 131
373.470, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (8) is 132
added to that section, to read: 133
373.470 Everglades restoration. — 134
(7) ANNUAL REPORT.—To provide enhanced oversight of and 135
accountability for the financial commitments established under 136
this section and the progress made in the implementation of the 137
comprehensive plan, the following information must be prepared 138
annually as part of the consolidated annual report required by 139
s. 373.036(7): 140
(c) The district, in cooperation with the department, 141
shall provide a detailed report on progress made in the 142
implementation of the comprehensive plan, including the total 143
estimated remaining cost of implementation of the comprehensive 144
plan. The report must also include the status of and applicable 145
performance indicators for all project components . The project 146
components must be subdivided into the following categories 147
based on the project's status: 148
1. Planning and design phase. 149
2. Construction phase, for which the performance 150
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indicators must include, but are not limited to, whether the 151
project is on time and on budget based on a schedule performance 152
index. 153
3. Operational phase, for which the performance indicators 154
must include, but are not limited to , whether the project is 155
operating in accordance with the draft operating manual included 156
in the project implementation report, and an explanation of any 157
significant modification to the final project operating manual. 158
4. Pending projects phase, which inc ludes project 159
components that have not yet entered the planning or design 160
phase initiated after the effective date of this act or the date 161
of the last report prepared under this subsection, whichever is 162
later. 163
164
The information required in paragraphs (a), ( b), and (c) shall 165
be provided as part of the consolidated annual report required 166
by s. 373.036(7). Each annual report is due by March 1. 167
(8) INTEGRATED DELIVERY SCHEDULE. —The Legislature 168
recognizes the value of the integrated delivery schedule as a 169
forward-looking snapshot of upcoming planning, design, and 170
construction schedules for the comprehensive plan and as a tool 171
that provides information to decisionmakers and facilitates the 172
achievement of the goals and purposes of the comprehensive plan 173
at the earliest possible time to the extent practical given 174
funding, engineering, and other contractual constraints. The 175
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Legislature further recognizes that the integrated delivery 176
schedule acts as a planning document and does not represent a 177
budgetary or financial commitment on behalf of any of the 178
members of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. 179
Therefore, when making recommendations for any update to the 180
integrated delivery schedule, state and local members of the 181
task force must identify project fun ding sources to reflect 182
whether the project will be funded with recurring state funds 183
provided pursuant to s. 375.041(3)(b)1., 4., and 5. or with 184
nonrecurring state funds. 185
Section 4. Subsection (3) is added to section 373.501, 186
Florida Statutes, to read : 187
373.501 Appropriation of funds to water management 188
districts.— 189
(3) A water management district may not use state funds as 190
a local match for any state grant program unless such funds have 191
been specifically appropriated to the district for such purpose . 192
Section 5. Subsection (3) of section 373.503, Florida 193
Statutes, is amended to read: 194
373.503 Manner of taxation. — 195
(3)(a)1. The districts may, by resolution adopted by a 196
majority vote of the governing board, levy ad valorem taxes on 197
property within the district solely for the purposes of this 198
chapter and of chapter 25270, 1949, Laws of Florida, as amended, 199
and chapter 61-691, Laws of Florida, as amended. If appropriate, 200
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taxes levied by each governing board may be separated by the 201
governing board into a millage necessary for the purposes of the 202
district and a millage necessary for financing basin functions 203
specified in s. 373.0695. 204
2.a. The districts may levy separate ad valorem taxes on 205
property within the district or basin for the purposes of the 206
construction of capital improvement projects. Such levy must be 207
by resolution adopted by a majority vote of the governing board 208
and conditioned to take effect only upon approval by a majority 209
vote of the electors in the district or basin, as applicable, 210
voting in a referendum held at a general election as defined in 211
s. 97.021. The referendum question on the ballot must specify a 212
brief and general description of the purpose for the levy and 213
the maximum length of time the millage may be imposed. The 214
resolution must take effect on the January 1 immediately 215
following voter approval of the referendum. The resolution must 216
include the millage to be levied, a detailed description of the 217
capital improvement projects to be funded by the millage, the 218
expected dates of completion of the capital improvement 219
projects, and the maximum duration for the levy of the millage, 220
which may not extend beyond the date that the capital 221
improvement projects are expected to be complete. The millage 222
levied under this subparagraph may be up to an amount that, when 223
combined with the millage levied under subparagraph 1., does not 224
exceed the maximum total millage rate authorized under paragraph 225
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(b). 226
b. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term "capital 227
improvement projects" means projects related to water supply, 228
including alternative water supply and water resource 229
development projects identified in the district's regional water 230
supply plans, water quality, flood protection and floodplain 231
management, and natural systems. 232
(b)(a) Notwithstanding any other general or special law, 233
and subject to subsection (4), the maximum total millage rate 234
for all district and basin purposes authorized under this 235
section shall be: 236
1. Northwest Florida Water Management District: 0.05 mill. 237
2. Suwannee River Water Management District: 0.75 mill. 238
3. St. Johns River Water Management District: 0.6 mill. 239
4. Southwest Florida Water Management District: 1.0 mill. 240
5. South Florida Water Management District: 0.80 mill. 241
(c)(b) The apportionment of millages levied under 242
subparagraph (a)1. in the South Florida Water Management 243
District shall be a maximum of 40 percent for district purposes 244
and a maximum of 60 percent for basin purposes, respectively. 245
(d)(c) Within the Southwest Florida Water Management 246
District, the maximum millage assessed for district purposes may 247
not exceed 50 percent of the total authorized millage if there 248
are one or more basins in the district, and the maximum millage 249
assessed for basin purposes may not exceed 50 percent of the 250
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total authorized millage. 251
Section 6. Subsection (1) of section 373.535, Florida 252
Statutes, is amended, and subsections (2) and (3) of that 253
section are reenacted, to read: 254
373.535 Preliminary district budgets. — 255
(1) BUDGET DEVELOPMENT. — 256
(a) By January 15 of each year, each water management 257
district shall submit a preliminary budget for the next fiscal 258
year for legislative review to the President of the Senate, the 259
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs of each 260
legislative committee and sub committee having substantive or 261
fiscal jurisdiction over water management districts, as 262
determined by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the 263
House of Representatives, as applicable, in the form and manner 264
prescribed in s. 373.536(5)(e). 265
(b) Each preliminary budget must also include: 266
1. A section that clearly identifies and provides 267
justification for each proposed expenditure listed in s. 268
373.536(5)(e)4.e. and f. and identifies the source of funds for 269
each proposed expenditure. 270
2. A section identifying the justification for proposed 271
expenditures by core mission area of responsibility and the 272
source of funds needed for activities related to water supply, 273
including alternative water supply and water resource 274
development projects i dentified in the district's regional water 275
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supply plans, water quality, flood protection and floodplain 276
management, and natural systems. 277
3. A section that includes the district's capital 278
improvement plan for the current fiscal year and the next fiscal 279
year, which will be incorporated as part of the district's 5 -280
year capital improvement plan. The following information must be 281
included for each project contained in the capital improvement 282
plan: 283
a. Estimated beginning and ending dates. 284
b. Current status, such as planning, construction, or 285
operations. 286
c. Funding distribution, broken down by federal, state, 287
local, or other. 288
d. Total cost of the project. 289
e. Whether the project is funded from reserves. 290
f. Total expenditures made to date, by fiscal yea r. 291
g. Current year estimated expenditures. 292
h. Annual budget, including future budget requests, until 293
project completion, by funding source. 294
i. Project description. 295
j. State program code, such as operations and maintenance 296
or ecosystems restoration. 297
4.3. A section reviewing the adopted and proposed budget 298
allocations by program area and the performance metrics for the 299
prior year. 300
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5.4. An analysis of each preliminary budget to determine 301
the adequacy of fiscal resources available to the district an d 302
the adequacy of proposed district expenditures related to the 303
core mission areas of responsibility for water supply, including 304
alternative water supply and water resource development projects 305
identified in the district's regional water supply plans, wate r 306
quality, flood protection and floodplain management, and natural 307
systems. The analysis must be based on the particular needs 308
within each district for core mission areas of responsibility. 309
The water supply analysis must specifically include a 310
determination of the adequacy of each district's fiscal 311
resources provided in the district's preliminary budget to 312
achieve appropriate progress toward meeting the districtwide 20 -313
year projected water supply demands, including funding for 314
alternative water supply devel opment and conservation projects. 315
(c)(b) If applicable, the preliminary budget for each 316
district must specify that the district's first obligation for 317
payment is the debt service on bonds and certificates of 318
participation. 319
(d) In addition to the inform ation that must be included 320
for projects carried out pursuant to the capital improvement 321
plan in subparagraph (b)3., the South Florida Water Management 322
District must include a separate section in its preliminary 323
budget for all projects within the Comprehen sive Everglades 324
Restoration Plan. The information for the separate section must 325
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be provided on a project -by-project basis and include the source 326
of funds. For each project, all of the following information 327
must be included: 328
1. The project title and a bri ef description. 329
2. The total estimated cost of the project, broken down by 330
federal and nonfederal sponsor obligations. The local sponsor 331
obligations must be further broken down by state and district 332
obligations. 333
3. The timeline for the project. 334
4. The total expenditures to date and estimated remaining 335
expenditures needed for project completion. 336
5. The estimate of expenditures for the current year. 337
6. The estimate of expenditures for the next fiscal year. 338
(e) For expenditures funded by state appr opriations, the 339
South Florida Water Management District must indicate which 340
fiscal year the appropriation is from. In estimating 341
expenditures for the next fiscal year, the district may only 342
incorporate state revenues in an amount up to the amount of 343
funds specifically provided in s. 375.041(3)(b)1., 4., and 5., 344
unless the district commits district revenues on a dollar -for-345
dollar basis for any amount over such amount specifically 346
provided. 347
(2) LEGISLATIVE REVIEW. — 348
(a) The Legislature may annually review the preliminary 349
budget for each district, including, but not limited to, those 350
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items listed in s. 373.536(5)(e)4.d. -f., specific to regulation, 351
outreach, management, and administration program areas. 352
(b) On or before March 1 of each year, the President o f 353
the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may 354
submit comments regarding the preliminary budget to the 355
districts, and provide a copy of the comments to the Executive 356
Office of the Governor. Each district shall respond to the 357
comments in writing on or before March 15 of each year to the 358
President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of 359
Representatives, and the Executive Office of the Governor. 360
(c) If, following such review, the Legislature does not 361
take any action pursuant to s. 373.50 3 on or before July 1 of 362
each year, a water management district may proceed with budget 363
development as provided in subsection (3) and s. 373.536. 364
(3) FUNDING AUTHORITY GRANTED. —Each district shall use the 365
preliminary budget as submitted pursuant to subse ction (1), and 366
as may be amended by the district in response to review by the 367
Legislature pursuant to this section and s. 373.503, as the 368
basis for developing the tentative budget for the next fiscal 369
year as provided in s. 373.536(5). 370
Section 7. Paragraphs (c) and (e) of subsection (5) of 371
section 373.536, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 372
373.536 District budget and hearing thereon. — 373
(5) TENTATIVE BUDGET CONTENTS AND SUBMISSION; REVIEW AND 374
APPROVAL.— 375
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(c) The Legislative Budget Commissio n may reject any of 376
the following district budget proposals unless specifically 377
appropriated by the Legislature : 378
1. A single purchase of land in excess of $10 million, 379
except for land exchanges. 380
2. Any cumulative purchase of land during a single fiscal 381
year in excess of $50 million. 382
3. Any issuance of debt on or after July 1, 2012. 383
4. Any program expenditure expenditures as described in 384
sub-subparagraphs (e)4.e. and f. in excess of 15 percent of a 385
district's total annual budget. 386
5. Any individual variance variances in a district's 387
tentative budget which is in excess of 25 percent from a 388
district's preliminary budget. 389
6. Any individual portion of a district's tentative budget 390
funded with state appropriations. 391
7. Any individual project in the dis trict's 5-year capital 392
improvement plan. 393
394
Written disapproval of any provision in the tentative budget 395
must be received by the district at least 5 business days before 396
the final district budget adoption hearing conducted under s. 397
200.065(2)(d). If written disapproval is not received at least 5 398
business days before the final budget adoption hearing, the 399
governing board may proceed with final adoption. Any provision 400
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rejected by the Executive Office of the Governor or the 401
Legislative Budget Commission may not be included in a 402
district's final budget and may not be acted upon through any 403
other means without the prior approval of the entity rejecting 404
the provision. 405
(e) The tentative budget must be based on the preliminary 406
budget as submitted to the Legislature, and as may be amended by 407
the district in response to review by the Legislature pursuant 408
to ss. 373.503 and 373.535, as the basis for developing the 409
tentative budget for the next fiscal year as provided in this 410
subsection, and must set forth the proposed e xpenditures of the 411
district, to which may be added an amount to be held as reserve. 412
The tentative budget must include, but is not limited to, the 413
following information for the preceding fiscal year and the 414
current fiscal year, and the proposed amounts for the upcoming 415
fiscal year, in a standard format prescribed by the Executive 416
Office of the Governor, in consultation with the Legislature: 417
1. The estimated amount of funds remaining at the 418
beginning of the fiscal year which have been obligated for the 419
payment of outstanding commitments not yet completed. 420
2. The estimated amount of unobligated funds or net cash 421
balance on hand at the beginning of the fiscal year; an 422
accounting of the source, balance, and projected future use of 423
the unobligated funds; and t he estimated amount of funds to be 424
raised by district taxes or received from other sources to meet 425
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the requirements of the district. 426
3. The millage rates and the percentage increase above the 427
rolled-back rate, together with a summary of the reasons the 428
increase is required, and the percentage increase in taxable 429
value resulting from new construction within the district. 430
4. The salaries and benefits, expenses, operating capital 431
outlay, number of authorized positions, and other personal 432
services for the following program areas of the district: 433
a. Water resource planning and monitoring; 434
b. Land acquisition, restoration, and public works; 435
c. Operation and maintenance of works and lands; 436
d. Regulation; 437
e. Outreach for which the information provided must 438
contain a full description and accounting of expenditures for 439
water resources education; public information and public 440
relations, including public service announcements and 441
advertising in any media; and lobbying activities related to 442
local, regional, state and federal governmental affairs, whether 443
incurred by district staff or through contractual services; and 444
f. Management and administration. 445
446
In addition to the program areas reported by all water 447
management districts, the South Florida Water Manage ment 448
District shall include in its budget document separate sections 449
on all costs associated with the Everglades Construction Project 450
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and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan , incorporating 451
the amount of state revenues appropriated for the fiscal year. 452
5. The total estimated amount in the district budget for 453
each area of responsibility listed in subparagraph 4. and for 454
water resource, water supply, and alternative water supply 455
development projects identified in the district's regional water 456
supply plans. 457
6. A description of each new, expanded, reduced, or 458
eliminated program. 459
7. The funding sources, including, but not limited to, ad 460
valorem taxes, Surface Water Improvement and Management Program 461
funds, other state funds, federal funds, and user fees and 462
permit fees for each program area. 463
8. The water management district's capital improvement 464
plan for the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year, in 465
the same format as required in the preliminary budget. 466
Section 8. Section 373.591, Florida Statutes, is repealed. 467
Section 9. Section 373.6075, Florida Statutes, is amended 468
to read: 469
373.6075 Purchases from contracts of other entities. — 470
(1) A water management district may purchase commodities 471
and contractual services, excluding ser vices subject to s. 472
287.055, from the purchasing contracts of special districts, 473
municipalities, counties, other political subdivisions, 474
educational institutions, other states, nonprofit entities, 475
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purchasing cooperatives, or the Federal Government, which h ave 476
been procured pursuant to competitive bid, request for proposal, 477
request for qualification, competitive selection, or competitive 478
negotiation, and which are otherwise in compliance with general 479
law if the purchasing contract of the other entity is proc ured 480
by a process that meets the procurement requirements of the 481
water management district. 482
(2) For contractual services for the design, engineering, 483
or construction, or for any combination of the design, 484
engineering, or construction, of capital improvem ent projects 485
with a total estimated project cost of $20 million or more, a 486
water management district shall give preference to the lowest 487
responsible and responsive bid, proposal, or reply that includes 488
proof of district-defined acceptable minimum work expe rience 489
within this state, project -specific payment and performance 490
bonds in amounts appropriate for the project contract amount, 491
and a minimum warranty of 2 years beginning at substantial 492
completion of the project or that provides proof of a comparable 493
financial assurance mechanism, as defined by district rule. 494
(3) For the purpose of the competitive selection process 495
in s. 287.055(4) or the procurement procedures in s. 255.065(3), 496
a water management district shall consider whether a bid, 497
proposal, or reply includes appropriate payment and performance 498
bonds; proof of a comparable financial assurance mechanism, as 499
defined by district rule; or documentation of any and all bond 500
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faults or bond claims within the last 10 years, including all 501
open and closed claims and agreed -upon amounts with a 502
description of the claim and any resolution. 503
Section 10. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 504
made by this act to section 373.503, Florida Statutes, in a 505
reference thereto, section 373.0697, Florida Statutes, is 506
reenacted to read: 507
373.0697 Basin taxes. —The respective basins may, pursuant 508
to s. 9(b), Art. VII of the State Constitution, by resolution 509
request the governing board of the district to levy ad valorem 510
taxes within such basin. Upon receipt of such request, a basin 511
tax levy shall be made by the governing boar d of the district to 512
finance basin functions enumerated in s. 373.0695, 513
notwithstanding the provisions of any other general or special 514
law to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of s. 515
373.503(3). 516
(1) The amount of money to be raised by said tax l evy 517
shall be determined by the adoption of an annual budget by the 518
district board of governors, and the average millage for the 519
basin shall be that amount required to raise the amount called 520
for by the annual budget when applied to the total assessment of 521
the basin as determined for county taxing purposes. However, no 522
such tax shall be levied within the basin unless and until the 523
annual budget and required tax levy shall have been approved by 524
formal action of the basin board, and no county in the district 525
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shall be taxed under this provision at a rate to exceed 1 mill. 526
(2) The taxes provided for in this section shall be 527
extended by the county property appraiser on the county tax roll 528
in each county within, or partly within, the basin and shall be 529
collected by the tax collector in the same manner and time as 530
county taxes, and the proceeds therefrom paid to the district 531
for basin purposes. Said taxes shall be a lien, until paid, on 532
the property against which assessed and enforceable in like 533
manner as county taxes. The property appraisers, tax collectors, 534
and clerks of the circuit court of the respective counties shall 535
be entitled to compensation for services performed in connection 536
with such taxes at the same rates as apply to county taxes. 537
(3) It is hereby determined that the taxes authorized by 538
this subsection are in proportion to the benefits to be derived 539
by the several parcels of real estate within the basin from the 540
works authorized herein. 541
Section 11. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 542
made by this act to section 373.536, Florida Statutes, in a 543
reference thereto, paragraph (d) of subsection (8) of section 544
373.026, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 545
373.026 General powers and duties of the department. —The 546
department, or its successo r agency, shall be responsible for 547
the administration of this chapter at the state level. However, 548
it is the policy of the state that, to the greatest extent 549
possible, the department may enter into interagency or 550
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interlocal agreements with any other state agency, any water 551
management district, or any local government conducting programs 552
related to or materially affecting the water resources of the 553
state. All such agreements shall be subject to the provisions of 554
s. 373.046. In addition to its other powers an d duties, the 555
department shall, to the greatest extent possible: 556
(8) 557
(d) The Executive Office of the Governor, pursuant to its 558
duties under s. 373.536(5) to approve or disapprove, in whole or 559
in part, the budget of each water management district, shall 560
review all proposed expenditures for project components in the 561
district's budget. 562
Section 12. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 563