The Florida Senate

369.324  Wekiva River Basin Commission.--

(1)  The Wekiva River Basin Commission is created to monitor and ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the Wekiva River Basin Coordinating Committee for the Wekiva Study Area. The East Central Florida Regional Planning Council shall provide staff support to the commission with funding assistance from the Department of Community Affairs. The commission shall be comprised of a total of 19 members appointed by the Governor, 9 of whom shall be voting members and 10 shall be ad hoc nonvoting members. The voting members shall include:

(a)  One member of each of the Boards of County Commissioners for Lake, Orange, and Seminole Counties.

(b)  One municipal elected official to serve as a representative of the municipalities located within the Wekiva Study Area of Lake County.

(c)  One municipal elected official to serve as a representative of the municipalities located within the Wekiva Study Area of Orange County.

(d)  One municipal elected official to serve as a representative of the municipalities located within the Wekiva Study Area of Seminole County.

(e)  One citizen representing an environmental or conservation organization, one citizen representing a local property owner, a land developer, or an agricultural entity, and one at-large citizen who shall serve as chair of the council.

(f)  The ad hoc nonvoting members shall include one representative from each of the following entities:

1.  St. Johns River Management District.

2.  Department of Community Affairs.

3.  Department of Environmental Protection.

4.  Department of Health.

5.  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

6.  Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

7.  Department of Transportation.

8.  MetroPlan Orlando.

9.  Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

10.  Seminole County Expressway Authority.

(2)  Voting members shall serve 3-year, staggered terms, and shall serve without compensation but shall serve at the expense of the entity they represent.

(3)  Meetings of the commission shall be held in Lake, Orange, or Seminole county at the call of the chair, but shall meet at least twice a year.

(4)  To assist the commission in its mission, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, in coordination with the applicable regional and state agencies, shall serve as a clearinghouse of baseline or specialized studies through modeling and simulation, including collecting and disseminating data on the demographics, economics, and the environment of the Wekiva Study Area including the changing conditions of the Wekiva River surface and groundwater basin and associated influence on the Wekiva River and the Wekiva Springs.

(5)  The commission shall report annually, no later than December 31 of each year, to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Department of Community Affairs on implementation progress.

History.--s. 1, ch. 2004-384; s. 1, ch. 2005-4; s. 5, ch. 2005-106.