Florida Senate - 2025 CS for CS for CS for SB 462 By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; Regulated Industries; and Transportation; and Senator DiCeglie 594-03386-25 2025462c3 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to transportation; creating s. 3 218.3215, F.S.; requiring counties to report certain 4 information to the Office of Economic and Demographic 5 Research annually by a specified date; requiring 6 counties to report the information in the format 7 specified by the office; requiring the office to 8 provide a certain report to the Legislature and the 9 Department of Transportation; amending s. 316.183, 10 F.S.; requiring the department to determine the safe 11 and advisable minimum speed limit on certain highways; 12 amending s. 316.187, F.S.; revising the maximum 13 allowable speed limit on certain highways and 14 roadways; creating s. 330.355, F.S.; prohibiting 15 publicly owned airports from charging a landing fee 16 established on or after a specified date for certain 17 aircraft operations; amending s. 332.004, F.S.; 18 revising definitions; amending s. 332.006, F.S.; 19 revising duties and responsibilities of the department 20 relating to airports; amending s. 332.007, F.S.; 21 revising provisions relating to the administration and 22 financing of certain aviation and airport programs and 23 projects; authorizing certain airports to participate 24 in a specified federal program in a certain manner; 25 authorizing the department to provide for improvements 26 to certain entities for the capital cost of a 27 discretionary improvement project at a public-use 28 airport, subject to the availability of certain funds; 29 creating s. 332.136, F.S.; establishing an airport 30 pilot program at the Sarasota Manatee Airport 31 Authority; providing the purpose of the pilot program; 32 requiring the department to adopt rules; requiring the 33 department, by a specified date, to submit certain 34 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature; 35 providing for the future repeal of specified 36 provisions; amending s. 334.044, F.S.; authorizing the 37 department to acquire property or property rights in 38 advance to preserve a corridor for future proposed 39 improvements; authorizing the department to expend 40 from the State Transportation Trust Fund a certain 41 amount of grant funds annually to state colleges and 42 school districts for certain construction workforce 43 development programs; requiring that priority be given 44 to certain colleges and school districts; amending s. 45 334.065, F.S.; deleting a provision specifying that 46 the Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research 47 shall be administered by the Board of Governors of the 48 State University System; deleting a provision 49 prohibiting the undertaking of certain projects 50 without the approval of the Center for Urban 51 Transportation Research advisory board; revising 52 membership of such advisory board; creating s. 334.63, 53 F.S.; providing requirements for certain project 54 concept studies and project development and 55 environment studies; amending s. 337.11, F.S.; 56 revising the bidding and award process for contracts 57 for road construction and maintenance projects; 58 revising the circumstances in which the department 59 must competitively award a phased design-build 60 contract for phase one; requiring the department to 61 select a single design-build firm to perform the work 62 associated with phase two under certain circumstances; 63 authorizing a design-build firm to self-perform 64 portions of work under a contract; requiring that 65 contracts let by the department on or after a certain 66 date for bridge construction or maintenance over 67 navigable waters include protection and indemnity 68 coverage; amending s. 337.14, F.S.; authorizing the 69 department to waive contractor certification 70 requirements for certain projects; revising the 71 threshold value of contracts for which the department 72 may waive a contract bond requirement; requiring that 73 a contractor seeking to bid on certain maintenance 74 contracts possess certain qualifications; amending s. 75 337.185, F.S.; increasing the limits of claims per 76 contract which a contractor may submit to the State 77 Arbitration Board; revising the period in which an 78 arbitration request may be made for a claim related to 79 a warranty notice; amending s. 339.175, F.S.; revising 80 legislative intent; revising requirements for the 81 designation of additional metropolitan planning 82 organizations (M.P.O.s); revising projects and 83 strategies to be considered in developing an M.P.O.s 84 long-range transportation plan and transportation 85 improvement program; deleting obsolete provisions; 86 requiring the department to convene M.P.O.s of 87 similar size to exchange best practices at least 88 annually; authorizing M.P.O.s to develop committees 89 or working groups; requiring training for new M.P.O. 90 governing board members to be provided by the 91 department or another specified entity; deleting 92 provisions relating to M.P.O. coordination mechanisms; 93 including public-private partnerships in authorized 94 financing techniques; revising proposed transportation 95 enhancement activities that must be indicated by the 96 long-range transportation plan; authorizing each 97 M.P.O. to execute a written agreement with the 98 department regarding state and federal transportation 99 planning requirements; requiring the department, in 100 collaboration with M.P.O.s, to establish certain 101 quality performance metrics and develop certain 102 performance targets; requiring the department to 103 evaluate and post on its website whether each M.P.O. 104 has made significant progress toward such targets; 105 amending s. 339.65, F.S.; requiring the department to 106 prioritize certain Strategic Intermodal System highway 107 corridor projects; creating s. 339.85, F.S.; requiring 108 the department to implement a next-generation traffic 109 signal modernization program; providing program 110 requirements; requiring the allocation of funds from 111 the State Transportation Trust Fund to the program; 112 requiring that a certain percentage of such funds be 113 used for certain roads through the use of matching 114 grants; amending s. 348.0304, F.S.; revising 115 membership of the governing body of the Greater Miami 116 Expressway Agency; reenacting s. 332.115(1), F.S., 117 relating to joint project agreements with port 118 districts for transportation corridors between 119 airports and port facilities, to incorporate the 120 amendment made to s. 332.004, F.S., in a reference 121 thereto; providing a legislative finding; requiring 122 the department to develop a report on widening 123 Interstate 4; providing requirements for the report; 124 requiring the department to submit the report to the 125 Governor and the Legislature by a specified date; 126 providing an effective date. 127 128 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 129 130 Section 1.Section 218.3215, Florida Statutes, is created 131 to read: 132 218.3215County transportation project data. 133 (1)Each county shall annually by January 15 report to the 134 Office of Economic and Demographic Research all of the following 135 information, by county fiscal year, for surtax revenues received 136 pursuant to s. 212.055(1): 137 (a)Total proceeds from the surtax received by the county. 138 (b)The amount allocated by the county for road and bridge 139 projects. The Office of Economic and Demographic Research, in 140 consultation with the Department of Transportation, shall define 141 broad categories, including, but not limited to, widening, 142 repair and rehabilitation, sidewalks, or payment or pledge of 143 bonds for the construction of roads or bridges, for reporting 144 this information. This information must be reported as a total 145 by category and by revenue source by category. 146 (c)The total expenditure on road and bridge projects by 147 category. 148 (d)The unexpended balances of funds allocated to road and 149 bridge projects by category. 150 (e)A list of current road and bridge projects, including 151 the project cost, location, and scope. 152 (f)The amount allocated by the county to all other 153 permissible uses of the proceeds from the surtax, excluding road 154 and bridge projects and the payment or pledge of bonds for the 155 construction of roads or bridges. 156 (2)Counties shall report the information required by this 157 section in the format specified by the Office of Economic and 158 Demographic Research. The Office of Economic and Demographic 159 Research shall compile the information into a report and provide 160 the report to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the 161 House of Representatives, and the Department of Transportation. 162 Section 2.Subsection (2) of section 316.183, Florida 163 Statutes, is amended to read: 164 316.183Unlawful speed. 165 (2)On all streets or highways, the maximum speed limits 166 for all vehicles must be 30 miles per hour in business or 167 residence districts, and 55 miles per hour at any time at all 168 other locations. However, with respect to a residence district, 169 a county or municipality may set a maximum speed limit of 20 or 170 25 miles per hour on local streets and highways after an 171 investigation determines that such a limit is reasonable. It is 172 not necessary to conduct a separate investigation for each 173 residence district. The Department of Transportation shall 174 determine the safe and advisable minimum speed limit on all 175 highways that comprise a part of the National System of 176 Interstate and Defense Highways and have at least not fewer than 177 four lanes is 40 miles per hour, except that when the posted 178 speed limit is 70 miles per hour, the minimum speed limit is 50 179 miles per hour. 180 Section 3.Subsection (2) of section 316.187, Florida 181 Statutes, is amended to read: 182 316.187Establishment of state speed zones. 183 (2)(a)The maximum allowable speed limit on limited access 184 highways is 75 70 miles per hour. 185 (b)The maximum allowable speed limit on any other highway 186 that which is outside an urban area of 5,000 or more persons and 187 that which has at least four lanes divided by a median strip is 188 70 65 miles per hour. 189 (c)The Department of Transportation is authorized to set 190 such maximum and minimum speed limits for travel over other 191 roadways under its authority as it deems safe and advisable, not 192 to exceed as a maximum limit 65 60 miles per hour. 193 Section 4.Section 330.355, Florida Statutes, is created to 194 read: 195 330.355Prohibition on landing fees for certain aircraft 196 operations.A publicly owned airport in this state may not 197 charge a landing fee established on or after January 1, 2025, 198 for aircraft operations conducted by an accredited nonprofit 199 institution located in this state which offers a 4-year 200 collegiate aviation program, when such aircraft operations are 201 for flight training necessary for pilot certification and 202 proficiency. 203 Section 5.Subsections (4), (5), (7), and (8) of section 204 332.004, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 205 332.004Definitions of terms used in ss. 332.003-332.007. 206 As used in ss. 332.003-332.007, the term: 207 (4)Airport or aviation development project or 208 development project means any activity associated with the 209 design, construction, purchase, improvement, or repair of a 210 public-use airport or portion thereof, including, but not 211 limited to: the purchase of equipment; the acquisition of land, 212 including land required as a condition of a federal, state, or 213 local permit or agreement for environmental mitigation; off 214 airport noise mitigation projects; the removal, lowering, 215 relocation, marking, and lighting of airport hazards; the 216 installation of navigation aids used by aircraft in landing at 217 or taking off from a public-use public airport; the installation 218 of safety equipment required by rule or regulation for 219 certification of the airport under s. 612 of the Federal 220 Aviation Act of 1958, and amendments thereto; and the 221 improvement of access to the airport by road or rail system 222 which is on airport property and which is consistent, to the 223 maximum extent feasible, with the approved local government 224 comprehensive plan of the units of local government in which the 225 airport is located. 226 (5)Airport or aviation discretionary capacity improvement 227 projects or discretionary capacity improvement projects means 228 capacity improvements which are consistent, to the maximum 229 extent feasible, with the approved local government 230 comprehensive plans of the units of local government in which 231 the public-use airport is located, and which enhance 232 intercontinental capacity at airports which: 233 (a)Are international airports with United States Bureau of 234 Customs and Border Protection; 235 (b)Had one or more regularly scheduled intercontinental 236 flights during the previous calendar year or have an agreement 237 in writing for installation of one or more regularly scheduled 238 intercontinental flights upon the commitment of funds for 239 stipulated airport capital improvements; and 240 (c)Have available or planned public ground transportation 241 between the airport and other major transportation facilities. 242 (7)Eligible agency means a political subdivision of the 243 state or an authority, or a public-private partnership through a 244 lease or an agreement under s. 255.065 with a political 245 subdivision of the state or an authority, which owns or seeks to 246 develop a public-use airport. 247 (8)Federal aid means funds made available from the 248 Federal Government for the accomplishment of public-use airport 249 or aviation development projects. 250 Section 6.Subsections (4) and (8) of section 332.006, 251 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 252 332.006Duties and responsibilities of the Department of 253 Transportation.The Department of Transportation shall, within 254 the resources provided pursuant to chapter 216: 255 (4)Upon request, provide financial and technical 256 assistance to public agencies that own which operate public-use 257 airports by making department personnel and department-owned 258 facilities and equipment available on a cost-reimbursement basis 259 to such agencies for special needs of limited duration. The 260 requirement relating to reimbursement of personnel costs may be 261 waived by the department in those cases in which the assistance 262 provided by its personnel was of a limited nature or duration. 263 (8)Encourage the maximum allocation of federal funds to 264 local public-use airport projects in this state. 265 Section 7.Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (4), 266 subsection (6), paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (7), and 267 subsections (8) and (10) of section 332.007, Florida Statutes, 268 are amended, and subsection (11) is added to that section, to 269 read: 270 332.007Administration and financing of aviation and 271 airport programs and projects; state plan. 272 (4)(a)The annual legislative budget request for aviation 273 and airport development projects shall be based on the funding 274 required for development projects in the aviation and airport 275 work program. The department shall provide priority funding in 276 support of the planning, design, and construction of proposed 277 projects by local sponsors of public-use airports, with special 278 emphasis on projects for runways and taxiways, including the 279 painting and marking of runways and taxiways, lighting, other 280 related airside activities, and airport access transportation 281 facility projects on airport property. 282 (c)No single airport shall secure airport or aviation 283 development project funds in excess of 25 percent of the total 284 airport or aviation development project funds available in any 285 given budget year. However, any public-use airport which 286 receives discretionary capacity improvement project funds in a 287 given fiscal year shall not receive greater than 10 percent of 288 total aviation and airport development project funds 289 appropriated in that fiscal year. 290 (6)Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, the 291 department may participate in the capital cost of eligible 292 public-use public airport and aviation development projects in 293 accordance with the following rates, unless otherwise provided 294 in the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill 295 implementing the General Appropriations Act: 296 (a)The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion 297 of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal 298 Government, except that the department may initially fund up to 299 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new airport or 300 for the expansion of an existing airport which is owned and 301 operated by a municipality, a county, or an authority, and shall 302 be reimbursed to the normal statutory project share when federal 303 funds become available or within 10 years after the date of 304 acquisition, whichever is earlier. Due to federal budgeting 305 constraints, the department may also initially fund the federal 306 portion of eligible project costs subject to: 307 1.The department receiving adequate assurance from the 308 Federal Government or local sponsor that this amount will be 309 reimbursed to the department; and 310 2.The department having adequate funds in the work program 311 to fund the project. 312 313 Such projects must be contained in the Federal Governments 314 Airport Capital Improvement Program, and the Federal Government 315 must fund, or have funded, the first year of the project. 316 (b)The department may retroactively reimburse cities, 317 counties, or airport authorities up to 50 percent of the 318 nonfederal share for land acquisition when such land is needed 319 for airport safety, expansion, tall structure control, clear 320 zone protection, or noise impact reduction. No land purchased 321 prior to July 1, 1990, or purchased prior to executing the 322 required department agreements shall be eligible for 323 reimbursement. 324 (c)When federal funds are not available, the department 325 may fund up to 80 percent of master planning and eligible 326 aviation development projects at public-use publicly owned, 327 publicly operated airports. If federal funds are available, the 328 department may fund up to 80 percent of the nonfederal share of 329 such projects. Such funding is limited to general aviation 330 airports, or commercial service airports that have fewer than 331 100,000 passenger boardings per year as determined by the 332 Federal Aviation Administration. 333 (d)The department is authorized to fund up to 100 percent 334 of the cost of an eligible project that is statewide in scope or 335 that involves more than one county where no other governmental 336 entity or appropriate jurisdiction exists. 337 (7)Subject to the availability of appropriated funds in 338 addition to aviation fuel tax revenues, the department may 339 participate in the capital cost of eligible public airport and 340 aviation discretionary capacity improvement projects. The annual 341 legislative budget request shall be based on the funding 342 required for discretionary capacity improvement projects in the 343 aviation and airport work program. 344 (a)The department shall provide priority funding in 345 support of: 346 1.Land acquisition which provides additional capacity at 347 the qualifying international airport or at that airports 348 supplemental air carrier airport. 349 2.Runway and taxiway projects that add capacity or are 350 necessary to accommodate technological changes in the aviation 351 industry. 352 3.Public-use airport access transportation projects that 353 improve direct airport access and are approved by the airport 354 sponsor. 355 4.International terminal projects that increase 356 international gate capacity. 357 (d)The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion 358 of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal 359 Government except that the department may initially fund up to 360 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new public-use 361 airport or for the expansion of an existing public-use airport 362 which is owned and operated by a municipality, a county, or an 363 authority, and shall be reimbursed to the normal statutory 364 project share when federal funds become available or within 10 365 years after the date of acquisition, whichever is earlier. 366 (8)The department may also fund eligible projects 367 performed by not-for-profit organizations that represent a 368 majority of public airports in this state. Eligible projects may 369 include activities associated with aviation master planning, 370 professional education, safety and security planning, enhancing 371 economic development and efficiency at airports in this state, 372 or other planning efforts to improve the viability of public-use 373 airports in this state. 374 (10)Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and 375 unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act or 376 the substantive bill implementing the General Appropriations 377 Act, the department may fund up to 100 percent of eligible 378 project costs of all of the following at a public-use publicly 379 owned, publicly operated airport located in a rural community as 380 defined in s. 288.0656 which does not have any scheduled 381 commercial service: 382 (a)The capital cost of runway and taxiway projects that 383 add capacity. Such projects must be prioritized based on the 384 amount of available nonstate matching funds. 385 (b)Economic development transportation projects pursuant 386 to s. 339.2821. 387 388 Any remaining funds must be allocated for projects specified in 389 subsection (6). 390 (11)Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a 391 municipality, a county, or an authority that owns a public-use 392 airport may participate in the Federal Aviation Administration 393 Airport Investment Partnership Program under federal law by 394 contracting with a private partner to operate the airport under 395 lease or agreement. Subject to the availability of appropriated 396 funds from aviation fuel tax revenues, the department may 397 provide for improvements under this section to a municipality, a 398 county, or an authority that has a private partner under the 399 Airport Investment Partnership Program for the capital cost of a 400 discretionary improvement project at a public-use airport. 401 Section 8.Section 332.136, Florida Statutes, is created to 402 read: 403 332.136Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority; airport pilot 404 program. 405 (1)There is established at the Sarasota Manatee Airport 406 Authority an airport pilot program. The purpose of the pilot 407 program is to determine the long-term feasibility of alternative 408 airport permitting procedures, such as those provided in ss. 409 553.80, 1013.30, 1013.33, and 1013.371. 410 (2)The department shall adopt rules as necessary to 411 implement the pilot program. 412 (3)By December 1, 2027, the department shall submit 413 recommendations to the President of the Senate and the Speaker 414 of the House of Representatives about how to expand the pilot 415 program to additional airports, amend the pilot program to 416 increase its effectiveness, or terminate the pilot program. 417 (4)This section shall stand repealed on June 30, 2028, 418 unless reviewed and saved from appeal through reenactment by the 419 Legislature. 420 Section 9.Subsections (6) and (35) of section 334.044, 421 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 422 334.044Powers and duties of the department.The department 423 shall have the following general powers and duties: 424 (6)To acquire, by the exercise of the power of eminent 425 domain as provided by law, all property or property rights, 426 whether public or private, which it may determine are necessary 427 to the performance of its duties and the execution of its 428 powers, including, but not limited to, in advance to preserve a 429 corridor for future proposed improvements. 430 (35)To expend funds for provide a construction workforce 431 development program, in consultation with affected stakeholders, 432 for delivery of projects designated in the departments work 433 program. The department may annually expend up to $5 million 434 from the State Transportation Trust Fund for fiscal years 2025 435 2026 through 2029-2030 in grants to state colleges and school 436 districts, with priority given to state colleges and school 437 districts in counties that are rural communities as defined in 438 s. 288.0656(2), for the purchase of equipment simulators with 439 authentic original equipment manufacturer controls and a 440 companion curriculum, for the purchase of instructional aids for 441 use in conjunction with the equipment simulators, and to support 442 offering an elective course in heavy civil construction which 443 must, at a minimum, provide the student with an Occupational 444 Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification and a 445 fill equipment simulator certification. 446 Section 10.Subsections (1) and (3) of section 334.065, 447 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 448 334.065Center for Urban Transportation Research. 449 (1)There is established within at the University of South 450 Florida the Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research, to 451 be administered by the Board of Governors of the State 452 University System. The responsibilities of the center include, 453 but are not limited to, conducting and facilitating research on 454 issues related to urban transportation problems in this state 455 and serving as an information exchange and depository for the 456 most current information pertaining to urban transportation and 457 related issues. 458 (3)An advisory board shall be created to periodically and 459 objectively review and advise the center concerning its research 460 program. Except for projects mandated by law, state-funded base 461 projects shall not be undertaken without approval of the 462 advisory board. The membership of the board shall be composed 463 consist of nine experts in transportation-related areas, as 464 follows: 465 (a)A member appointed by the President of the Senate. 466 (b)A member appointed by the Speaker of the House of 467 Representatives. 468 (c)The Secretary of Transportation, or his or her 469 designee. 470 (d)The Secretary of Commerce, or his or her designee. 471 including the secretaries of the Department of Transportation, 472 the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department 473 of Commerce, or their designees, and 474 (e)A member of the Florida Transportation Commission. 475 (f)Four members nominated The nomination of the remaining 476 members of the board shall be made to the President of the 477 University of South Florida by the College of Engineering at the 478 University of South Florida and approved by the universitys 479 president, and The appointment of these members must be reviewed 480 and approved by the Florida Transportation Commission and 481 confirmed by the Board of Governors. 482 Section 11.Section 334.63, Florida Statutes, is created to 483 read: 484 334.63Project concept studies and project development and 485 environment studies. 486 (1)Project concept studies and project development and 487 environment studies for capacity improvement projects on limited 488 access facilities must include the evaluation of alternatives 489 that provide transportation capacity using elevated roadway 490 above existing lanes. 491 (2)Project development and environment studies for new 492 alignment projects and capacity improvement projects must be 493 completed to the maximum extent possible within 18 months after 494 the date of commencement. 495 Section 12.Subsection (4), paragraph (b) of subsection 496 (7), and subsection (15) of section 337.11, Florida Statutes, 497 are amended to read: 498 337.11Contracting authority of department; bids; emergency 499 repairs, supplemental agreements, and change orders; combined 500 design and construction contracts; progress payments; records; 501 requirements of vehicle registration. 502 (4)(a)Except as provided in paragraph (b), the department 503 may award the proposed construction and maintenance work to the 504 lowest responsible bidder, or in the instance of a time-plus 505 money contract, the lowest evaluated responsible bidder, or it 506 may reject all bids and proceed to rebid the work in accordance 507 with subsection (2) or otherwise perform the work. 508 (b)Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the 509 department intends to reject all bids on any project after 510 announcing, but before posting official notice of, such intent, 511 the department must provide to the lowest responsive, 512 responsible bidder the opportunity to negotiate the scope of 513 work with a corresponding reduction in price, as provided in the 514 bid, to provide a reduced bid without filing a protest or 515 posting a bond under paragraph (5)(a). Upon reaching a decision 516 regarding the lowest bidders reduced bid, the department must 517 post notice of final agency action to either reject all bids or 518 accept the reduced bid. 519 (c)This subsection does not prohibit the filing of a 520 protest by any bidder or alter the deadlines provided in s. 521 120.57. 522 (d)Notwithstanding the requirements of ss. 120.57(3)(c) 523 and 287.057(25), upon receipt of a formal written protest that 524 is timely filed, the department may continue the process 525 provided in this subsection but may not take final agency action 526 as to the lowest bidder except as part of the departments final 527 agency action in the protest or upon dismissal of the protest by 528 the protesting party. 529 (7) 530 (b)If the department determines that it is in the best 531 interests of the public, the department may combine the design 532 and construction phases of a project fully funded in the work 533 program into a single contract and select the design-build firm 534 in the early stages of a project to ensure that the design-build 535 firm is part of the collaboration and development of the design 536 as part of a step-by-step progression through construction. Such 537 a contract is referred to as a phased design-build contract. For 538 phased design-build contracts, selection and award must include 539 a two-phase process. For phase one, the department shall 540 competitively award the contract to a design-build firm based 541 upon qualifications, provided that the department receives at 542 least three statements of qualifications from qualified design 543 build firms. If during phase one the department elects to enter 544 into contracts with more than one design-build firm based upon 545 qualifications, the department must competitively select a 546 single design-build firm to perform the work associated with 547 phase two. For phase two, the design-build firm may self-perform 548 portions of the work and shall competitively bid construction 549 trade subcontractor packages and, based upon these bids, 550 negotiate with the department a fixed firm price or guaranteed 551 maximum price that meets the project budget and scope as 552 advertised in the request for qualifications. 553 (15)Each contract let by the department for performance of 554 bridge construction or maintenance over navigable waters must 555 contain a provision requiring marine general liability 556 insurance, in an amount to be determined by the department, 557 which covers third-party personal injury and property damage 558 caused by vessels used by the contractor in the performance of 559 the work. For a contract let by the department on or after July 560 1, 2025, such insurance must include protection and indemnity 561 coverage, which may be covered by endorsement on the marine 562 general liability insurance policy or may be a separate policy. 563 Section 13.Subsections (1), (2), and (8) of section 564 337.14, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 565 337.14Application for qualification; certificate of 566 qualification; restrictions; request for hearing. 567 (1)Any contractor desiring to bid for the performance of 568 any construction contract in excess of $250,000 which the 569 department proposes to let must first be certified by the 570 department as qualified pursuant to this section and rules of 571 the department. The rules of the department must address the 572 qualification of contractors to bid on construction contracts in 573 excess of $250,000 and must include requirements with respect to 574 the equipment, past record, experience, financial resources, and 575 organizational personnel of the applying contractor which are 576 necessary to perform the specific class of work for which the 577 contractor seeks certification. Any contractor who desires to 578 bid on contracts in excess of $50 million and who is not 579 qualified and in good standing with the department as of January 580 1, 2019, must first be certified by the department as qualified 581 and must have satisfactorily completed two projects, each in 582 excess of $15 million, for the department or for any other state 583 department of transportation. The department may limit the 584 dollar amount of any contract upon which a contractor is 585 qualified to bid or the aggregate total dollar volume of 586 contracts such contractor is allowed to have under contract at 587 any one time. Each applying contractor seeking qualification to 588 bid on construction contracts in excess of $250,000 shall 589 furnish the department a statement under oath, on such forms as 590 the department may prescribe, setting forth detailed information 591 as required on the application. Each application for 592 certification must be accompanied by audited, certified 593 financial statements prepared in accordance with generally 594 accepted accounting principles and auditing standards by a 595 certified public accountant licensed in this state or another 596 state. The audited, certified financial statements must be for 597 the applying contractor and must have been prepared within the 598 immediately preceding 12 months. The department may not consider 599 any financial information of the parent entity of the applying 600 contractor, if any. The department may not certify as qualified 601 any applying contractor who fails to submit the audited, 602 certified financial statements required by this subsection. If 603 the application or the annual financial statement shows the 604 financial condition of the applying contractor more than 4 605 months before the date on which the application is received by 606 the department, the applicant must also submit interim audited, 607 certified financial statements prepared in accordance with 608 generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards 609 by a certified public accountant licensed in this state or 610 another state. The interim financial statements must cover the 611 period from the end date of the annual statement and must show 612 the financial condition of the applying contractor no more than 613 4 months before the date that the interim financial statements 614 are received by the department. However, upon the request of the 615 applying contractor, an application and accompanying annual or 616 interim financial statement received by the department within 15 617 days after either 4-month period under this subsection shall be 618 considered timely. An applying contractor desiring to bid 619 exclusively for the performance of construction contracts with 620 proposed budget estimates of less than $2 million may submit 621 reviewed annual or reviewed interim financial statements 622 prepared by a certified public accountant. The information 623 required by this subsection is confidential and exempt from s. 624 119.07(1). The department shall act upon the application for 625 qualification within 30 days after the department determines 626 that the application is complete. The department may waive the 627 requirements of this subsection for push-button projects having 628 a contract price of $1 million or less, or for non-push-button 629 projects having a contract price of $500,000 or less, if the 630 department determines that the project is of a noncritical 631 nature and the waiver will not endanger public health, safety, 632 or property. 633 (2)Certification is shall be necessary in order to bid on 634 a road, bridge, or public transportation construction contract 635 of more than $250,000. However, the successful bidder on any 636 construction contract must furnish a contract bond before prior 637 to the award of the contract. The department may waive the 638 requirement for all or a portion of a contract bond for 639 contracts of $250,000 $150,000 or less under s. 337.18(1). 640 (8)This section does not apply to maintenance contracts. 641 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a contractor seeking 642 to bid on a maintenance contract in which the majority of the 643 work includes repair and replacement of safety appurtenances, 644 including, but not limited to, guardrails, attenuators, traffic 645 signals, and striping, must possess the prescribed 646 qualifications, equipment, record, and experience to perform 647 such repair and replacement. 648 Section 14.Subsections (4) and (5) of section 337.185, 649 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 650 337.185State Arbitration Board. 651 (4)The contractor may submit a claim greater than $250,000 652 up to $2 $1 million per contract or, upon agreement of the 653 parties, greater than up to $2 million per contract to be 654 arbitrated by the board. An award issued by the board pursuant 655 to this subsection is final if a request for a trial de novo is 656 not filed within the time provided by Rule 1.830, Florida Rules 657 of Civil Procedure. At the trial de novo, the court may not 658 admit evidence that there has been an arbitration proceeding, 659 the nature or amount of the award, or any other matter 660 concerning the conduct of the arbitration proceeding, except 661 that testimony given in connection with at an arbitration 662 hearing may be used for any purpose otherwise permitted by the 663 Florida Evidence Code. If a request for trial de novo is not 664 filed within the time provided, the award issued by the board is 665 final and enforceable by a court of law. 666 (5)An arbitration request may not be made to the board 667 before final acceptance but must be made to the board within 820 668 days after final acceptance. An arbitration request related to a 669 warranty notice provided by the department must be made to the 670 board within 360 days after such notice or 820 days after final 671 acceptance, whichever is later. 672 Section 15.Present subsection (10) of section 339.175, 673 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), a new 674 subsection (10) is added to that section, and subsection (1), 675 paragraph (a) of subsection (2), paragraphs (b), (i), and (j) of 676 subsection (6), and paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (7) of 677 that section are amended, to read: 678 339.175Metropolitan planning organization. 679 (1)PURPOSE.It is the intent of the Legislature to 680 encourage and promote the safe and efficient management, 681 operation, and development of multimodal surface transportation 682 systems that will serve the mobility needs of people and freight 683 and foster economic growth and development within and through 684 urbanized areas of this state in accordance with the 685 departments mission statement while minimizing transportation 686 related fuel consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas 687 emissions through metropolitan transportation planning processes 688 identified in this section. To accomplish these objectives, 689 metropolitan planning organizations, referred to in this section 690 as M.P.O.s, shall develop, in cooperation with the state and 691 public transit operators, transportation plans and programs for 692 metropolitan areas. The plans and programs for each metropolitan 693 area must provide for the development and integrated management 694 and operation of transportation systems and facilities, 695 including pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation 696 facilities that will function as an intermodal transportation 697 system for the metropolitan area, based upon the prevailing 698 principles provided in s. 334.046(1). The process for developing 699 such plans and programs shall provide for consideration of all 700 modes of transportation and shall be continuing, cooperative, 701 and comprehensive, to the degree appropriate, based on the 702 complexity of the transportation problems to be addressed. To 703 ensure that the process is integrated with the statewide 704 planning process, M.P.O.s shall develop plans and programs that 705 identify transportation facilities that should function as an 706 integrated metropolitan transportation system, giving emphasis 707 to facilities that serve important national, state, and regional 708 transportation functions. For the purposes of this section, 709 those facilities include the facilities on the Strategic 710 Intermodal System designated under s. 339.63 and facilities for 711 which projects have been identified pursuant to s. 339.2819(4). 712 (2)DESIGNATION. 713 (a)1.An M.P.O. shall be designated for each urbanized area 714 of the state; however, this does not require that an individual 715 M.P.O. be designated for each such area. Such designation shall 716 be accomplished by agreement between the Governor and units of 717 general-purpose local government representing at least 75 718 percent of the population of the urbanized area; however, the 719 unit of general-purpose local government that represents the 720 central city or cities within the M.P.O. jurisdiction, as 721 defined by the United States Bureau of the Census, must be a 722 party to such agreement. 723 2.To the extent possible, only one M.P.O. shall be 724 designated for each urbanized area or group of contiguous 725 urbanized areas. More than one M.P.O. may be designated within 726 an existing urbanized area only if the Governor and the existing 727 M.P.O. determine that the size and complexity of the existing 728 urbanized area makes the designation of more than one M.P.O. for 729 the area appropriate. After July 1, 2025, no additional M.P.O.s 730 may be designated in this state except in urbanized areas, as 731 defined by the United States Census Bureau, where the urbanized 732 area boundary is not contiguous to an urbanized area designated 733 before the 2020 census, in which case each M.P.O. designated for 734 the area must: 735 a.Consult with every other M.P.O. designated for the 736 urbanized area and the state to coordinate plans and 737 transportation improvement programs. 738 b.Ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, the 739 consistency of data used in the planning process, including data 740 used in forecasting travel demand within the urbanized area. 741 742 Each M.P.O. required under this section must be fully operative 743 no later than 6 months following its designation. 744 (6)POWERS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.The powers, 745 privileges, and authority of an M.P.O. are those specified in 746 this section or incorporated in an interlocal agreement 747 authorized under s. 163.01. Each M.P.O. shall perform all acts 748 required by federal or state laws or rules, now and subsequently 749 applicable, which are necessary to qualify for federal aid. It 750 is the intent of this section that each M.P.O. be involved in 751 the planning and programming of transportation facilities, 752 including, but not limited to, airports, intercity and high 753 speed rail lines, seaports, and intermodal facilities, to the 754 extent permitted by state or federal law. An M.P.O. may not 755 perform project production or delivery for capital improvement 756 projects on the State Highway System. 757 (b)In developing the long-range transportation plan and 758 the transportation improvement program required under paragraph 759 (a), each M.P.O. shall provide for consideration of projects and 760 strategies that will: 761 1.Support the economic vitality of the contiguous 762 urbanized metropolitan area, especially by enabling global 763 competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency. 764 2.Increase the safety and security of the transportation 765 system for motorized and nonmotorized users. 766 3.Increase the accessibility and mobility options 767 available to people and for freight. 768 4.Protect and enhance the environment, conserve natural 769 resources promote energy conservation, and improve quality of 770 life. 771 5.Enhance the integration and connectivity of the 772 transportation system, across and between modes and contiguous 773 urbanized metropolitan areas, for people and freight. 774 6.Promote efficient system management and operation. 775 7.Emphasize the preservation of the existing 776 transportation system. 777 8.Improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure. 778 9.Reduce traffic and congestion. 779 (i)By December 31, 2023, the M.P.O.s serving 780 Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties must submit a 781 feasibility report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 782 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives exploring the 783 benefits, costs, and process of consolidation into a single 784 M.P.O. serving the contiguous urbanized area, the goal of which 785 would be to: 786 1.Coordinate transportation projects deemed to be 787 regionally significant. 788 2.Review the impact of regionally significant land use 789 decisions on the region. 790 3.Review all proposed regionally significant 791 transportation projects in the transportation improvement 792 programs. 793 (i)1.(j)1.To more fully accomplish the purposes for which 794 M.P.O.s have been mandated, the department shall, at least 795 annually, convene M.P.O.s of similar size, based on the size of 796 population served, for the purpose of exchanging best practices. 797 M.P.O.s may shall develop committees or working groups as 798 needed to accomplish such purpose. At the discretion of the 799 department, training for new M.P.O. governing board members 800 shall be provided by the department, by an entity pursuant to a 801 contract with the department, by the Florida Center for Urban 802 Transportation Research, or by the Implementing Solutions from 803 Transportation Research and Evaluation of Emerging Technologies 804 (I-STREET) living lab coordination mechanisms with one another 805 to expand and improve transportation within the state. The 806 appropriate method of coordination between M.P.O.s shall vary 807 depending upon the project involved and given local and regional 808 needs. Consequently, it is appropriate to set forth a flexible 809 methodology that can be used by M.P.O.s to coordinate with 810 other M.P.O.s and appropriate political subdivisions as 811 circumstances demand. 812 2.Any M.P.O. may join with any other M.P.O. or any 813 individual political subdivision to coordinate activities or to 814 achieve any federal or state transportation planning or 815 development goals or purposes consistent with federal or state 816 law. When an M.P.O. determines that it is appropriate to join 817 with another M.P.O. or any political subdivision to coordinate 818 activities, the M.P.O. or political subdivision shall enter into 819 an interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.01, which, at a 820 minimum, creates a separate legal or administrative entity to 821 coordinate the transportation planning or development activities 822 required to achieve the goal or purpose; provides the purpose 823 for which the entity is created; provides the duration of the 824 agreement and the entity and specifies how the agreement may be 825 terminated, modified, or rescinded; describes the precise 826 organization of the entity, including who has voting rights on 827 the governing board, whether alternative voting members are 828 provided for, how voting members are appointed, and what the 829 relative voting strength is for each constituent M.P.O. or 830 political subdivision; provides the manner in which the parties 831 to the agreement will provide for the financial support of the 832 entity and payment of costs and expenses of the entity; provides 833 the manner in which funds may be paid to and disbursed from the 834 entity; and provides how members of the entity will resolve 835 disagreements regarding interpretation of the interlocal 836 agreement or disputes relating to the operation of the entity. 837 Such interlocal agreement shall become effective upon its 838 recordation in the official public records of each county in 839 which a member of the entity created by the interlocal agreement 840 has a voting member. Multiple M.P.O.s may merge, combine, or 841 otherwise join together as a single M.P.O. 842 (7)LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.Each M.P.O. must 843 develop a long-range transportation plan that addresses at least 844 a 20-year planning horizon. The plan must include both long 845 range and short-range strategies and must comply with all other 846 state and federal requirements. The prevailing principles to be 847 considered in the long-range transportation plan are: preserving 848 the existing transportation infrastructure; enhancing Floridas 849 economic competitiveness; and improving travel choices to ensure 850 mobility. The long-range transportation plan must be consistent, 851 to the maximum extent feasible, with future land use elements 852 and the goals, objectives, and policies of the approved local 853 government comprehensive plans of the units of local government 854 located within the jurisdiction of the M.P.O. Each M.P.O. is 855 encouraged to consider strategies that integrate transportation 856 and land use planning to provide for sustainable development and 857 reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The approved long-range 858 transportation plan must be considered by local governments in 859 the development of the transportation elements in local 860 government comprehensive plans and any amendments thereto. The 861 long-range transportation plan must, at a minimum: 862 (b)Include a financial plan that demonstrates how the plan 863 can be implemented, indicating resources from public and private 864 sources which are reasonably expected to be available to carry 865 out the plan, and recommends any additional financing strategies 866 for needed projects and programs. The financial plan may 867 include, for illustrative purposes, additional projects that 868 would be included in the adopted long-range transportation plan 869 if reasonable additional resources beyond those identified in 870 the financial plan were available. For the purpose of developing 871 the long-range transportation plan, the M.P.O. and the 872 department shall cooperatively develop estimates of funds that 873 will be available to support the plan implementation. Innovative 874 financing techniques may be used to fund needed projects and 875 programs. Such techniques may include the assessment of tolls, 876 public-private partnerships, the use of value capture financing, 877 or the use of value pricing. Multiple M.P.O.s within a 878 contiguous urbanized area must ensure, to the maximum extent 879 possible, the consistency of data used in the planning process. 880 (d)Indicate, as appropriate, proposed transportation 881 enhancement activities, including, but not limited to, 882 pedestrian and bicycle facilities, trails or facilities that are 883 regionally significant or critical linkages for the Florida 884 Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, scenic easements, 885 landscaping, integration of advanced air mobility, and 886 integration of autonomous and electric vehicles, electric 887 bicycles, and motorized scooters used for freight, commuter, or 888 micromobility purposes historic preservation, mitigation of 889 water pollution due to highway runoff, and control of outdoor 890 advertising. 891 892 In the development of its long-range transportation plan, each 893 M.P.O. must provide the public, affected public agencies, 894 representatives of transportation agency employees, freight 895 shippers, providers of freight transportation services, private 896 providers of transportation, representatives of users of public 897 transit, and other interested parties with a reasonable 898 opportunity to comment on the long-range transportation plan. 899 The long-range transportation plan must be approved by the 900 M.P.O. 901 (10)AGREEMENTS; ACCOUNTABILITY. 902 (a)Each M.P.O. may execute a written agreement with the 903 department, which shall be reviewed, and updated as necessary, 904 every 5 years, which clearly establishes the cooperative 905 relationship essential to accomplish the transportation planning 906 requirements of state and federal law. Roles, responsibilities, 907 and expectations for accomplishing consistency with federal and 908 state requirements and priorities must be set forth in the 909 agreement. In addition, the agreement must set forth the 910 M.P.O.s responsibility, in collaboration with the department, 911 to identify, prioritize, and present to the department a 912 complete list of multimodal transportation projects consistent 913 with the needs of the metropolitan planning area. It is the 914 departments responsibility to program projects in the state 915 transportation improvement program. 916 (b)The department must establish, in collaboration with 917 each M.P.O., quality performance metrics, such as safety, 918 infrastructure condition, congestion relief, and mobility. Each 919 M.P.O. must, as part of its long-range transportation plan, in 920 direct coordination with the department, develop targets for 921 each performance measure within the metropolitan planning area 922 boundary. The performance targets must support efficient and 923 safe movement of people and goods both within the metropolitan 924 planning area and between regions. Each M.P.O. must report 925 progress toward establishing performance targets for each 926 measure annually in its transportation improvement plan. The 927 department shall evaluate and post on its website whether each 928 M.P.O. has made significant progress toward its target for the 929 applicable reporting period. 930 Section 16.Subsection (4) of section 339.65, Florida 931 Statutes, is amended to read: 932 339.65Strategic Intermodal System highway corridors. 933 (4)The department shall develop and maintain a plan of 934 Strategic Intermodal System highway corridor projects that are 935 anticipated to be let to contract for construction within a time 936 period of at least 20 years. The department shall prioritize 937 projects affecting gaps in a corridor so that the corridor 938 becomes contiguous in its functional characteristics across the 939 corridor. The plan must shall also identify when segments of the 940 corridor will meet the standards and criteria developed pursuant 941 to subsection (5). 942 Section 17.Section 339.85, Florida Statutes, is created to 943 read: 944 339.85Next-generation traffic signal modernization 945 program. 946 (1)The department shall implement a next-generation 947 traffic signal modernization program. The program must consist 948 of retrofitting existing traffic signals and controllers and 949 providing a communication system for remote operations and 950 management of such signals on the State Highway System and other 951 road systems. Signal upgrades must be prioritized based on 952 average annual daily traffic and the impact of adding to an 953 existing interconnected system. 954 (2)The program must consist of an advanced traffic 955 management platform that uses radar-camera fusion to deliver 956 accurate detection in all weather conditions, offering fully 957 integrated stop bar and advance detection alongside dilemma zone 958 and pedestrian protection. In addition to supporting time-of-day 959 signal timing plans, the program must provide real-time traffic 960 optimization to improve traffic flow and enhance safety. The 961 program must comply with leading cybersecurity standards, such 962 as SOC 2 and ISO 27001, ensuring robust data protection. 963 (3)Beginning in the 2025-2026 fiscal year and annually 964 thereafter for 5 years, $10 million shall be allocated from the 965 State Transportation Trust Fund to the program. Fifty percent of 966 such funds must be used for roads that are not a part of the 967 State Highway System through the use of grants that require a 50 968 percent funding match. 969 Section 18.Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 970 348.0304, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 971 348.0304Greater Miami Expressway Agency. 972 (3)(a)The governing body of the agency shall consist of 973 nine voting members. Except for the district secretary of the 974 department, each member must be a permanent resident of a county 975 served by the agency and may not hold, or have held in the 976 previous 2 years, elected or appointed office in such county, 977 except that this paragraph does not apply to any initial 978 appointment under paragraph (b) or to any member who previously 979 served on the governing body of the former Greater Miami 980 Expressway Agency. Each member may only serve two terms of 4 981 years each, except that there is no restriction on the term of 982 the departments district secretary. Four members, each of whom 983 must be a permanent resident of Miami-Dade County, shall be 984 appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate 985 at the next regular session of the Legislature. Refusal or 986 failure of the Senate to confirm an appointment shall create a 987 vacancy. Appointments made by the Governor and board of county 988 commissioners of Miami-Dade County shall reflect the states 989 interests in the transportation sector and represent the intent, 990 duties, and purpose of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency, and 991 have at least 3 years of professional experience in one or more 992 of the following areas: finance; land use planning; tolling 993 industry; or transportation engineering. Two members, who must 994 be residents of an unincorporated portion of the geographic area 995 described in subsection (1) and residing within 15 miles of an 996 area with the highest amount of agency toll road roads, shall be 997 appointed by the board of county commissioners of Miami-Dade 998 County. Two members, who must be residents of incorporated 999 municipalities within a county served by the agency, shall be 1000 appointed by the metropolitan planning organization for a county 1001 served by the agency. The district secretary of the department 1002 serving in the district that contains Miami-Dade County shall 1003 serve as an ex officio voting member of the governing body. 1004 Section 19.For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 1005 made by this act to section 332.004, Florida Statutes, in a 1006 reference thereto, subsection (1) of section 332.115, Florida 1007 Statutes, is reenacted to read: 1008 332.115Joint project agreement with port district for 1009 transportation corridor between airport and port facility. 1010 (1)An eligible agency may acquire, construct, and operate 1011 all equipment, appurtenances, and land necessary to establish, 1012 maintain, and operate, or to license others to establish, 1013 maintain, operate, or use, a transportation corridor connecting 1014 an airport operated by such eligible agency with a port 1015 facility, which corridor must be acquired, constructed, and used 1016 for the transportation of persons between the airport and the 1017 port facility, for the transportation of cargo, and for the 1018 location and operation of lines for the transmission of water, 1019 electricity, communications, information, petroleum products, 1020 products of a public utility (including new technologies of a 1021 public utility nature), and materials. However, any such 1022 corridor may be established and operated only pursuant to a 1023 joint project agreement between an eligible agency as defined in 1024 s. 332.004 and a port district as defined in s. 315.02, and such 1025 agreement must be approved by the Department of Transportation 1026 and the Department of Commerce. Before the Department of 1027 Transportation approves the joint project agreement, that 1028 department must review the public purpose and necessity for the 1029 corridor pursuant to s. 337.273(5) and must also determine that 1030 the proposed corridor is consistent with the Florida 1031 Transportation Plan. Before the Department of Commerce approves 1032 the joint project agreement, that department must determine that 1033 the proposed corridor is consistent with the applicable local 1034 government comprehensive plans. An affected local government may 1035 provide its comments regarding the consistency of the proposed 1036 corridor with its comprehensive plan to the Department of 1037 Commerce. 1038 Section 20.(1)The Legislature finds that the widening of 1039 Interstate 4, from U.S. 27 in Polk County to Interstate 75 in 1040 Hillsborough County, is in the public interest and the strategic 1041 interest of the region to improve the movement of people and 1042 goods. 1043 (2)The Department of Transportation shall develop a report 1044 on widening Interstate 4, from U.S. 27 in Polk County to 1045 Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County, as efficiently as possible 1046 which includes, but is not limited to, detailed cost projections 1047 and schedules for project development and environment studies, 1048 design, acquisition of rights-of-way, and construction. The 1049 report must identify funding shortfalls and provide strategies 1050 to address such shortfalls, including, but not limited to, the 1051 use of express lane toll revenues generated on the Interstate 4 1052 corridor and available department funds for public-private 1053 partnerships. The Department of Transportation shall submit the 1054 report by December 31, 2025, to the Governor, the President of 1055 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 1056 Section 21.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.