Florida Senate - 2013         (PROPOSED COMMITTEE BILL) SPB 7028
       
       
       
       FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Military and Veterans
       Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security
       
       
       
       583-01777B-13                                         20137028__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to military installations; amending s.
    3         288.980, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
    4         providing functions of the Military Base Protection
    5         Program; authorizing the Department of Economic
    6         Opportunity to annually recommend nonconservation
    7         lands to acquire through fee simple purchase or less
    8         than-fee interest purchase to the Board of Trustees of
    9         the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for the purpose of
   10         preventing the encroachment of military installations;
   11         requiring the board of trustees to also consider land
   12         acquisition recommendations of the Florida Defense
   13         Support Task Force; authorizing funds appropriated to
   14         the Military Base Protection Program to be used for
   15         land acquisition to prevent or reduce encroachment of
   16         military installations; amending s. 253.025, F.S.;
   17         authorizing the board of trustees to acquire certain
   18         nonconservation lands to buffer a military
   19         installation against encroachment; providing an
   20         effective date.
   21  
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 288.980,
   25  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   26         288.980 Military base retention; legislative intent; grants
   27  program.—
   28         (1)(a) It is the intent of this state to provide the
   29  necessary means to assist communities with military
   30  installations in supporting and sustaining those installations.
   31  It is further the intent to encourage communities to initiate a
   32  coordinated program of response and plan of action in advance of
   33  future actions of the federal government relating to
   34  realignments and closures. It is critical that communities
   35  develop and implement strategies to preserve and protect
   36  military installations. The Legislature hereby recognizes that
   37  the state needs to coordinate all efforts that can support
   38  military installations throughout the state. The Legislature,
   39  therefore, declares that providing such assistance to support
   40  the defense-related initiatives within this section is a public
   41  purpose for which public money may be used.
   42         (b) The Florida Defense Alliance, an organization within
   43  Enterprise Florida, Inc., is designated as the organization to
   44  ensure that Florida, its resident military bases and missions,
   45  and its military host communities are in competitive positions
   46  as the United States continues its defense realignment and
   47  downsizing. The defense alliance shall serve as an overall
   48  advisory body for defense-related activity of Enterprise
   49  Florida, Inc. The Florida Defense Alliance may receive funding
   50  from appropriations made for that purpose administered by the
   51  department.
   52         (c) The Legislature finds that encroachment of military
   53  installations has been identified by local, state, and federal
   54  leaders as a critical issue in protecting, preserving, and
   55  enhancing military installations in this state. Encroachment can
   56  be detrimental to the current and future missions of military
   57  installations due to the incompatible use of adjacent land. The
   58  Legislature recognizes the unique need to secure lands that may
   59  present an encroachment threat to a military installation, but
   60  which has no conservation value.
   61         (2)(a) The Military Base Protection Program is created. The
   62  function of the Military Base Protection Program includes, but
   63  is not limited to:
   64         1. Securing nonconservation lands to serve as a buffer to
   65  protect military installations against encroachment; and
   66         2. Supporting local community efforts to engage in service
   67  partnerships with military installations.
   68         (b) The department may, pursuant to s. 253.025(18),
   69  annually submit a list to the Board of Trustees of the Internal
   70  Improvement Trust Fund of nonconservation lands to acquire,
   71  subject to a specific appropriation, through fee simple purchase
   72  or through perpetual, less-than-fee interest purchase, for the
   73  purpose of buffering a military base against encroachment. The
   74  Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall
   75  also consider the recommendations of the Florida Defense Support
   76  Task Force, created in s. 288.987, when selecting
   77  nonconservation lands to purchase for the purpose of securing
   78  and protecting a military installation against encroachment.
   79  This paragraph does not preclude the acquisition of such lands
   80  through fee simple purchase or through perpetual, less-than-fee
   81  interest purchase, for the purpose of buffering a military base
   82  against encroachment by local governments.
   83         (c) Funds appropriated to this program may be used to
   84  address emergent needs relating to mission sustainment,
   85  encroachment reduction or prevention, and base retention. All
   86  funds appropriated for the purposes of this program are eligible
   87  to be used for matching of federal funds. The department shall
   88  coordinate and implement this program.
   89         Section 2. Subsection (18) is added to section 253.025,
   90  Florida Statutes, to read:
   91         253.025 Acquisition of state lands for purposes other than
   92  preservation, conservation, and recreation.—
   93         (18) The board of trustees may acquire nonconservation
   94  lands from the annual list submitted by the Department of
   95  Economic Opportunity pursuant to s. 288.980(2)(b) for the
   96  purpose of buffering a military base against encroachment.
   97         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.