The Florida Senate

403.503  Definitions relating to Florida Electrical Power Plant Siting Act.--As used in this act:

(1)  "Act" means the Florida Electrical Power Plant Siting Act.

(2)  "Agency," as the context requires, means an official, officer, commission, authority, council, committee, department, division, bureau, board, section, or other unit or entity of government, including a regional or local governmental entity.

(3)  "Amendment" means a material change in the information provided by the applicant to the application for certification made after the initial application filing.

(4)  "Applicant" means any electric utility which applies for certification pursuant to the provisions of this act.

(5)  "Application" means the documents required by the department to be filed to initiate a certification proceeding and shall include the documents necessary for the department to render a decision on any permit required pursuant to any federally delegated or approved permit program.

(6)  "Board" means the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the siting board.

(7)  "Certification" means the written order of the board approving an application in whole or with such changes or conditions as the board may deem appropriate.

(8)  "Completeness" means that the application has addressed all applicable sections of the prescribed application format, but does not mean that those sections are sufficient in comprehensiveness of data or in quality of information provided.

(9)  "Corridor" means the proposed area within which an associated linear facility right-of-way is to be located. The width of the corridor proposed for certification as an associated facility, at the option of the applicant, may be the width of the right-of-way or a wider boundary, not to exceed a width of 1 mile. The area within the corridor in which a right-of-way may be located may be further restricted by a condition of certification. After all property interests required for the right-of-way have been acquired by the applicant, the boundaries of the area certified shall narrow to only that land within the boundaries of the right-of-way.

(10)  "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection.

(11)  "Designated administrative law judge" means the administrative law judge assigned by the Division of Administrative Hearings pursuant to chapter 120 to conduct the hearings required by this act.

(12)  "Electrical power plant" means, for the purpose of certification, any steam or solar electrical generating facility using any process or fuel, including nuclear materials, and includes associated facilities which directly support the construction and operation of the electrical power plant and those associated transmission lines which connect the electrical power plant to an existing transmission network or rights-of-way to which the applicant intends to connect, except that this term does not include any steam or solar electrical generating facility of less than 75 megawatts in capacity unless the applicant for such a facility elects to apply for certification under this act. An associated transmission line may include, at the applicant's option, any proposed terminal or intermediate substations or substation expansions connected to the associated transmission line.

(13)  "Electric utility" means cities and towns, counties, public utility districts, regulated electric companies, electric cooperatives, and joint operating agencies, or combinations thereof, engaged in, or authorized to engage in, the business of generating, transmitting, or distributing electric energy.

(14)  "Federally delegated or approved permit program" means any environmental regulatory program approved by an agency of the Federal Government so as to authorize the department to administer and issue licenses pursuant to federal law, including, but not limited to, new source review permits, operation permits for major sources of air pollution, and prevention of significant deterioration permits under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. ss. 7401 et seq.), permits under ss. 402 and 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. ss. 1251 et seq.), and permits under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. ss. 6901 et seq.).

(15)  "License" means a franchise, permit, certification, registration, charter, comprehensive plan amendment, development order or permit as defined in chapters 163 and 380, or similar form of authorization required by law, including permits issued under federally delegated or approved permit programs, but it does not include a license required primarily for revenue purposes when issuance of the license is merely a ministerial act.

(16)  "Local government" means a municipality or county in the jurisdiction of which the electrical power plant is proposed to be located.

(17)  "Modification" means any change in the certification order after issuance, including a change in the conditions of certification.

(18)  "Nonprocedural requirements of agencies" means any agency's regulatory requirements established by statute, rule, ordinance, or comprehensive plan, excluding any provisions prescribing forms, fees, procedures, or time limits for the review or processing of information submitted to demonstrate compliance with such regulatory requirements.

(19)  "Notice of intent" means that notice which is filed with the department on behalf of an applicant prior to submission of an application pursuant to this act and which notifies the department of an intent to file an application.

(20)  "Person" means an individual, partnership, joint venture, private or public corporation, association, firm, public service company, political subdivision, municipal corporation, government agency, public utility district, or any other entity, public or private, however organized.

(21)  "Preliminary statement of issues" means a listing and explanation of those issues within the agency's jurisdiction which are of major concern to the agency in relation to the proposed electrical power plant.

(22)  "Public Service Commission" or "commission" means the agency created pursuant to chapter 350.

(23)  "Regional planning council" means a regional planning council as defined in s. 186.503(4) in the jurisdiction of which the electrical power plant is proposed to be located.

(24)  "Right-of-way" means land necessary for the construction and maintenance of a connected associated linear facility, such as a railroad line, pipeline, or transmission line. The typical width of the right-of-way shall be identified in the application. The right-of-way shall be located within the certified corridor and shall be identified by the applicant subsequent to certification in documents filed with the department prior to construction.

(25)  "Site" means any proposed location wherein an electrical power plant, or an electrical power plant alteration or addition resulting in an increase in generating capacity, will be located, including offshore sites within state jurisdiction.

(26)  "State comprehensive plan" means that plan set forth in chapter 187.

(27)  "Sufficiency" means that the application is not only complete but that all sections are sufficient in the comprehensiveness of data or in the quality of information provided to allow the department to determine whether the application provides the reviewing agencies adequate information to prepare the reports required by s. 403.507

(28)  "Water management district" means a water management district, created pursuant to chapter 373, in the jurisdiction of which the electrical power plant is proposed to be located.

History.--s. 1, ch. 73-33; s. 1, ch. 76-76; s. 1, ch. 79-76; s. 3, ch. 81-131; s. 14, ch. 86-173; s. 22, ch. 86-186; s. 3, ch. 90-331; s. 6, ch. 93-94; s. 383, ch. 94-356; s. 134, ch. 96-410.