Senate Bill sb0430

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 430

    By Senator Argenziano





    3-145B-06                                           See HB 265

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to hunting lands; creating s.

  3         372.0025, F.S.; providing definitions;

  4         requiring certain lands owned, managed, or

  5         leased by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation

  6         Commission to be used for the purpose of

  7         hunting; requiring the commission to support,

  8         promote, and enhance hunting opportunities;

  9         requiring the commission to provide comparable

10         acreage for any loss of existing hunting lands;

11         requiring agencies and water management

12         districts to allow certain lands to be used for

13         the purpose of hunting; requiring annual

14         reports to the commission and Legislature;

15         providing an effective date.

16  

17         WHEREAS, section 372.002, Florida Statutes, protects

18  the right of citizens of this state to hunt, and

19         WHEREAS, access and availability of hunting lands is

20  essential to the exercise of that right, NOW, THEREFORE,

21  

22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

23  

24         Section 1.  Section 372.0025, Florida Statutes, is

25  created to read:

26         372.0025  No net loss of hunting lands.--

27         (1)  As used in this section, the term:

28         (a)  "Commission" means the Fish and Wildlife

29  Conservation Commission.

30         (b)  "Commission-managed lands" means those lands owned

31  by the commission, those lands owned by the state over which

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 430
    3-145B-06                                           See HB 265




 1  the commission holds management authority, or those privately

 2  owned lands that are leased or managed by the commission.

 3         (c)  "Hunting" means the lawful pursuit, trapping,

 4  shooting, capture, collection, or killing of wildlife or the

 5  lawful attempt to pursue, trap, shoot, capture, collect, or

 6  kill wildlife.

 7         (2)  Commission-managed lands shall be open to access

 8  and use for hunting except as limited by the commission for

 9  reasons of public safety, fish or wildlife management, or

10  homeland security or as otherwise limited by law.

11         (3)  The commission, in exercising its authority under

12  the State Constitution and statutes, shall exercise its

13  authority, consistent with subsection (2), in a manner that

14  supports, promotes, and enhances hunting opportunities to the

15  extent authorized by state law.

16         (4)  Commission land management decisions and actions,

17  including decisions made by private owners to close hunting

18  land managed by the commission, shall not result in any net

19  loss of habitat land acreage available for hunting

20  opportunities on commission-managed lands that exists on the

21  effective date of this act. The commission shall expeditiously

22  find replacement acreage for hunting to compensate for

23  closures of any existing hunting land.

24         (5)  Any agency or water management district that owns

25  or manages state lands shall assist and coordinate and

26  cooperate with the commission to allow hunting on such lands

27  if such lands are determined by the commission to be suitable

28  for hunting. To ensure no net loss of land acreage available

29  for hunting, agencies and water management districts shall

30  cooperate with the commission to open new, additional hunting

31  lands to replace lost hunting acreage.

                                  2

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 430
    3-145B-06                                           See HB 265




 1         (6)  By October 1 of each year, the executive director

 2  of the commission shall submit to the Legislature a written

 3  report describing:

 4         (a)  The acreage managed by the commission which was

 5  closed to hunting during the previous fiscal year and the

 6  reasons for the closures.

 7         (b)  The acreage managed by the commission which was

 8  opened to hunting to compensate for closures of existing land

 9  pursuant to subsection (4).

10         (7)  By October 1 of each year, any agency or water

11  management district that owns or manages state lands shall

12  submit a written report to the commission and the Legislature

13  that includes:

14         (a)  A list of properties that were open for hunting

15  during the previous fiscal year.

16         (b)  A list of properties that were not open for

17  hunting during the previous fiscal year.

18         (c)  The acreage for each property and the county where

19  each property is located.

20         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

21  law.

22  

23  

24  

25  

26  

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  3

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.