The Florida Senate

187.101  Description of plan; legislative intent; construction and application of plan.

187.201  State Comprehensive Plan adopted.

187.101  Description of plan; legislative intent; construction and application of plan.--

(1)  The State Comprehensive Plan shall provide long-range policy guidance for the orderly social, economic, and physical growth of the state. It shall be reviewed biennially by the Legislature, and implementation of its policies shall require legislative action unless otherwise specifically authorized by the constitution or law.

(2)  The State Comprehensive Plan is intended to be a direction-setting document. Its policies may be implemented only to the extent that financial resources are provided pursuant to legislative appropriation or grants or appropriations of any other public or private entities. The plan does not create regulatory authority or authorize the adoption of agency rules, criteria, or standards not otherwise authorized by law.

(3)  The goals and policies contained in the State Comprehensive Plan shall be reasonably applied where they are economically and environmentally feasible, not contrary to the public interest, and consistent with the protection of private property rights. The plan shall be construed and applied as a whole, and no specific goal or policy in the plan shall be construed or applied in isolation from the other goals and policies in the plan.

History.--s. 1, ch. 85-57.

187.201  State Comprehensive Plan adopted.--The Legislature hereby adopts as the State Comprehensive Plan the following specific goals and policies:

(1)  EDUCATION.--

(a)  Goal.--The creation of an educational environment which is intended to provide adequate skills and knowledge for students to develop their full potential, embrace the highest ideas and accomplishments, make a positive contribution to society, and promote the advancement of knowledge and human dignity.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Provide for systematic evaluation of programs and systems which will identify successful programs and programs requiring enhancement.

2.  Develop effective mechanisms to assess achievement levels.

3.  Ensure salaries, benefits, and other incentives which will attract and retain high-quality educators in the numbers needed to meet the educational needs of an increasing population.

4.  Establish certification and teaching requirements which are compatible with the highest levels of student performance.

5.  Increase student performance as measured by accepted standard criteria.

6.  Provide alternatives to traditional teaching methods so that low achievers may experience educational success and create a work environment conducive to imaginative, creative teaching.

7.  By 1995, increase opportunities for continued learning for all age groups by 15 percent and increase the program completion rate by 10 percent.

8.  Promote educational and cultural enrichment and recreational activities outside traditional systems through the increased use of community and educational facilities and develop creative alternatives to educational programs in order to serve a larger segment of the population.

9.  Increase the articulation and information exchange among all levels of public education.

10.  Develop programs to meet the educational needs of elderly persons.

11.  Continue to support the development of research-based programs for identifying and preventing dropouts in public school and in higher education institutions.

12.  Invest in the educational system today to teach the basic and advanced skills that will ensure its students are prepared to become productive citizens and that will attract the industry of tomorrow.

13.  Provide a system to disseminate knowledge to solve economic and community problems, through linkages between business, local communities, and institutions of higher education.

14.  Pursue funds for research to be conducted in the state.

15.  Improve the quality of libraries in public schools, communities, and colleges and universities.

16.  Education K-12:

a.  Expand early learning experiences to enhance student achievement.

b.  Provide access to a comprehensive curriculum for all high school students.

c.  Provide appropriate education programs and pathways for handicapped students, exceptional students, and students having learning disabilities and other special learning needs.

d.  Develop procedures for identifying gifted students.

e.  Develop appropriate counseling for students at all education levels.

f.  Implement research-based dropout prevention programs in all school districts.

g.  Identify and encourage policies which raise the expectations, performance, and motivation of socioeconomically and academically disadvantaged students.

h.  Maintain a classroom environment, including student discipline, that is conducive to learning, with appropriate use of alternative education opportunities.

i.  Provide the optimum amount of learning time necessary to improve student performance.

j.  Increase the use of technology in education to make instruction more effective.

k.  Provide adequate instructional materials, equipment, and facilities to meet the needs of all students.

l.  Provide for systematic evaluation of and reporting on educational programs, delivery systems, and outcomes at school, district, and state levels.

m.  Ensure standards of excellence for teacher education and certification, and continuing professional development activities for all school personnel.

n.  Provide a management support system which will ensure excellence in the performance of school principals and other educational managers.

o.  Strengthen citizen involvement at all levels in public education.

p.  Provide policies, programs, and curricula which prepare students to understand and communicate with people of other nations and to compete successfully in the international economy.

17.  Postsecondary education:

a.  Ensure that the college-level curriculum of the community colleges corresponds to the basic studies of the state universities.

b.  Maintain and strengthen the current pattern of matriculation from community colleges to universities.

c.  Afford increased opportunities for upper-division and graduate-level studies.

d.  Provide admission standards for state universities that recognize the rigorous academic preparation necessary to meet the challenges of university coursework.

e.  Encourage Florida's talented students to obtain their postsecondary education in Florida.

f.  Ensure that universities provide a core curriculum in the liberal arts that applies to all lower-division students.

g.  Include in the university system teaching, research, and service.

h.  Establish and maintain components of national prominence in the university system.

i.  Ensure that the university system provides reasonable geographic access consistent with other policies.

j.  Recognize private universities and colleges as an important component of Florida's higher educational system.

k.  Develop postsecondary consortia whenever possible among universities, community colleges, and private institutions.

l.  Expand the participation of private partnerships in recruiting additional nationally recognized faculty such as eminent scholars.

18.  ¹Career education:

a.  Provide a uniform and coordinated system of secondary and ²degree career education.

b.  Provide that vocational programs focus their efforts toward student placement in occupations related to their vocational training.

c.  Ensure that vocational programs provide up-to-date instruction on the newest equipment.

d.  Provide a ¹career education program designed to accommodate Florida's changing technological, occupational, and educational needs.

e.  Encourage vocational institutions to coordinate their programs with the needs of business and industry and provide business and industry the opportunity to assist in developing curricula for ¹career education.

(2)  CHILDREN.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall provide programs sufficient to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all of its children.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Decrease the number of children at risk of becoming delinquent, abused, or otherwise dependent on society through preventive counseling services and day treatment programs.

2.  Treat no children or adolescents in state mental health institutions, and provide that the primary emphasis on mental health treatment of children shall be community-based services.

3.  Provide training in normal child development and family relationship skills in public education programs at all levels.

4.  Sponsor seminars and clinics for parents on positive ways to handle stress related to child-rearing.

5.  Encourage prevention programs in schools and community centers to decrease the incidence of teenage pregnancy and provide programs to reduce the detrimental effects of teenage pregnancy.

6.  Develop and participate in alcohol and drug prevention programs in the school system and in the community.

7.  Encourage the development and public awareness of community support networks for parents and children at risk of abuse or drug or alcohol dependency.

8.  Target funds for intensive prevention programs to families at risk of child abuse or substance abuse problems.

9.  Develop and expand prevention, identification, and treatment programs for substance abusers who are children or adolescents.

10.  Encourage private sector involvement in prevention programs through employee assistance programs.

11.  Promote the preservation and strengthening of families by providing programs designed to reduce the occurrence of abuse and neglect.

12.  Promote educational programs to increase awareness in children of the damage to their minds and bodies caused from the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco.

13.  Provide timely intervention and treatment services in the appropriate setting when incidents of abuse or neglect do occur.

14.  Provide a comprehensive range of children's mental health services, from prevention programs to the less-intensive residential programs, with minimal use of institutional settings.

15.  Provide secure, intensive treatment facilities for children and adolescents who, due to their aggressive or violent behavior, would otherwise be treated in placements in other states or in institutional settings in Florida.

16.  Emphasize prevention and nonresidential services directed toward keeping children in their homes and communities, with each child's protection and well-being as the first priority.

17.  Provide a strong, interagency case-management system, including appropriate state agencies, law enforcement, school districts, and community mental health centers, to ensure the proper placement of children in need of services.

18.  Develop a community-oriented juvenile justice system which meets the individual needs of referred and committed youth offenders and which treats juveniles in the least restrictive manner while ensuring the safety of the community by holding juveniles accountable for their behavior and by linking reentry into the community to stable behavior.

19.  Develop a child abuse service system that will detect abuse and neglect in the early stages, intervene promptly and effectively in both family and nonfamily settings, and apply a multidisciplinary child abuse prevention/treatment team approach.

20.  Expand prenatal and perinatal screening programs in order to increase the number of at-risk mothers and infants who receive prevention services.

21.  Increase the state's capacity to provide training and support services to developmentally disabled children and adolescents in the community.

22.  Ensure that all current and new programs for children and adolescents are as family-focused and supportive of the family unit as feasible without exposing the child to unacceptable physical and emotional risks.

23.  Expand the range of programs currently available for children with physical handicaps other than developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional problems.

24.  Ensure the safety of children and the quality of services they receive in residential, day care, and treatment programs through necessary and appropriate regulations.

25.  Establish a system to determine and evaluate client outcomes and program effectiveness for all programs serving children, youth, and families.

26.  Provide for a systematic outcome evaluation of programs and services to children.

(3)  FAMILIES.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall strengthen the family and promote its economic independence.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Eliminate state policies which cause voluntary family separations.

2.  Promote concepts to stabilize the family unit to strengthen bonds between parents and children.

3.  Promote home care services for the sick and disabled.

4.  Provide financial support for alternative child care services.

5.  Increase direct parental involvement in K-12 education programs.

6.  Promote family dispute resolution centers.

7.  Support displaced homemaker programs.

8.  Provide increased assurance that child support payments will be made.

9.  Actively develop job opportunities, community work experience programs, and job training programs for persons receiving governmental financial assistance.

10.  Direct local law enforcement authorities and district mental health councils to increase efforts to prevent family violence and to adequately punish the guilty party.

11.  Provide financial, mental health, and other support for victims of family violence.

(4)  THE ELDERLY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall improve the quality of life for its elderly citizens by promoting improved provision of services, with an emphasis on independence and self-sufficiency.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Increase the percentage of elderly persons who are living self-sufficiently, with emphasis upon those individuals aged 75 years and older.

2.  Develop and implement preventive services and strategies to maximize individual independence and to delay or to avoid institutionalization.

3.  Strengthen the caregiving capacity of family members and other informal support providers in order to prevent neglect, exploitation, and abuse of elderly persons.

4.  Support cost-effective community alternatives to long-term institutional care.

5.  Integrate health care and social service delivery systems to provide comprehensive coordinated, cost-effective care that is responsive to individual needs.

6.  Implement a case-management system which will assure delivery of appropriate services, with an emphasis on individual needs; control access to long-term care services; and monitor expenditures.

7.  Promote geriatric health care education programs to improve quality of care.

8.  Ensure the right of patients, to the extent feasible, to determine the course of their own medical treatment.

9.  Provide services designed to increase the involvement of elderly persons in the day-to-day life of the community, to ensure their adequate housing, and to improve employment opportunities for those elderly persons who are willing and able to work.

10.  Improve and expand transportation services to increase mobility of elderly persons.

11.  Increase the participation of the elderly in education and social service programs serving children.

12.  Provide services and target resources to those elderly persons with the greatest need.

13.  Ensure the adequacy of health and social services through nonduplicative licensure and certification activities in order to provide for systematic regulatory oversight.

(5)  HOUSING.--

(a)  Goal.--The public and private sectors shall increase the affordability and availability of housing for low-income and moderate-income persons, including citizens in rural areas, while at the same time encouraging self-sufficiency of the individual and assuring environmental and structural quality and cost-effective operations.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Eliminate public policies which result in housing discrimination, and develop policies which encourage housing opportunities for all Florida's citizens.

2.  Diminish the use of institutions to house persons by promoting deinstitutionalization to the maximum extent possible.

3.  Increase the supply of safe, affordable, and sanitary housing for low-income and moderate-income persons and elderly persons by alleviating housing shortages, recycling older houses and redeveloping residential neighborhoods, identifying housing needs, providing incentives to the private sector to build affordable housing, encouraging public-private partnerships to maximize the creation of affordable housing, and encouraging research into low-cost housing construction techniques, considering life-cycle operating costs.

4.  Reduce the cost of housing construction by eliminating unnecessary regulatory practices which add to the cost of housing.

(6)  HEALTH.--

(a)1.  Goal.--Healthy residents who protect their own health and the health of others and who actively participate in recovering their own health when they become ill.

2.  Policies.--

a.  Individuals are fundamentally responsible for their own health, but they need encouragement and may need financial support from government.

b.  The state shall develop mechanisms whereby all Florida residents can participate in a plan of adequate health care coverage to which they contribute financially, based on their ability to pay.

c.  All Florida residents should be supported through education and other means to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.

d.  All Florida students should be provided with comprehensive, continuous health education in prekindergarten through grade 12 settings.

e.  Treatment of illness is a partnership between health care providers and patients in which individual patients participate in decisions related to their health care. In this process, patients and health care providers have mutual rights and responsibilities.

(b)1.  Goal.--An environment which supports a healthy population and which does not cause illness.

2.  Policies.--

a.  Every Florida resident has a right to breathe clean air, drink pure water, and eat nutritious food.

b.  The state should assure a safe and healthful environment through monitoring and regulating activities which impact the quality of the state's air, water, and food.

c.  Government shall ensure that future growth does not cause the environment to adversely affect the health of the population.

d.  Every employer shall provide a safe and healthful workplace.

(c)1.  Goal.--Health care services which are of high quality, reasonably accessible, and adequate to meet the needs of the public.

2.  Policies.--

a.  Where feasible, resources will be redirected to programs and services that prevent illness and intervene in the early stages of disease.

b.  The public shall have access to affordable health care.

c.  Each pregnant woman in this state has a right to adequate prenatal care in order to protect her health and to help her child begin life healthy.

d.  The state shall promote the availability of needed health care professionals and services in medically underserved areas.

e.  The responsibility for ensuring good quality, accessibility, and availability of health care services is shared among health care practitioners, institutions, patients, and government.

f.  Government shall provide for the orderly growth and development of health care facilities and services through health planning, growth management, and regulation.

g.  Government shall establish a public health infrastructure of facilities, equipment, and personnel necessary to provide for community health needs.

(d)1.  Goal.--Health costs which are contained to a level appropriate to the financial resources of the state and its residents.

2.  Policies.--

a.  The primary long-range strategy for containing health care costs shall be prevention of avoidable illness and disability.

b.  The state shall promote the development of a rational financing system for health care which minimizes the shifting of costs, discourages inappropriate utilization, reduces administrative costs, and contains the costs of new technology.

c.  The state shall encourage the delivery of health care services in a manner that enables patients to establish reasonable expectations of outcome and enables health care providers to focus on the health of their patients.

(7)  PUBLIC SAFETY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall protect the public by preventing, discouraging, and punishing criminal behavior, lowering the highway death rate, and protecting lives and property from natural and manmade disasters.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Maintain safe and secure prisons and other correctional facilities with the required number of well-trained staff.

2.  Provide effective alternatives to incarceration for appropriate offenders and encourage victim restitution.

3.  Make the corrections system as financially cost-effective as possible through prison industries and other inmate work programs and through contractual agreements with public and private vendors.

4.  Continue to monitor educational and vocational training of inmates to increase the likelihood of successful reintegration into the community.

5.  Provide all inmates with access to adequate health care, including diagnostic and treatment programs for offenders suffering from substance abuse or psychological disorders.

6.  Provide incentives to attract and retain high-quality law enforcement and correctional officers.

7.  Emphasize the reduction of serious crime, particularly violent, organized, economic, and drug-related crimes.

8.  Increase the level of training and technical assistance provided to law enforcement agencies.

9.  Increase crime prevention efforts to enhance the protection of individual personal safety and property.

10.  Emphasize and protect the rights of crime victims.

11.  Continue to implement coordinated and integrated strategies to combat organized crime, economic crime, and drug trafficking.

12.  Expand the state's provisions for the protection of witnesses in criminal cases, especially organized crime cases.

13.  Strengthen the state's commitment to pursue, both criminally and civilly, those individuals who profit from economic crimes, in a manner that keeps pace with the level and sophistication of these criminal activities.

14.  Improve the efficiency of law enforcement through the establishment of a close communication and coordination system among agencies and a comprehensive reporting system for such types of criminal activities as forcible felonies and organized, economic, and drug crimes.

15.  Improve the effectiveness of the delinquent juvenile justice system commitment programs to reduce recidivism of juveniles who would otherwise be recommitted to state supervision.

16.  Utilize alternative sentencing and dispute resolution when appropriate, particularly in civil disputes and minor criminal violations.

17.  Increase the state's commitment to stringent enforcement of laws against drunken or drugged driving.

18.  Expand public awareness campaigns that will emphasize the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

19.  Promote efforts to encourage the use of personal safety restraint devices for all persons traveling in motor vehicles.

20.  Improve the enforcement of and compliance with safe highway speed limits.

21.  Provide effective and efficient driver licensing systems, including a reliable testing system designed to preclude unqualified drivers from receiving driver's licenses.

22.  Require local governments, in cooperation with regional and state agencies, to prepare advance plans for the safe evacuation of coastal residents.

23.  Require local governments, in cooperation with regional and state agencies, to adopt plans and policies to protect public and private property and human lives from the effects of natural disasters.

(8)  WATER RESOURCES.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall assure the availability of an adequate supply of water for all competing uses deemed reasonable and beneficial and shall maintain the functions of natural systems and the overall present level of surface and ground water quality. Florida shall improve and restore the quality of waters not presently meeting water quality standards.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Ensure the safety and quality of drinking water supplies and promote the development of reverse osmosis and desalinization technologies for developing water supplies.

2.  Identify and protect the functions of water recharge areas and provide incentives for their conservation.

3.  Encourage the development of local and regional water supplies within water management districts instead of transporting surface water across district boundaries.

4.  Protect and use natural water systems in lieu of structural alternatives and restore modified systems.

5.  Ensure that new development is compatible with existing local and regional water supplies.

6.  Establish minimum seasonal flows and levels for surface watercourses with primary consideration given to the protection of natural resources, especially marine, estuarine, and aquatic ecosystems.

7.  Discourage the channelization, diversion, or damming of natural riverine systems.

8.  Encourage the development of a strict floodplain management program by state and local governments designed to preserve hydrologically significant wetlands and other natural floodplain features.

9.  Protect aquifers from depletion and contamination through appropriate regulatory programs and through incentives.

10.  Protect surface and groundwater quality and quantity in the state.

11.  Promote water conservation as an integral part of water management programs as well as the use and reuse of water of the lowest acceptable quality for the purposes intended.

12.  Eliminate the discharge of inadequately treated wastewater and stormwater runoff into the waters of the state.

13.  Identify and develop alternative methods of wastewater treatment, disposal, and reuse of wastewater to reduce degradation of water resources.

14.  Reserve from use that water necessary to support essential nonwithdrawal demands, including navigation, recreation, and the protection of fish and wildlife.

(9)  COASTAL AND MARINE RESOURCES.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall ensure that development and marine resource use and beach access improvements in coastal areas do not endanger public safety or important natural resources. Florida shall, through acquisition and access improvements, make available to the state's population additional beaches and marine environment, consistent with sound environmental planning.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Accelerate public acquisition of coastal and beachfront land where necessary to protect coastal and marine resources or to meet projected public demand.

2.  Ensure the public's right to reasonable access to beaches.

3.  Avoid the expenditure of state funds that subsidize development in high-hazard coastal areas.

4.  Protect coastal resources, marine resources, and dune systems from the adverse effects of development.

5.  Develop and implement a comprehensive system of coordinated planning, management, and land acquisition to ensure the integrity and continued attractive image of coastal areas.

6.  Encourage land and water uses which are compatible with the protection of sensitive coastal resources.

7.  Protect and restore long-term productivity of marine fisheries habitat and other aquatic resources.

8.  Avoid the exploration and development of mineral resources which threaten marine, aquatic, and estuarine resources.

9.  Prohibit development and other activities which disturb coastal dune systems, and ensure and promote the restoration of coastal dune systems that are damaged.

10.  Give priority in marine development to water-dependent uses over other uses.

(10)  NATURAL SYSTEMS AND RECREATIONAL LANDS.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall protect and acquire unique natural habitats and ecological systems, such as wetlands, tropical hardwood hammocks, palm hammocks, and virgin longleaf pine forests, and restore degraded natural systems to a functional condition.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Conserve forests, wetlands, fish, marine life, and wildlife to maintain their environmental, economic, aesthetic, and recreational values.

2.  Acquire, retain, manage, and inventory public lands to provide recreation, conservation, and related public benefits.

3.  Prohibit the destruction of endangered species and protect their habitats.

4.  Establish an integrated regulatory program to assure the survival of endangered and threatened species within the state.

5.  Promote the use of agricultural practices which are compatible with the protection of wildlife and natural systems.

6.  Encourage multiple use of forest resources, where appropriate, to provide for timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, erosion control, and maintenance of water quality.

7.  Protect and restore the ecological functions of wetlands systems to ensure their long-term environmental, economic, and recreational value.

8.  Promote restoration of the Everglades system and of the hydrological and ecological functions of degraded or substantially disrupted surface waters.

9.  Develop and implement a comprehensive planning, management, and acquisition program to ensure the integrity of Florida's river systems.

10.  Emphasize the acquisition and maintenance of ecologically intact systems in all land and water planning, management, and regulation.

11.  Expand state and local efforts to provide recreational opportunities to urban areas, including the development of activity-based parks.

12.  Protect and expand park systems throughout the state.

13.  Encourage the use of public and private financial and other resources for the development of recreational opportunities at the state and local levels.

(11)  AIR QUALITY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall comply with all national air quality standards by 1987, and by 1992 meet standards which are more stringent than 1985 state standards.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Improve air quality and maintain the improved level to safeguard human health and prevent damage to the natural environment.

2.  Ensure that developments and transportation systems are consistent with the maintenance of optimum air quality.

3.  Reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions and mitigate their effects on the natural and human environment.

4.  Encourage the use of alternative energy resources that do not degrade air quality.

5.  Ensure, at a minimum, that power plant fuel conversion does not result in higher levels of air pollution.

(12)  ENERGY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall reduce its energy requirements through enhanced conservation and efficiency measures in all end-use sectors, while at the same time promoting an increased use of renewable energy resources.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Continue to reduce per capita energy consumption.

2.  Encourage and provide incentives for consumer and producer energy conservation and establish acceptable energy performance standards for buildings and energy consuming items.

3.  Improve the efficiency of traffic flow on existing roads.

4.  Ensure energy efficiency in transportation design and planning and increase the availability of more efficient modes of transportation.

5.  Reduce the need for new power plants by encouraging end-use efficiency, reducing peak demand, and using cost-effective alternatives.

6.  Increase the efficient use of energy in design and operation of buildings, public utility systems, and other infrastructure and related equipment.

7.  Promote the development and application of solar energy technologies and passive solar design techniques.

8.  Provide information on energy conservation through active media campaigns.

9.  Promote the use and development of renewable energy resources.

10.  Develop and maintain energy preparedness plans that will be both practical and effective under circumstances of disrupted energy supplies or unexpected price surges.

(13)  HAZARDOUS AND NONHAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND WASTE.--

(a)  Goal.--All solid waste, including hazardous waste, wastewater, and all hazardous materials, shall be properly managed, and the use of landfills shall be eventually eliminated.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  By 1994, reduce all volume of solid waste requiring disposal by 30 percent.

2.  By 1994, provide in all counties a countywide solid waste collection system to discourage littering and the illegal dumping of solid waste.

3.  Initiate programs to develop or expand recyclable material markets, especially those involving plastics, metals, paper, and glass.

4.  Encourage and expedite the development of environmentally safe hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.

5.  Identify and clean up hazardous waste sites.

6.  Enforce and strengthen regulation of the generation, storage, treatment, disposal, and transportation of hazardous waste.

7.  Establish a system for identifying the location, type, and quantity of hazardous materials.

8.  Require all hazardous waste generators to properly manage their own wastes.

9.  Encourage the research, development, and implementation of recycling, resource recovery, energy recovery, and other methods of using garbage, trash, sewage, slime, sludge, hazardous waste, and other waste.

10.  Encourage coordination of intergovernmental and interstate waste management efforts.

11.  Identify, develop, and encourage environmentally sound wastewater treatment and disposal methods.

12.  Develop a permanent system for households, small business, and other low-volume generators of hazardous waste to safely dispose of these materials in a convenient manner.

13.  Encourage strict enforcement of hazardous waste laws and swift prosecution of violators.

(14)  MINING.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall protect its air, land, and water resources from the adverse effects of resource extraction and ensure that the disturbed areas are reclaimed or restored to beneficial use as soon as reasonably possible.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Develop a comprehensive approach to the regulation of resource extraction.

2.  Require mining operations to provide evidence of financial responsibility to ensure the reclamation of mined lands.

3.  Require that disturbed areas, except those selected to be reclaimed by nature, be reclaimed to productive and beneficial use within a period determined by the state to be reasonable and practical.

4.  Require state reclamation standards to be simple and well-coordinated and to be consistent with the protection of the public interest and conservation of natural resources.

5.  Prohibit resource extraction which will result in an adverse effect on environmentally sensitive areas of the state which cannot be restored.

6.  Minimize the effects of resource extraction upon ground and surface waters.

7.  Protect human health from radiological or other adverse impacts associated with resource extraction.

8.  Reduce the adverse impacts of waste disposal associated with resource extraction.

9.  Require that mining and reclamation regulation recognizes the geological constraints and inherent differences in the types and locations of resources to be mined.

(15)  PROPERTY RIGHTS.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall protect private property rights and recognize the existence of legitimate and often competing public and private interests in land use regulations and other government action.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Provide compensation, or other appropriate relief as provided by law, to a landowner for any governmental action that is determined to be an unreasonable exercise of the state's police power so as to constitute a taking.

2.  Determine compensation or other relief by judicial proceeding rather than by administrative proceeding.

3.  Encourage acquisition of lands by state or local government in cases where regulation will severely limit practical use of real property.

(16)  LAND USE.--

(a)  Goal.--In recognition of the importance of preserving the natural resources and enhancing the quality of life of the state, development shall be directed to those areas which have in place, or have agreements to provide, the land and water resources, fiscal abilities, and service capacity to accommodate growth in an environmentally acceptable manner.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Promote state programs, investments, and development and redevelopment activities which encourage efficient development and occur in areas which will have the capacity to service new population and commerce.

2.  Develop a system of incentives and disincentives which encourages a separation of urban and rural land uses while protecting water supplies, resource development, and fish and wildlife habitats.

3.  Enhance the livability and character of urban areas through the encouragement of an attractive and functional mix of living, working, shopping, and recreational activities.

4.  Develop a system of intergovernmental negotiation for siting locally unpopular public and private land uses which considers the area of population served, the impact on land development patterns or important natural resources, and the cost-effectiveness of service delivery.

5.  Encourage and assist local governments in establishing comprehensive impact-review procedures to evaluate the effects of significant development activities in their jurisdictions.

6.  Consider, in land use planning and regulation, the impact of land use on water quality and quantity; the availability of land, water, and other natural resources to meet demands; and the potential for flooding.

7.  Provide educational programs and research to meet state, regional, and local planning and growth-management needs.

(17)  URBAN AND DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION.--

(a)  Goal.--In recognition of the importance of Florida's vital urban centers and of the need to develop and redevelop downtowns to the state's ability to use existing infrastructure and to accommodate growth in an orderly, efficient, and environmentally acceptable manner, Florida shall encourage the centralization of commercial, governmental, retail, residential, and cultural activities within downtown areas.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Provide incentives to encourage private sector investment in the preservation and enhancement of downtown areas.

2.  Assist local governments in the planning, financing, and implementation of development efforts aimed at revitalizing distressed downtown areas.

3.  Promote state programs and investments which encourage redevelopment of downtown areas.

4.  Promote and encourage communities to engage in a redesign step to include public participation of members of the community in envisioning redevelopment goals and design of the community core before redevelopment.

5.  Ensure that local governments have adequate flexibility to determine and address their urban priorities within the state urban policy.

6.  Enhance the linkages between land use, water use, and transportation planning in state, regional, and local plans for current and future designated urban areas.

7.  Develop concurrency requirements that do not compromise public health and safety for urban areas that promote redevelopment efforts.

8.  Promote processes for the state, general purpose local governments, school boards, and local community colleges to coordinate and cooperate regarding educational facilities in urban areas, including planning functions, the development of joint facilities, and the reuse of existing buildings.

9.  Encourage the development of mass transit systems for urban centers, including multimodal transportation feeder systems, as a priority of local, metropolitan, regional, and state transportation planning.

10.  Locate appropriate public facilities within urban centers to demonstrate public commitment to the centers and to encourage private sector development.

11.  Integrate state programs that have been developed to promote economic development and neighborhood revitalization through incentives to promote the development of designated urban infill areas.

12.  Promote infill development and redevelopment as an important mechanism to revitalize and sustain urban centers.

(18)  PUBLIC FACILITIES.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall protect the substantial investments in public facilities that already exist and shall plan for and finance new facilities to serve residents in a timely, orderly, and efficient manner.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Provide incentives for developing land in a way that maximizes the uses of existing public facilities.

2.  Promote rehabilitation and reuse of existing facilities, structures, and buildings as an alternative to new construction.

3.  Allocate the costs of new public facilities on the basis of the benefits received by existing and future residents.

4.  Create a partnership among state government, local governments, and the private sector which would identify and build needed public facilities and allocate the costs of such facilities among the partners in proportion to the benefits accruing to each of them.

5.  Encourage local government financial self-sufficiency in providing public facilities.

6.  Identify and implement innovative but fiscally sound and cost-effective techniques for financing public facilities.

7.  Encourage the development, use, and coordination of capital improvement plans by all levels of government.

8.  Take into consideration, in the assessed value of property, increased property values directly related to infrastructure expenditures by government.

9.  Identify and use stable revenue sources which are also responsive to growth for financing public facilities.

10.  Encourage development of graywater systems to extend existing sewerage capacity.

(19)  CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES.--

(a)  Goal.--By 1995, Florida shall increase access to its historical and cultural resources and programs and encourage the development of cultural programs of national excellence.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Promote and provide access throughout the state to performing arts, visual arts, and historic preservation and appreciation programs at a level commensurate with the state's economic development.

2.  Develop a strategy for the construction of arts facilities based on an assessment which ranks regional and statewide capabilities and needs.

3.  Ensure the identification, evaluation, and protection of archaeological folk heritage and historic resources properties of the state's diverse ethnic population.

4.  Stimulate increased private sector participation and support for historical and cultural programs.

5.  Encourage the rehabilitation and sensitive, adaptive use of historic properties through technical assistance and economic incentive programs.

6.  Ensure that historic resources are taken into consideration in the planning of all capital programs and projects at all levels of government and that such programs and projects are carried out in a manner which recognizes the preservation of historic resources.

(20)  TRANSPORTATION.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall direct future transportation improvements to aid in the management of growth and shall have a state transportation system that integrates highway, air, mass transit, and other transportation modes.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  By 1995, establish a high-speed rail system that links the Tampa Bay area, Orlando, and Miami.

2.  Coordinate transportation investments in major travel corridors to enhance system efficiency and minimize adverse environmental impacts.

3.  Promote a comprehensive transportation planning process which coordinates state, regional, and local transportation plans.

4.  Allow flexibility in state and local participation in funding of public transit projects and encourage construction and use of toll facilities in order to meet transportation needs.

5.  Ensure that existing port facilities and airports are being used to the maximum extent possible before encouraging the expansion or development of new port facilities and airports to support economic growth.

6.  Promote timely resurfacing and repair of roads and bridges to minimize costly reconstruction and to enhance safety.

7.  Develop a revenue base for transportation which is consistent with the goals and policies of this plan.

8.  Encourage the construction and utilization of a public transit system, including, but not limited to, a high-speed rail system, in lieu of the expansion of the highway system, where appropriate.

9.  Ensure that the transportation system provides Florida's citizens and visitors with timely and efficient access to services, jobs, markets, and attractions.

10.  Promote ride sharing by public and private sector employees.

11.  Emphasize state transportation investments in major travel corridors and direct state transportation investments to contribute to efficient urban development.

12.  Avoid transportation improvements which encourage or subsidize increased development in coastal high-hazard areas or in identified environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, floodways, or productive marine areas.

13.  Coordinate transportation improvements with state, local, and regional plans.

14.  Acquire advanced rights-of-way for transportation projects in designated transportation corridors consistent with state, regional, and local plans.

15.  Promote effective coordination among various modes of transportation in urban areas to assist urban development and redevelopment efforts.

(21)  GOVERNMENTAL EFFICIENCY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida governments shall economically and efficiently provide the amount and quality of services required by the public.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Encourage greater cooperation between, among, and within all levels of Florida government through the use of appropriate interlocal agreements and mutual participation for mutual benefit.

2.  Allow the creation of independent special taxing districts which have uniform general law standards and procedures and do not overburden other governments and their taxpayers while preventing the proliferation of independent special taxing districts which do not meet these standards.

3.  Encourage the use of municipal services taxing units and other dependent special districts to provide needed infrastructure where the fiscal capacity exists to support such an approach.

4.  Eliminate regulatory activities that are not tied to specific public and natural resource protection needs.

5.  Eliminate needless duplication of, and promote cooperation in, governmental activities between, among, and within state, regional, county, city, and other governmental units.

6.  Ensure, wherever possible, that the geographic boundaries of water management districts, regional planning councils, and substate districts of the executive departments shall be coterminous for related state or agency programs and functions and promote interagency agreements in order to reduce the number of districts and councils with jurisdiction in any one county.

7.  Encourage and provide for the restructuring of city and county political jurisdictions with the goals of greater efficiency and high-quality and more equitable and responsive public service programs.

8.  Replace multiple, small scale, economically inefficient local public facilities with regional facilities where they are proven to be more economical, particularly in terms of energy efficiency, and yet can retain the quality of service expected by the public.

9.  Encourage greater efficiency and economy at all levels of government through adoption and implementation of effective records management, information management, and evaluation procedures.

10.  Throughout government, establish citizen management efficiency groups and internal management groups to make recommendations for greater operating efficiencies and improved management practices.

11.  Encourage governments to seek outside contracting on a competitive-bid basis when cost-effective and appropriate.

12.  Discourage undue expansion of state government and make every effort to streamline state government in a cost-effective manner.

13.  Encourage joint venture solutions to mutual problems between levels of government and private enterprise.

(22)  THE ECONOMY.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall promote an economic climate which provides economic stability, maximizes job opportunities, and increases per capita income for its residents.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Attract new job-producing industries, corporate headquarters, distribution and service centers, regional offices, and research and development facilities to provide quality employment for the residents of Florida.

2.  Promote entrepreneurship and small and minority-owned business startup by providing technical and information resources, facilitating capital formation, and removing regulatory restraints which are unnecessary for the protection of consumers and society.

3.  Maintain, as one of the state's primary economic assets, the environment, including clean air and water, beaches, forests, historic landmarks, and agricultural and natural resources.

4.  Strengthen Florida's position in the world economy through attracting foreign investment and promoting international banking and trade.

5.  Build on the state's attractiveness to make it a leader in the visual and performing arts and in all phases of film, television, and recording production.

6.  Promote economic development for Florida residents through partnerships among education, business, industry, agriculture, and the arts.

7.  Provide increased opportunities for training Florida's workforce to provide skilled employees for new and expanding business.

8.  Promote economic self-sufficiency through training and educational programs which result in productive employment.

9.  Promote cooperative employment arrangements between private employers and public sector employment efforts to provide productive, permanent employment opportunities for public assistance recipients through provisions of education opportunities, tax incentives, and employment training.

10.  Provide for nondiscriminatory employment opportunities.

11.  Provide quality child day care for public assistance families and others who need it in order to work.

12.  Encourage the development of a business climate that provides opportunities for the growth and expansion of existing state industries, particularly those industries which are compatible with Florida's environment.

13.  Promote coordination among Florida's ports to increase their utilization.

14.  Encourage the full utilization by businesses of the economic development enhancement programs implemented by the Legislature for the purpose of extensively involving private businesses in the development and expansion of permanent job opportunities, especially for the economically disadvantaged, through the utilization of enterprise zones, community development corporations, and other programs designed to enhance economic and employment opportunities.

(23)  AGRICULTURE.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall maintain and strive to expand its food, agriculture, ornamental horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, and related industries in order to be a healthy and competitive force in the national and international marketplace.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Ensure that goals and policies contained in state and regional plans are not interpreted to permanently restrict the conversion of agricultural lands to other uses.

2.  Encourage diversification within the agriculture industry, especially to reduce the vulnerability of communities that are largely reliant upon agriculture for either income or employment.

3.  Promote and increase international agricultural marketing opportunities for all Florida agricultural producers.

4.  Stimulate research, development, and application of agricultural technology to promote and enhance the conservation, production, and marketing techniques available to the agriculture industry.

5.  Encourage conservation, wastewater recycling, and other appropriate measures to assure adequate water resources to meet agricultural and other beneficial needs.

6.  Promote entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector by providing technical and informational services.

7.  Stimulate continued productivity through investment in education and research.

8.  Encourage development of biological pest controls to further the reduction in reliance on chemical controls.

9.  Conserve soil resources to maintain the economic value of land for agricultural pursuits and to prevent sedimentation in state waters.

10.  Promote the vitality of Florida's agricultural industry through continued funding of basic research, extension, inspection, and analysis services and of programs providing for marketing and technical assistance and the control and eradication of diseases and infestations.

11.  Continue to promote the use of lands for agricultural purposes by maintaining preferential property tax treatment through the greenbelt law.

12.  Ensure that coordinated state planning of road, rail, and waterborne transportation systems provides adequate facilities for the economical transport of agricultural products and supplies between producing areas and markets.

13.  Eliminate the discharge of inadequately treated wastewater and stormwater runoff into waters of the state.

(24)  TOURISM.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida will attract at least 55 million tourists annually by 1995 and shall support efforts by all areas of the state wishing to develop or expand tourist-related economies.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Promote statewide tourism and support promotional efforts in those parts of the state that desire to attract visitors.

2.  Acquire and manage public lands to offer visitors and residents increased outdoor experiences.

3.  Promote awareness of historic places and cultural and historical activities.

(25)  EMPLOYMENT.--

(a)  Goal.--Florida shall promote economic opportunities for its unemployed and economically disadvantaged residents.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Achieve by 1995 a 70-percent job placement rate for state training program graduates and a 50-percent reduction in the gap between the unemployment rate for disadvantaged groups and the average state unemployment rate.

2.  Provide training opportunities for the unemployed which are based upon documented labor market needs.

3.  Provide training and job placement assistance to hard-to-employ groups encountering special barriers.

4.  Encourage economic development in economically distressed areas.

5.  Ensure that the transportation system provides maximum access to jobs and markets.

6.  Promote interagency coordination and cooperation to maximize the impact of employment and training services on target groups.

7.  Provide services which assist students to make informed career decisions.

8.  Encourage innovative arrangements such as onsite day care facilities and flexible hours of employment to increase the access of working parents to the job market.

9.  Ensure that all training programs focus on providing each student with lifetime employment skills, including the ability to communicate, compute, and think critically.

(26)  PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.--

(a)  Goal.--Systematic planning capabilities shall be integrated into all levels of government in Florida with particular emphasis on improving intergovernmental coordination and maximizing citizen involvement.

(b)  Policies.--

1.  Establish strong and flexible agency and regional planning functions at all levels of government capable of responding to changing state policies and goals.

2.  Ensure that every level of government has the appropriate operational authority to implement the policy directives established in the plan.

3.  Establish effective monitoring, incentive, and enforcement capabilities to see that the requirements established by regulatory programs are met.

4.  Simplify, streamline, and make more predictable the existing permitting procedures.

5.  Ensure that each agency's functional plan and management process is designed to achieve the policies and goals of the state plan consistent with state law.

6.  Encourage citizen participation at all levels of policy development, planning, and operations.

7.  Ensure the development of strategic regional policy plans and local plans that implement and accurately reflect state goals and policies and that address problems, issues, and conditions that are of particular concern in a region.

8.  Encourage the continual cooperation among communities which have a unique natural area, irrespective of political boundaries, to bring the private and public sectors together for establishing an orderly, environmentally, and economically sound plan for future needs and growth.

History.--s. 2, ch. 85-57; s. 1, ch. 87-354; s. 47, ch. 88-130; s. 4, ch. 89-279; s. 85, ch. 90-201; s. 28, ch. 91-5; s. 103, ch. 91-282; s. 2, ch. 95-149; s. 2, ch. 96-388; s. 6, ch. 99-378.

¹Note.--The term "career education" was substituted for the term "vocational education" by the editors pursuant to the directive of the Legislature in s. 16, ch. 94-232.

²Note.--The term "degree career education" was substituted for the term "postsecondary vocational" by the editors pursuant to the directive of the Legislature in s. 16, ch. 94-232.