Downloads
CS/HB 7053 — Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience
by State Affairs Committee; Environment, Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee; and Rep. Busatta Cabrera and others (CS/SB 1940 by Environment and Natural Resources Committee and Senators Brodeur, Stewart, and Rodriguez)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Environment and Natural Resources Committee (EN)
The bill establishes the Statewide Office of Resilience within the Executive Office of the Governor. It provides that the office must be headed by a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor. It also provides the purposes of the office and the responsibilities of the CRO, and authorizes state and local governmental entities to assist the CRO to the extent consistent with law and budgetary constraints.
The bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to prepare a report, in consultation with the CRO, regarding flood resilience and mitigation efforts in the state. It identifies the required components of the report and directs DEP to submit same to the Governor and Legislature by December 15, 2022.
The bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a resilience action plan for the State Highway System. It identifies goals of the action plan and requires it to include certain components. It also requires DOT to submit the action plan to the Governor and the Legislature by June 30, 2023, and a status report every third year on June 30 thereafter.
The bill implements several changes to s. 380.093, F.S., which relates to statewide resiliency funding and planning. These changes include:
- Providing definitions for the terms “preconstruction activities” and “regionally significant assets.”
- Authorizing the use of Resilient Florida Grant Program funds to fund preconstruction activities for Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan projects in municipalities and counties meeting certain population thresholds.
- Pushing back by one year (to 2023 and 2024, respectively) the dates by which the Comprehensive Statewide Flood Vulnerability and Sea Level Rise Data Set and Assessment must be completed.
- Revising the $100 million cap on funding proposed for each year of the plan to a minimum threshold of $100 million.
The bill requires the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation to provide certain data to counties and municipalities for vulnerability assessments.
The bill moves back the deadline for surveyors and mappers to submit copies of the elevation certificates they complete to the Division of Emergency Management (DEM). It also specifies that they must be digital copies as outlined on DEM’s website.
If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2022.
Vote: Senate 37-0; House 114-1