The Florida Senate

The Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund is established within the Department of Environmental Protection. The fund shall be used as a nonlapsing, revolving fund exclusively for the purposes of this section. The fund shall be credited with proceeds from the following excise taxes:

The Department of Revenue shall credit to the fund each month the proceeds from such taxes as provided in this paragraph.

There shall annually be transferred from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund that amount, not to exceed $20 million annually, as shall be necessary to pay the debt service on, or fund debt service reserve funds, rebate obligations, or other amounts with respect to bonds issued pursuant to s. 375.051 to acquire lands on the established priority list developed pursuant to ss. 259.101(4) and 259.105; however, no moneys transferred to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this paragraph, or earnings thereon, shall be used or made available to pay debt service on the Save Our Coast revenue bonds. Amounts transferred annually from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund pursuant to this paragraph shall have the highest priority over other payments or transfers from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund, and no other payments or transfers shall be made from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund until such transfers to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund have been made. Moneys in the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund also shall be used to manage lands and to pay for related costs, activities, and functions pursuant to the provisions of this section.

To conserve and protect environmentally unique and irreplaceable lands that contain native, relatively unaltered flora and fauna representing a natural area unique to, or scarce within, a region of this state or a larger geographic area;

To conserve and protect lands within designated areas of critical state concern, if the proposed acquisition relates to the natural resource protection purposes of the designation;

To conserve and protect native species habitat or endangered or threatened species, emphasizing long-term protection for endangered or threatened species designated G-1 or G-2 by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, and especially those areas that are special locations for breeding and reproduction;

To conserve, protect, manage, or restore important ecosystems, landscapes, and forests, if the protection and conservation of such lands is necessary to enhance or protect significant surface water, groundwater, coastal, recreational, timber, or fish or wildlife resources which cannot otherwise be accomplished through local and state regulatory programs;

To promote water resource development that benefits natural systems and citizens of the state;

To facilitate the restoration and subsequent health and vitality of the Florida Everglades;

To provide areas, including recreational trails, for natural resource based recreation and other outdoor recreation on any part of any site compatible with conservation purposes;

To preserve significant archaeological or historic sites;

To conserve urban open spaces suitable for greenways or outdoor recreation which are compatible with conservation purposes; or

To preserve agricultural lands under threat of conversion to development through less-than-fee acquisitions.

Managed in a manner that will provide the greatest combination of benefits to the public and to the resources.

Managed for public outdoor recreation which is compatible with the conservation and protection of public lands. Such management may include, but not be limited to, the following public recreational uses: fishing, hunting, camping, bicycling, hiking, nature study, swimming, boating, canoeing, horseback riding, diving, model hobbyist activities, birding, sailing, jogging, and other related outdoor activities compatible with the purposes for which the lands were acquired.

Managed for the purposes for which the lands were acquired, consistent with paragraph (11)(a).

Concurrent with its adoption of the annual Conservation and Recreation Lands list of acquisition projects pursuant to s. 259.035, the board of trustees shall adopt a management prospectus for each project. The management prospectus shall delineate:

Concurrent with the approval of the acquisition contract pursuant to s. 259.041(3)(c) for any interest in lands except those lands being acquired under the provisions of s. 259.1052, the board of trustees shall designate an agency or agencies to manage such lands. The board shall evaluate and amend, as appropriate, the management policy statement for the project as provided by s. 259.035, consistent with the purposes for which the lands are acquired. For any fee simple acquisition of a parcel which is or will be leased back for agricultural purposes, or any acquisition of a less-than-fee interest in land that is or will be used for agricultural purposes, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall first consider having a soil and water conservation district, created pursuant to chapter 582, manage and monitor such interests.

State agencies designated to manage lands acquired under this chapter except those lands acquired under s. 259.1052 may contract with local governments and soil and water conservation districts to assist in management activities, including the responsibility of being the lead land manager. Such land management contracts may include a provision for the transfer of management funding to the local government or soil and water conservation district from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund in an amount adequate for the local government or soil and water conservation district to perform its contractual land management responsibilities and proportionate to its responsibilities, and which otherwise would have been expended by the state agency to manage the property.

Immediately following the acquisition of any interest in lands under this chapter, the Department of Environmental Protection, acting on behalf of the board of trustees, may issue to the lead managing entity an interim assignment letter to be effective until the execution of a formal lease.

State, regional, or local governmental agencies or private entities designated to manage lands under this section shall develop and adopt, with the approval of the board of trustees, an individual management plan for each project designed to conserve and protect such lands and their associated natural resources. Private sector involvement in management plan development may be used to expedite the planning process.

Individual management plans required by s. 253.034(5), for parcels over 160 acres, shall be developed with input from an advisory group. Members of this advisory group shall include, at a minimum, representatives of the lead land managing agency, comanaging entities, local private property owners, the appropriate soil and water conservation district, a local conservation organization, and a local elected official. The advisory group shall conduct at least one public hearing within the county in which the parcel or project is located. For those parcels or projects that are within more than one county, at least one areawide public hearing shall be acceptable and the lead managing agency shall invite a local elected official from each county. The areawide public hearing shall be held in the county in which the core parcels are located. Notice of such public hearing shall be posted on the parcel or project designated for management, advertised in a paper of general circulation, and announced at a scheduled meeting of the local governing body before the actual public hearing. The management prospectus required pursuant to paragraph (9)(d) shall be available to the public for a period of 30 days prior to the public hearing.

Once a plan is adopted, the managing agency or entity shall update the plan at least every 10 years in a form and manner prescribed by rule of the board of trustees. Such updates, for parcels over 160 acres, shall be developed with input from an advisory group. Such plans may include transfers of leasehold interests to appropriate conservation organizations or governmental entities designated by the Land Acquisition and Management Advisory Council or its successor, for uses consistent with the purposes of the organizations and the protection, preservation, conservation, restoration, and proper management of the lands and their resources. Volunteer management assistance is encouraged, including, but not limited to, assistance by youths participating in programs sponsored by state or local agencies, by volunteers sponsored by environmental or civic organizations, and by individuals participating in programs for committed delinquents and adults.

Individual management plans shall conform to the appropriate policies and guidelines of the state land management plan and shall include, but not be limited to:

The Division of State Lands shall submit a copy of each individual management plan for parcels which exceed 160 acres in size to each member of the Acquisition and Restoration Council, which shall:

The board of trustees shall consider the individual management plan submitted by each state agency and the recommendations of the Acquisition and Restoration Council and the Division of State Lands and shall approve the plan with or without modification or reject such plan. The use or possession of any lands owned by the board of trustees which is not in accordance with an approved individual management plan is subject to termination by the board of trustees.

The Legislature recognizes that acquiring lands pursuant to this chapter serves the public interest by protecting land, air, and water resources which contribute to the public health and welfare, providing areas for natural resource based recreation, and ensuring the survival of unique and irreplaceable plant and animal species. The Legislature intends for these lands to be managed and maintained for the purposes for which they were acquired and for the public to have access to and use of these lands where it is consistent with acquisition purposes and would not harm the resources the state is seeking to protect on the public’s behalf.

An amount of not less than 1.5 percent of the cumulative total of funds ever deposited into the Florida Preservation 2000 Trust Fund and the Florida Forever Trust Fund shall be made available for the purposes of management, maintenance, and capital improvements not eligible for funding pursuant to s. 11(e), Art. VII of the State Constitution, and for associated contractual services, for lands acquired pursuant to this section, s. 259.101, s. 259.105, s. 259.1052, or previous programs for the acquisition of lands for conservation and recreation, including state forests, to which title is vested in the board of trustees and other conservation and recreation lands managed by a state agency. Of this amount, $250,000 shall be transferred annually to the Plant Industry Trust Fund within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the purpose of implementing the Endangered or Threatened Native Flora Conservation Grants Program pursuant to s. 581.185(11). Each agency with management responsibilities shall annually request from the Legislature funds sufficient to fulfill such responsibilities to implement individual management plans. For the purposes of this paragraph, capital improvements shall include, but need not be limited to, perimeter fencing, signs, firelanes, access roads and trails, and minimal public accommodations, such as primitive campsites, garbage receptacles, and toilets. Any equipment purchased with funds provided pursuant to this paragraph may be used for the purposes described in this paragraph on any conservation and recreation lands managed by a state agency. The funding requirement created in this paragraph is subject to an annual evaluation by the Legislature in order to ensure that such requirement does not impact the respective trust fund in a manner that would prevent the trust fund from meeting other minimum requirements.

The Land Management Uniform Accounting Council shall prepare and deliver a report on the methodology and formula for allocating land management funds to the Acquisition and Restoration Council. The Acquisition and Restoration Council shall review, modify as appropriate, and submit the report to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund. The board of trustees shall review, modify as appropriate, and submit the report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than December 31, 2008, which provides an interim management formula and a long-term management formula, and the methodologies used to develop the formulas, which shall be used to allocate land management funds provided for in paragraph (b) for interim and long-term management of all lands managed pursuant to this chapter and for associated contractual services. The methodology and formula for interim management shall be based on the estimated land acquisitions for the fiscal year in which the interim funds will be expended. The methodology and formula for long-term management shall recognize, but not be limited to, the following:

In evaluating the management funding needs of lands based on the above categories, the lead land managing agencies shall include in their considerations the impacts of, and needs created or addressed by, multiple-use management strategies. The funding formulas for interim and long-term management proposed by the agencies shall be reviewed by the Legislature during the 2009 regular legislative session. The Legislature may reject, modify, or take no action relative to the proposed funding formulas. If no action is taken, the funding formulas shall be used in the allocation and distribution of funds provided in paragraph (b).

All revenues generated through multiple-use management or compatible secondary-use management shall be returned to the lead agency responsible for such management and shall be used to pay for management activities on all conservation, preservation, and recreation lands under the agency’s jurisdiction. In addition, such revenues shall be segregated in an agency trust fund and shall remain available to the agency in subsequent fiscal years to support land management appropriations. For the purposes of this paragraph, compatible secondary-use management shall be those activities described in subsection (9) undertaken on parcels designated as single use pursuant to s. 253.034(2)(b).

Up to one-fifth of the funds provided for in paragraph (b) shall be reserved by the board of trustees for interim management of acquisitions and for associated contractual services, to ensure the conservation and protection of natural resources on project sites and to allow limited public recreational use of lands. Interim management activities may include, but not be limited to, resource assessments, control of invasive, nonnative species, habitat restoration, fencing, law enforcement, controlled burning, and public access consistent with preliminary determinations made pursuant to paragraph (9)(g). The board of trustees shall make these interim funds available immediately upon purchase.

The department shall set long-range and annual goals for the control and removal of nonnative, invasive plant species on public lands. Such goals shall differentiate between aquatic plant species and upland plant species. In setting such goals, the department may rank, in order of adverse impact, species that impede or destroy the functioning of natural systems. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), up to one-fourth of the funds provided for in paragraph (b) may be used by the agencies receiving those funds for control and removal of nonnative, invasive species on public lands.

Beginning July 1, 1999, the Legislature shall make available sufficient funds annually from the Conservation and Recreation Lands Trust Fund to the department for payment in lieu of taxes to qualifying counties and local governments as defined in paragraph (b) for all actual tax losses incurred as a result of board of trustees acquisitions for state agencies under the Florida Forever program or the Florida Preservation 2000 program during any year. Reserved funds not used for payments in lieu of taxes in any year shall revert to the fund to be used for land management in accordance with the provisions of this section.

Payment in lieu of taxes shall be available:

If insufficient funds are available in any year to make full payments to all qualifying counties and local governments, such counties and local governments shall receive a pro rata share of the moneys available.

The payment amount shall be based on the average amount of actual taxes paid on the property for the 3 years preceding acquisition. Applications for payment in lieu of taxes shall be made no later than January 31 of the year following acquisition. No payment in lieu of taxes shall be made for properties which were exempt from ad valorem taxation for the year immediately preceding acquisition.

If property which was subject to ad valorem taxation was acquired by a tax-exempt entity for ultimate conveyance to the state under this chapter, payment in lieu of taxes shall be made for such property based upon the average amount of taxes paid on the property for the 3 years prior to its being removed from the tax rolls. The department shall certify to the Department of Revenue those properties that may be eligible under this provision. Once eligibility has been established, that county or local government shall receive annual payments for each tax loss until the qualifying county or local government exceeds the population threshold pursuant to this section.

Payment in lieu of taxes pursuant to this subsection shall be made annually to qualifying counties and local governments after certification by the Department of Revenue that the amounts applied for are reasonably appropriate, based on the amount of actual taxes paid on the eligible property. With the assistance of the local government requesting payment in lieu of taxes, the state agency that acquired the land is responsible for preparing and submitting application requests for payment to the Department of Revenue for certification.

If the board of trustees conveys to a local government title to any land owned by the board, any payments in lieu of taxes on the land made to the local government shall be discontinued as of the date of the conveyance.

The council shall be composed of eleven voting members, four of whom shall be appointed by the Governor. Of these four appointees, three shall be from scientific disciplines related to land, water, or environmental sciences and the fourth shall have at least 5 years of experience in managing lands for both active and passive types of recreation. They shall serve 4-year terms, except that, initially, to provide for staggered terms, two of the appointees shall serve 2-year terms. All subsequent appointments shall be for 4-year terms. No appointee shall serve more than 6 years. The Governor may at any time fill a vacancy for the unexpired term of a member appointed under this paragraph.

The five remaining appointees shall be composed of the Secretary of Environmental Protection, the director of the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the executive director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the director of the Division of Historical Resources of the Department of State, and the secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, or their respective designees.

One member shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture with a discipline related to agriculture including silviculture. One member shall be appointed by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with a discipline related to wildlife management or wildlife ecology.

The Governor shall appoint the chair of the council, and a vice chair shall be elected from among the members.

The council shall hold periodic meetings at the request of the chair.

The Department of Environmental Protection shall provide primary staff support to the council and shall ensure that council meetings are electronically recorded. Such recording shall be preserved pursuant to chapters 119 and 257.

The board of trustees has authority to adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this section.

The council may use existing rules adopted by the board of trustees, until it develops and recommends amendments to those rules, to competitively evaluate, select, and rank projects eligible for the Conservation and Recreation Lands list pursuant to ss. 259.032(3) and 259.101(4).

By December 1, 2009, the Acquisition and Restoration Council shall develop rules defining specific criteria and numeric performance measures needed for lands that are to be acquired for public purpose under the Florida Forever program pursuant to s. 259.105. Each recipient of Florida Forever funds shall assist the council in the development of such rules. These rules shall be reviewed and adopted by the board, then submitted to the Legislature for consideration by February 1, 2010. The Legislature may reject, modify, or take no action relative to the proposed rules. If no action is taken, the rules shall be implemented. Subsequent to their approval, each recipient of Florida Forever funds shall annually report to the Division of State Lands on each of the numeric performance measures accomplished during the previous fiscal year.

In developing or amending rules, the council shall give weight to the criteria included in s. 259.105(10). The board of trustees shall review the recommendations and shall adopt rules necessary to administer this section.

The department shall establish a regional land management review team composed of the following members:

The staff of the Division of State Lands shall act as the review team coordinator for the purposes of establishing schedules for the reviews and other staff functions. The Legislature shall appropriate funds necessary to implement land management review team functions.

All land management activities and costs must be assigned to a specific category, and any single activity or cost may not be assigned to more than one category. Administrative costs, such as planning or training, shall be segregated from other management activities. Specific management activities and costs must initially be grouped, at a minimum, within the following categories:

Upon adoption of the initial list of land management categories by the council, agencies assigned to manage conservation or recreation lands shall, on July 1, 2000, begin to account for land management costs in accordance with the category to which an expenditure is assigned.

Each reporting agency shall also:

The board is given the responsibility, authority, and power to develop and execute a comprehensive, statewide 5-year plan to conserve, restore, and protect environmentally endangered lands, ecosystems, lands necessary for outdoor recreational needs, and other lands as identified in ss. 259.032, 259.101, and 259.105. This plan shall be kept current through continual reevaluation and revision. The advisory council or its successor shall assist the board in the development, reevaluation, and revision of the plan.

The board may enter into contracts with the government of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof; the state or any county, municipality, district authority, or political subdivision; or any private corporation, partnership, association, or person providing for or relating to the conservation or protection of certain lands in accomplishing the purposes of this chapter.

Within 45 days after the advisory council or its successor submits the lists of projects to the board, the board shall approve, in whole or in part, the lists of projects in the order of priority in which such projects are presented. To the greatest extent practicable, projects on the lists shall be acquired in their approved order of priority.

The board is authorized to acquire, by purchase, gift, or devise or otherwise, the fee title or any lesser interest of lands, water areas, and related resources for environmentally endangered lands.

The procedures to be followed in the acquisition process, including selection of appraisers, surveyors, title agents and closing agents, and the content of appraisal reports.

The determination of the value of parcels which the state has an interest to acquire.

Special requirements when multiple landowners are involved in an acquisition.

Requirements for obtaining written option agreements so that the interests of the state are fully protected.

The purchase price agreed to by the seller exceeds the value as established pursuant to the rules of the board of trustees;

The contract price agreed to by the seller and acquiring agency exceeds $1 million;

The acquisition is the initial purchase in a project; or

Other conditions that the board of trustees may adopt by rule. Such conditions may include, but not be limited to, projects where title to the property being acquired is considered nonmarketable or is encumbered in such a way as to significantly affect its management.

The board of trustees shall adopt by rule the method for determining the value of parcels sought to be acquired by state agencies pursuant to this section.

Each parcel to be acquired shall have at least one appraisal. Two appraisals are required when the estimated value of the parcel exceeds $1 million. However, when both appraisals exceed $1 million and differ significantly, a third appraisal may be obtained. When a parcel is estimated to be worth $100,000 or less and the director of the Division of State Lands finds that the cost of obtaining an outside appraisal is not justified, an appraisal prepared by the division may be used.

Appraisal fees and associated costs shall be paid by the agency proposing the acquisition. The board of trustees shall approve qualified fee appraisal organizations. All appraisals used for the acquisition of lands pursuant to this section shall be prepared by a member of an approved appraisal organization or by a state-certified appraiser who meets the standards and criteria established in rule by the board of trustees. Each fee appraiser selected to appraise a particular parcel shall, prior to contracting with the agency or a participant in a multiparty agreement, submit to that agency or participant an affidavit substantiating that he or she has no vested or fiduciary interest in such parcel.

The fee appraiser and the review appraiser for the agency shall not act in any way that may be construed as negotiating with the property owner.

Generally, appraisal reports are confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1), for use by the agency and the board of trustees, until an option contract is executed or, if no option contract is executed, until 2 weeks before a contract or agreement for purchase is considered for approval by the board of trustees. However, the department has the authority, at its discretion, to disclose appraisal reports to private landowners during negotiations for acquisitions using alternatives to fee simple techniques, if the department determines that disclosure of such reports will bring the proposed acquisition to closure. The Division of State Lands may also disclose appraisal information to public agencies or nonprofit organizations that agree to maintain the confidentiality of the reports or information when joint acquisition of property is contemplated, or when a public agency or nonprofit organization enters into a written multiparty agreement with the division to purchase and hold property for subsequent resale to the division. In addition, the division may use, as its own, appraisals obtained by a public agency or nonprofit organization, provided the appraiser is selected from the division’s list of appraisers and the appraisal is reviewed and approved by the division. For the purposes of this chapter, “nonprofit organization” means an organization whose purposes include the preservation of natural resources, and which is exempt from federal income tax under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The agency may release an appraisal report when the passage of time has rendered the conclusions of value in the report invalid or when the acquiring agency has terminated negotiations.

The Division of State Lands may use, as its own, appraisals obtained by a public agency or nonprofit organization, provided that the appraiser is selected from the division’s list of appraisers and the appraisal is reviewed and approved by the division. For the purposes of this chapter, the term “nonprofit organization” means an organization whose purposes include the preservation of natural resources and which is exempt from federal income tax under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

When the owner is represented by an agent or broker, negotiations may not be initiated or continued until a written statement verifying such agent’s or broker’s legal or fiduciary relationship with the owner is on file with the agency.

The board of trustees or any state agency may contract for real estate acquisition services, including, but not limited to, surveying, mapping, environmental audits, title work, and legal and other professional assistance to review acquisition agreements and other documents and to perform acquisition closings. However, the department shall use outside counsel for review of any agreements or documents, or to perform acquisition closings unless department staff can conduct the same activity in 15 days or less.

All offers or counteroffers shall be documented in writing and shall be confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) until an option contract is executed, or if no option contract is executed, until 2 weeks before a contract or agreement for purchase is considered for approval by the board of trustees. The agency shall maintain complete and accurate records of all offers and counteroffers for all projects.

A final offer shall be in the form of an option contract or agreement for purchase and shall be signed and attested to by the owner and the representative of the agency. Before the agency signs the agreement for purchase or exercises the option contract, the provisions of s. 286.23 shall be complied with. Within 10 days after the signing of the agreement for purchase, the state agency shall furnish the Division of State Lands with the original of the agreement for purchase along with copies of the disclosure notice, evidence of marketability, the accepted appraisal report, the fee appraiser’s affidavit, a statement that the inventory of existing state-owned lands was examined and contained no available suitable land in the area, and a statement outlining the public purpose for which the acquisition is being made and the statutory authority therefor.

Within 45 days after receipt by the Division of State Lands of the agreement for purchase and the required documentation, the board of trustees or its designee shall either reject or approve the agreement. An approved agreement for purchase is binding on both parties. Any agreement which has been disapproved shall be returned to the agency, along with a statement as to the deficiencies of the agreement or the supporting documentation. An agreement for purchase which has been disapproved by the board of trustees or its designee may be resubmitted when such deficiencies have been corrected.

The board of trustees may accept a dedication, gift, grant, or bequest of lands and appurtenances without formal evidence of marketability, or when the title is nonmarketable, if the board or its designee determines that such lands and appurtenances have value and are reasonably manageable by the state and that their acceptance would serve the public interest. The state is not required to appraise the value of such donated lands and appurtenances as a condition of receipt. No deed filed in the public records to donate lands to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall be construed to transfer title to or vest title in the board of trustees unless there also shall be filed in the public records, a document indicating that the board of trustees has agreed to accept the transfer of title to such donated lands.

The board of trustees may not accept by dedication, gift, grant, or bequest any lands and appurtenances that are determined to be owned by the state either in fee or by virtue of the state’s sovereignty or which are so encumbered as to preclude the use of such lands and appurtenances for any reasonable public purpose.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the maximum value of a parcel to be purchased by the board of trustees as determined by the highest approved appraisal or as determined pursuant to the rules of the board of trustees shall not be increased or decreased as a result of a change of zoning, permitted land uses, or changes in market forces or prices that occur within 1 year after the date the Department of Environmental Protection or board of trustees approves a contract to purchase the parcel.

The Legislature finds that, with the increasing pressures on the natural areas of this state and on open space suitable for recreational use, the state must develop creative techniques to maximize the use of acquisition and management funds. The Legislature also finds that the state’s conservation and recreational land acquisition agencies should be encouraged to augment their traditional, fee simple acquisition programs with the use of alternatives to fee simple acquisition techniques. Additionally, the Legislature finds that generations of private landowners have been good stewards of their land, protecting or restoring native habitats and ecosystems to the benefit of the natural resources of this state, its heritage, and its citizens. The Legislature also finds that using alternatives to fee simple acquisition by public land acquisition agencies will achieve the following public policy goals:

Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that public land acquisition agencies develop programs to pursue alternatives to fee simple acquisition and to educate private landowners about such alternatives and the benefits of such alternatives. It is also the intent of the Legislature that a portion of the shares of Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever bond proceeds be used to purchase eligible properties using alternatives to fee simple acquisition.

All project applications shall identify, within their acquisition plans, projects that require a full fee simple interest to achieve the public policy goals, together with the reasons full title is determined to be necessary. The state agencies and the water management districts may use alternatives to fee simple acquisition to bring the remaining projects in their acquisition plans under public protection. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “alternatives to fee simple acquisition” includes, but is not limited to: purchase of development rights; obtaining conservation easements; obtaining flowage easements; purchase of timber rights, mineral rights, or hunting rights; purchase of agricultural interests or silvicultural interests; entering into land protection agreements as defined in s. 380.0677(3); fee simple acquisitions with reservations; creating life estates; or any other acquisition technique that achieves the public policy goals listed in paragraph (a). It is presumed that a private landowner retains the full range of uses for all the rights or interests in the landowner’s land which are not specifically acquired by the public agency. The lands upon which hunting rights are specifically acquired pursuant to this paragraph shall be available for hunting in accordance with the management plan or hunting regulations adopted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, unless the hunting rights are purchased specifically to protect activities on adjacent lands.

When developing the acquisition plan pursuant to s. 259.105 the Acquisition and Restoration Council may give preference to those less than fee simple acquisitions that provide any public access. However, the Legislature recognizes that public access is not always appropriate for certain less than fee simple acquisitions; therefore no proposed less than fee simple acquisition shall be rejected simply because public access would be limited.

Beginning in fiscal year 1999-2000, the department and each water management district shall implement initiatives to use alternatives to fee simple acquisition and to educate private landowners about such alternatives. The department and the water management districts may enter into joint acquisition agreements to jointly fund the purchase of lands using alternatives to fee simple techniques.

The Legislature finds that the lack of direct sales comparison information has served as an impediment to successful implementation of alternatives to fee simple acquisition. It is the intent of the Legislature that, in the absence of direct comparable sales information, appraisals of alternatives to fee simple acquisitions be based on the difference between the full fee simple valuation and the value of the interests remaining with the seller after acquisition.

The public agency which has been assigned management responsibility shall inspect and monitor any less than fee simple interest according to the terms of the purchase agreement relating to such interest.

The state has made at least two bona fide offers to purchase the land through negotiation and, notwithstanding those offers, an impasse between the state and the landowner was reached.

The land is of special importance to the state because of one or more of the following reasons:

Are listed or placed at auction by the Federal Government as part of the Resolution Trust Corporation sale of lands from failed savings and loan associations;

Are listed or placed at auction by the Federal Government as part of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation sale of lands from failed banks; or

Will be developed or otherwise lost to potential public ownership, or for which federal matching funds will be lost, by the time the land can be purchased under the program within which the land is listed for acquisition.

Identify the geographic boundaries of the tax increment area;

Identify the real property to be acquired as conservation land within the tax increment area;

Establish the percentage of tax increment financing for each jurisdiction in the tax increment area which is a party to the interlocal agreement;

Identify the governing body of the jurisdiction that will administer a separate reserve account in which the tax increment will be deposited;

Require that any tax increment revenues not used to purchase conservation lands by a date certain be refunded to the parties to the interlocal agreement. Any refund shall be proportionate to the parties’ payment of tax increment revenues into the separate reserve account;

Provide for an annual audit of the separate reserve account;

Designate an entity to hold title to any conservation lands purchased using the tax increment revenues;

Provide for a continuing management plan for the conservation lands; and

Identify the entity that will manage these conservation lands.

The alteration and development of Florida’s natural areas to accommodate its rapidly growing population have contributed to the degradation of water resources, the fragmentation and destruction of wildlife habitats, the loss of recreation space, and the diminishment of wetlands and forests.

Imminent development of Florida’s remaining natural areas and continuing increases in land values necessitate an aggressive program of public land acquisition during the next decade to preserve the quality of life that attracts so many people to Florida.

Acquisition of public lands, in fee simple or in any lesser interest, should be based on a comprehensive assessment of Florida’s natural resources and planned so as to protect the integrity of ecological systems and to provide multiple benefits, including preservation of fish and wildlife habitat, recreation space, and water recharge areas. Governmental agencies responsible for public land acquisition should work together to purchase lands jointly and to coordinate individual purchases within ecological systems.

One of the purposes of the Florida Communities Trust program is to acquire, protect, and preserve open space and recreation properties within urban areas where pristine animal and plant communities no longer exist. These areas are often overlooked in other programs because of their smaller size and proximity to developed property. These smaller parcels are, however, critically important to the quality of life in these urban areas for the residents who live there as well as to the many visitors to the state. The trust shall consider projects submitted by local governments which further the goals, objectives, and policies of the conservation, recreation and open space, or coastal elements of their local comprehensive plans or which serve to conserve natural resources or resolve land use conflicts.

South Florida’s water supply and unique natural environment depend on the protection of lands buffering the East Everglades and the Everglades water conservation areas.

Fifty percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of public lands as described in s. 259.032. Of this 50 percent, at least one-fifth shall be used for the acquisition of coastal lands.

Thirty percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of water management lands pursuant to s. 373.59, to be distributed among the water management districts as provided in that section. Funds received by each district may also be used for acquisition of lands necessary to implement surface water improvement and management plans or for acquisition of lands necessary to implement the Everglades Construction Project authorized by s. 373.4592.

Ten percent to the Department of Community Affairs to provide land acquisition grants and loans to local governments through the Florida Communities Trust pursuant to part III of chapter 380. From funds allocated to the trust, $3 million annually shall be used by the Division of State Lands within the Department of Environmental Protection to implement the Green Swamp Land Protection Initiative specifically for the purchase of conservation easements, as defined in s. 380.0677(3), of lands, or severable interests or rights in lands, in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern. From funds allocated to the trust, $3 million annually shall be used by the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan Land Authority specifically for the purchase of a real property interest in those lands subject to the Rate of Growth Ordinances adopted by local governments in Monroe County or those lands within the boundary of an approved Conservation and Recreation Lands project located within the Florida Keys or Key West Areas of Critical State Concern; however, title to lands acquired within the boundary of an approved Conservation and Recreation Lands project may, in accordance with an approved joint acquisition agreement, vest in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund. Of the remaining funds, one-half shall be matched by local governments on a dollar-for-dollar basis. To the extent allowed by federal requirements for the use of bond proceeds, the trust shall expend Preservation 2000 funds to carry out the purposes of part III of chapter 380.

Two and nine-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of inholdings and additions to state parks. For the purposes of this paragraph, “state park” means all real property in the state under the jurisdiction of the Division of Recreation and Parks of the department, or which may come under its jurisdiction.

Two and nine-tenths percent to the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to fund the acquisition of state forest inholdings and additions pursuant to s. 589.07.

Two and nine-tenths percent to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to fund the acquisition of inholdings and additions to lands managed by the commission which are important to the conservation of fish and wildlife.

One and three-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the Florida Greenways and Trails Program, to acquire greenways and trails or greenways and trails systems pursuant to chapter 260, including, but not limited to, abandoned railroad rights-of-way and the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Proceeds of bonds issued pursuant to this act and distributed pursuant to paragraphs (3)(a) and (b) shall be spent only on projects which meet at least one of the following criteria, as determined pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c):

Each year that bonds are to be issued pursuant to this act, the Land Acquisition and Management Advisory Council shall review that year’s approved Conservation and Recreation Lands priority list and shall, by the first board meeting in February, present to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for approval a listing of projects on the list which meet one or more of the criteria listed in paragraph (a). The board may remove projects from the list developed pursuant to this paragraph, but may not add projects.

Each year that bonds are to be issued pursuant to this act, each water management district governing board shall review the lands on its current year’s Save Our Rivers 5-year plan and shall, by January 15, adopt a listing of projects from the plan which meet one or more of the criteria listed in paragraph (a).

In the acquisition of coastal lands pursuant to paragraph (3)(a), the following additional criteria shall also be considered:

When a nonprofit environmental organization which is tax-exempt pursuant to s. 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code sells land to the state, such land at the time of such sale shall be deemed to meet one or more of the criteria listed in paragraph (a) if such land meets one or more of the criteria at the time the organization purchases it. Listings of projects compiled pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c) may be revised to include projects on the Conservation and Recreation Lands priority list or in a water management district’s 5-year plan which come under the criteria in paragraph (a) after the dates specified in paragraph (b) or paragraph (c). The requirement of paragraph (3)(a) regarding coastal lands is met as long as an average of one-fifth of the cumulative proceeds allocated through fiscal year 1999-2000 pursuant to that paragraph is used to purchase coastal lands.

The Legislature finds that the Florida Preservation 2000 Program has provided financial resources that have enabled the acquisition of significant amounts of land for public ownership in the first 7 years of the program’s existence. In the remaining years of the Florida Preservation 2000 Program, agencies that receive funds are encouraged to better coordinate their expenditures so that future acquisitions, when combined with previous acquisitions, will form more complete patterns of protection for natural areas and functioning ecosystems to better accomplish the intent of paragraph (2)(c).

The Legislature intends that, in the remaining years of the Florida Preservation 2000 Program, emphasis be given to the completion of projects in which one or more parcels have already been acquired and to the acquisition of lands containing ecological resources which are either not represented or underrepresented on lands currently in public ownership. The Legislature also intends that future acquisitions under the Florida Preservation 2000 Program be limited to projects on the current project lists, or any additions to the list as determined and prioritized by the study, or those projects that can reasonably be expected to be acquired by the end of the Florida Preservation 2000 Program.

Any lands acquired pursuant to paragraph (3)(a), paragraph (3)(c), paragraph (3)(d), paragraph (3)(e), paragraph (3)(f), or paragraph (3)(g), if title to such lands is vested in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, may be disposed of by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund in accordance with the provisions and procedures set forth in s. 253.034(6), and lands acquired pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) may be disposed of by the owning water management district in accordance with the procedures and provisions set forth in ss. 373.056 and 373.089 provided such disposition also shall satisfy the requirements of paragraphs (b) and (c).

Before land may be surplused as required by s. 253.034(6), or determined to be no longer required for its purposes under s. 373.056(4), whichever may be applicable, there shall first be a determination by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, or, in the case of water management district lands, by the owning water management district, that such land no longer needs to be preserved in furtherance of the intent of the Florida Preservation 2000 Act. Any lands eligible to be disposed of under this procedure also may be used to acquire other lands through an exchange of lands, provided such lands obtained in an exchange are described in the same paragraph of subsection (3) as the lands disposed.

Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b), no such disposition of land shall be made if such disposition would have the effect of causing all or any portion of the interest on any revenue bonds issued to fund the Florida Preservation 2000 Act to lose their exclusion from gross income for purposes of federal income taxation. Any revenue derived from the disposal of such lands may not be used for any purpose except for deposit into the Florida Preservation 2000 Trust Fund for recredit to the share held under subsection (3), in which such disposed land is described.

The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, or, in the case of water management district lands, the owning water management district, may authorize the granting of a lease, easement, or license for the use of any lands acquired pursuant to subsection (3), for any governmental use permitted by s. 17, Art. IX of the State Constitution of 1885, as adopted by s. 9(a), Art. XII of the State Constitution, and any other incidental public or private use that is determined by the board or the owning water management district to be compatible with the purposes for which such lands were acquired.

Any existing lease, easement, or license acquired for incidental public or private use on, under, or across any lands acquired pursuant to subsection (3) shall be presumed not to be incompatible with the purposes for which such lands were acquired.

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), no such lease, easement, or license shall be entered into by the Department of Environmental Protection or other appropriate state agency if the granting of such lease, easement, or license would adversely affect the exclusion of the interest on any revenue bonds issued to fund the acquisition of the affected lands from gross income for federal income tax purposes, as described in s. 375.045(4).

The Legislature finds that, with the increasing pressures on the natural areas of this state, the state must develop creative techniques to maximize the use of acquisition and management moneys. The Legislature also finds that the state’s environmental land-buying agencies should be encouraged to augment their traditional, fee simple acquisition programs with the use of alternatives to fee simple acquisition techniques. The Legislature also finds that using alternatives to fee simple acquisition by public land-buying agencies will achieve the following public policy goals:

Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that public land-buying agencies develop programs to pursue alternatives to fee simple acquisition and to educate private landowners about such alternatives and the benefits of such alternatives. It also is the intent of the Legislature that the department and the water management districts spend a portion of their shares of Preservation 2000 bond proceeds to purchase eligible properties using alternatives to fee simple acquisition. Finally, it is the intent of the Legislature that public agencies acquire lands in fee simple for public access and recreational activities. Lands protected using alternatives to fee simple acquisition techniques shall not be accessible to the public unless such access is negotiated with and agreed to by the private landowners who retain interests in such lands.

The Land Acquisition Advisory Council and the water management districts shall identify, within their 1997 acquisition plans, those projects which require a full fee simple interest to achieve the public policy goals, along with the reasons why full title is determined to be necessary. The council and the water management districts may use alternatives to fee simple acquisition to bring the remaining projects in their acquisition plans under public protection. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “alternatives to fee simple acquisition” includes, but is not limited to: purchase of development rights; conservation easements; flowage easements; purchase of timber rights, mineral rights, or hunting rights; purchase of agricultural interests or silvicultural interests; land protection agreements; fee simple acquisitions with reservations; or any other acquisition technique which achieves the public policy goals listed in paragraph (a). It is presumed that a private landowner retains the full range of uses for all the rights or interests in the landowner’s land which are not specifically acquired by the public agency. Life estates and fee simple acquisitions with leaseback provisions shall not qualify as an alternative to fee simple acquisition under this subsection, although the department and the districts are encouraged to use such techniques where appropriate.

The department and each water management district shall implement initiatives to use alternatives to fee simple acquisition and to educate private landowners about such alternatives. These initiatives shall include at least two acquisitions a year by the department and each water management district utilizing alternatives to fee simple.

The Legislature finds that the lack of direct sales comparison information has served as an impediment to successful implementation of alternatives to fee simple acquisition. It is the intent of the Legislature that, in the absence of direct comparable sales information, appraisals of alternatives to fee simple acquisitions be based on the difference between the full fee simple valuation and the value of the interests remaining with the seller after acquisition.

The public agency which has been assigned management responsibility shall inspect and monitor any less-than-fee-simple interest according to the terms of the purchase agreement relating to such interest.

The department and the water management districts may enter into joint acquisition agreements to jointly fund the purchase of lands using alternatives to fee simple techniques.

The Legislature finds and declares that:

The Legislature recognizes that acquisition of lands in fee simple is only one way to achieve the aforementioned goals and encourages the use of less-than-fee interests, other techniques, and the development of creative partnerships between governmental agencies and private landowners. Such partnerships may include those that advance the restoration, enhancement, management, or repopulation of imperiled species habitat on state lands as provided for in subparagraph (a)11. Easements acquired pursuant to s. 570.71(2)(a) and (b), land protection agreements, and nonstate funded tools such as rural land stewardship areas, sector planning, and mitigation should be used, where appropriate, to bring environmentally sensitive tracts under an acceptable level of protection at a lower financial cost to the public, and to provide private landowners with the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from their property.

Public agencies or other entities that receive funds under this section shall coordinate their expenditures so that project acquisitions, when combined with acquisitions under Florida Forever, Preservation 2000, Save Our Rivers, the Florida Communities Trust, other public land acquisition programs, and the techniques, partnerships, and tools referenced in subparagraph (a)11. and paragraph (b), are used to form more complete patterns of protection for natural areas, ecological greenways, and functioning ecosystems, to better accomplish the intent of this section.

A long-term financial commitment to restoring, enhancing, and managing Florida’s public lands in order to implement land management plans developed under s. 253.034 or a land management prospectus developed and implemented under this chapter must accompany any land acquisition program to ensure that the natural resource values of such lands are restored, enhanced, managed, and protected; that the public enjoys the lands to their fullest potential; and that the state achieves the full benefits of its investment of public dollars. Innovative strategies such as public-private partnerships and interagency planning and sharing of resources shall be used to achieve the state’s management goals.

With limited dollars available for restoration, enhancement, management, and acquisition of land and water areas and for providing long-term management and capital improvements, a competitive selection process shall select those projects best able to meet the goals of Florida Forever and maximize the efficient use of the program’s funding.

To ensure success and provide accountability to the citizens of this state, it is the intent of the Legislature that any cash or bond proceeds used pursuant to this section be used to implement the goals and objectives recommended by a comprehensive science-based assessment and approved by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund and the Legislature.

As it has with previous land acquisition programs, the Legislature recognizes the desires of the residents of this state to prosper through economic development and to preserve, restore, and manage the state’s natural areas and recreational open space. The Legislature further recognizes the urgency of restoring the natural functions, including wildlife and imperiled species habitat functions, of public lands or water bodies before they are degraded to a point where recovery may never occur, yet acknowledges the difficulty of ensuring adequate funding for restoration, enhancement, and management efforts in light of other equally critical financial needs of the state. It is the Legislature’s desire and intent to fund the implementation of this section and to do so in a fiscally responsible manner, by issuing bonds to be repaid with documentary stamp tax or other revenue sources, including those identified in subparagraph (a)11.

The Legislature further recognizes the important role that many of our state and federal military installations contribute to protecting and preserving Florida’s natural resources as well as our economic prosperity. Where the state’s land conservation plans overlap with the military’s need to protect lands, waters, and habitat to ensure the sustainability of military missions, it is the Legislature’s intent that agencies receiving funds under this program cooperate with our military partners to protect and buffer military installations and military airspace, by:

Thirty percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition of lands and capital project expenditures necessary to implement the water management districts’ priority lists developed pursuant to s. 373.199. The funds are to be distributed to the water management districts as provided in subsection (11). A minimum of 50 percent of the total funds provided over the life of the Florida Forever program pursuant to this paragraph shall be used for the acquisition of lands.

Thirty-five percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition of lands and capital project expenditures described in this section. Of the proceeds distributed pursuant to this paragraph, it is the intent of the Legislature that an increased priority be given to those acquisitions which achieve a combination of conservation goals, including protecting Florida’s water resources and natural groundwater recharge. At a minimum, 3 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.

Twenty-one percent to the Department of Community Affairs for use by the Florida Communities Trust for the purposes of part III of chapter 380, as described and limited by this subsection, and grants to local governments or nonprofit environmental organizations that are tax-exempt under s. 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code for the acquisition of community-based projects, urban open spaces, parks, and greenways to implement local government comprehensive plans. From funds available to the trust and used for land acquisition, 75 percent shall be matched by local governments on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Legislature intends that the Florida Communities Trust emphasize funding projects in low-income or otherwise disadvantaged communities and projects that provide areas for direct water access and water-dependent facilities that are open to the public and offer public access by vessels to waters of the state, including boat ramps and associated parking and other support facilities. At least 30 percent of the total allocation provided to the trust shall be used in Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, but one-half of that amount shall be used in localities in which the project site is located in built-up commercial, industrial, or mixed-use areas and functions to intersperse open spaces within congested urban core areas. From funds allocated to the trust, no less than 5 percent shall be used to acquire lands for recreational trail systems, provided that in the event these funds are not needed for such projects, they will be available for other trust projects. Local governments may use federal grants or loans, private donations, or environmental mitigation funds, including environmental mitigation funds required pursuant to s. 338.250, for any part or all of any local match required for acquisitions funded through the Florida Communities Trust. Any lands purchased by nonprofit organizations using funds allocated under this paragraph must provide for such lands to remain permanently in public use through a reversion of title to local or state government, conservation easement, or other appropriate mechanism. Projects funded with funds allocated to the Trust shall be selected in a competitive process measured against criteria adopted in rule by the Trust.

Two percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for grants pursuant to s. 375.075.

One and five-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of inholdings and additions to state parks and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access. For the purposes of this paragraph, “state park” means any real property in the state which is under the jurisdiction of the Division of Recreation and Parks of the department, or which may come under its jurisdiction.

One and five-tenths percent to the Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to fund the acquisition of state forest inholdings and additions pursuant to s. 589.07, the implementation of reforestation plans or sustainable forestry management practices, and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated for the acquisition of inholdings and additions pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.

One and five-tenths percent to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to fund the acquisition of inholdings and additions to lands managed by the commission which are important to the conservation of fish and wildlife and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.

One and five-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the Florida Greenways and Trails Program, to acquire greenways and trails or greenways and trail systems pursuant to chapter 260, including, but not limited to, abandoned railroad rights-of-way and the Florida National Scenic Trail and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.

Three and five-tenths percent to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the acquisition of agricultural lands, through perpetual conservation easements and other perpetual less-than-fee techniques, which will achieve the objectives of Florida Forever and s. 570.71. Rules concerning the application, acquisition, and priority ranking process for such easements shall be developed pursuant to s. 570.71(10) and as provided by this paragraph. The board shall ensure that such rules are consistent with the acquisition process provided for in s. 259.041. Provisions of the rules developed pursuant to s. 570.71(10), shall also provide for the following:

No funds provided under this paragraph shall be expended until final adoption of rules by the board pursuant to s. 570.71.

Two and five-tenths percent to the Department of Community Affairs for the acquisition of land and capital project expenditures necessary to implement the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Program within the Florida communities trust pursuant to s. 380.5105.

It is the intent of the Legislature that cash payments or proceeds of Florida Forever bonds distributed under this section shall be expended in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner. An agency that receives proceeds from Florida Forever bonds under this section may not maintain a balance of unencumbered funds in its Florida Forever subaccount beyond 3 fiscal years from the date of deposit of funds from each bond issue. Any funds that have not been expended or encumbered after 3 fiscal years from the date of deposit shall be distributed by the Legislature at its next regular session for use in the Florida Forever program.

For the purposes of paragraphs (e), (f), (g), and (h), the agencies that receive the funds shall develop their individual acquisition or restoration lists in accordance with specific criteria and numeric performance measures developed pursuant s. 259.035(4). Proposed additions may be acquired if they are identified within the original project boundary, the management plan required pursuant to s. 253.034(5), or the management prospectus required pursuant to s. 259.032(9)(d). Proposed additions not meeting the requirements of this paragraph shall be submitted to the Acquisition and Restoration Council for approval. The council may only approve the proposed addition if it meets two or more of the following criteria: serves as a link or corridor to other publicly owned property; enhances the protection or management of the property; would add a desirable resource to the property; would create a more manageable boundary configuration; has a high resource value that otherwise would be unprotected; or can be acquired at less than fair market value.

Enhance the coordination and completion of land acquisition projects, as measured by:

Increase the protection of Florida’s biodiversity at the species, natural community, and landscape levels, as measured by:

Protect, restore, and maintain the quality and natural functions of land, water, and wetland systems of the state, as measured by:

Ensure that sufficient quantities of water are available to meet the current and future needs of natural systems and the citizens of the state, as measured by:

Increase natural resource-based public recreational and educational opportunities, as measured by:

Preserve significant archaeological or historic sites, as measured by:

Increase the amount of forestland available for sustainable management of natural resources, as measured by:

Increase the amount of open space available in urban areas, as measured by:

All lands acquired pursuant to this section shall be managed for multiple-use purposes, where compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for such lands. As used in this section, “multiple-use” includes, but is not limited to, outdoor recreational activities as described in ss. 253.034 and 259.032(9)(b), water resource development projects, sustainable forestry management, carbon sequestration, carbon mitigation, or carbon offsets.

Upon a decision by the entity in which title to lands acquired pursuant to this section has vested, such lands may be designated single use as defined in s. 253.034(2)(b).

For purposes of this section, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall adopt rules that pertain to the use of state lands for carbon sequestration, carbon mitigation, or carbon offsets and that provide for climate-change-related benefits.

Beginning no later than July 1, 2001, and every year thereafter, the Acquisition and Restoration Council shall accept applications from state agencies, local governments, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, private land trusts, and individuals for project proposals eligible for funding pursuant to paragraph (3)(b). The council shall evaluate the proposals received pursuant to this subsection to ensure that they meet at least one of the criteria under subsection (9).

Project applications shall contain, at a minimum, the following:

The title to lands acquired under this section shall vest in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, except that title to lands acquired by a water management district shall vest in the name of that district and lands acquired by a local government shall vest in the name of the purchasing local government.

The project meets multiple goals described in subsection (4).

The project is part of an ongoing governmental effort to restore, protect, or develop land areas or water resources.

The project enhances or facilitates management of properties already under public ownership.

The project has significant archaeological or historic value.

The project has funding sources that are identified and assured through at least the first 2 years of the project.

The project contributes to the solution of water resource problems on a regional basis.

The project has a significant portion of its land area in imminent danger of development, in imminent danger of losing its significant natural attributes or recreational open space, or in imminent danger of subdivision which would result in multiple ownership and make acquisition of the project costly or less likely to be accomplished.

The project implements an element from a plan developed by an ecosystem management team.

The project is one of the components of the Everglades restoration effort.

The project may be purchased at 80 percent of appraised value.

The project may be acquired, in whole or in part, using alternatives to fee simple, including but not limited to, tax incentives, mitigation funds, or other revenues; the purchase of development rights, hunting rights, agricultural or silvicultural rights, or mineral rights; or obtaining conservation easements or flowage easements.

The project is a joint acquisition, either among public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private entities, or by a public-private partnership.

Protecting habitat on nonmilitary land for any species found on military land that is designated as threatened or endangered, or is a candidate for such designation under the Endangered Species Act or any Florida statute;

Protecting areas underlying low-level military air corridors or operating areas; and

Protecting areas identified as clear zones, accident potential zones, and air installation compatible use buffer zones delineated by our military partners, and for which federal or other funding is available to assist with the project.

Thirty-five percent to the South Florida Water Management District, of which amount $25 million for 2 years beginning in fiscal year 2000-2001 shall be transferred by the Department of Environmental Protection into the Save Our Everglades Trust Fund and shall be used exclusively to implement the comprehensive plan under s. 373.470.

Twenty-five percent to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Twenty-five percent to the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Seven and one-half percent to the Suwannee River Water Management District.

Seven and one-half percent to the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

The stated purpose for inclusion.

Projected costs to achieve the project goals.

An interim management budget that includes all costs associated with immediate public access.

Specific performance measures.

Plans for public access.

An identification of the essential parcel or parcels within the project without which the project cannot be properly managed.

Where applicable, an identification of those projects or parcels within projects which should be acquired in fee simple or in less than fee simple.

An identification of those lands being purchased for conservation purposes.

A management policy statement for the project and a management prospectus pursuant to s. 259.032(9)(d).

An estimate of land value based on county tax assessed values.

A map delineating project boundaries.

An assessment of the project’s ecological value, outdoor recreational value, forest resources, wildlife resources, ownership pattern, utilization, and location.

A discussion of whether alternative uses are proposed for the property and what those uses are.

A designation of the management agency or agencies.

A critical natural lands category, including functional landscape-scale natural systems, intact large hydrological systems, lands that have significant imperiled natural communities, and corridors linking large landscapes, as identified and developed by the best available scientific analysis.

A partnerships or regional incentive category, including:

A substantially complete category of projects where mainly inholdings, additions, and linkages between preserved areas will be acquired and where 85 percent of the project is complete.

A climate-change category list of lands where acquisition or other conservation measures will address the challenges of global climate change, such as through protection, restoration, mitigation, and strengthening of Florida’s land, water, and coastal resources. This category includes lands that provide opportunities to sequester carbon, provide habitat, protect coastal lands or barrier islands, and otherwise mitigate and help adapt to the effects of sea-level rise and meet other objectives of the program.

A less-than-fee category for working agricultural lands that significantly contribute to resource protection through conservation easements and other less-than-fee techniques, tax incentives, life estates, landowner agreements, and other partnerships, including conservation easements acquired in partnership with federal conservation programs, which will achieve the objectives of Florida Forever while allowing the continuation of compatible agricultural uses on the land. Terms of easements proposed for acquisition under this category shall be developed by the Division of State Lands in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, or, in the case of water management district lands, the owning water management district, may authorize the granting of a lease, easement, or license for the use of certain lands acquired pursuant to this section, for certain uses that are determined by the appropriate board to be compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for such lands.

Any existing lease, easement, or license acquired for incidental public or private use on, under, or across any lands acquired pursuant to this section shall be presumed to be compatible with the purposes for which such lands were acquired.

Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), no such lease, easement, or license shall be entered into by the Department of Environmental Protection or other appropriate state agency if the granting of such lease, easement, or license would adversely affect the exclusion of the interest on any revenue bonds issued to fund the acquisition of the affected lands from gross income for federal income tax purposes, pursuant to Internal Revenue Service regulations.

A Florida corporation not for profit incorporated under the provisions of chapter 617 and approved by the Department of State;

Organized and operated to conduct programs and activities in the best interest of the state; raise funds; request and receive grants, gifts, and bequests of money; acquire, receive, hold, invest, and administer, in its own name, securities, funds, objects of value, or other property, real or personal; and make expenditures to or for the direct or indirect benefit of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch;

Determined by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to be consistent with the goals of the state in acquiring the ranch and in the best interests of the state; and

Approved in writing by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry to operate for the direct or indirect benefit of the ranch and in the best interest of the state. Such approval shall be given in a letter of agreement from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry. Only one citizen support organization may be created to operate for the direct or indirect benefit of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry may permit, without charge, appropriate use of fixed property and facilities of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch by a citizen support organization, subject to the provisions of this section. Such use must be directly in keeping with the approved purposes of the citizen support organization and may not be made at times or places that would unreasonably interfere with recreational opportunities for the general public.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry may prescribe by rule any condition with which the citizen support organization shall comply in order to use fixed property or facilities of the ranch.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry shall not permit the use of any fixed property or facilities of the ranch by a citizen support organization that does not provide equal membership and employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin.

The Legislature recognizes that the Babcock Crescent B Ranch will need a variety of facilities to enhance its public use and potential. Such facilities include, but are not limited to, improved access, camping areas, picnic shelters, management facilities, and environmental education facilities. The need for such facilities may exceed the ability of the state to provide such facilities in a timely manner with moneys available. The Legislature finds it to be in the public interest to provide incentives for partnerships with private organizations with the intent of producing additional revenue to help enhance the use and potential of the ranch.

The Legislature may annually appropriate funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for use only as state matching funds, in conjunction with private donations in aggregates of at least $60,000, matched by $40,000 of state funds, for a total minimum project amount of $100,000 for capital improvement facility development at the ranch at either individually designated locations or for priority projects within the overall ranch system. The citizen support organization may acquire private donations pursuant to this section, and matching state funds for approved projects may be provided in accordance with this subsection. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry are authorized to properly recognize and honor a private donor by placing a plaque or other appropriate designation noting the contribution on project facilities or by naming project facilities after the person or organization that provided matching funds. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Division of Forestry are authorized to adopt necessary administrative rules to carry out the purposes of this subsection.

“Babcock Ranch Preserve” and “preserve” mean the lands and facilities acquired in the purchase of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch, as provided in s. 259.1052.

“Babcock Ranch, Inc.,” and “corporation” mean the not-for-profit corporation created under this section to operate and manage the Babcock Ranch Preserve as a working ranch.

“Board of directors” means the governing board of the not-for-profit corporation created under this section.

“Commission” means the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Agriculture.

“Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“Executive director” means the Executive Director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“Financially self-sustaining” means having management and operation expenditures not more than the revenues collected from fees and other receipts for resource use and development and from interest and invested funds.

“Management and operating expenditures” means expenses of the corporation, including, but not limited to, salaries and benefits of officers and staff, administrative and operating expenses, costs of improvements to and maintenance of lands and facilities of the Babcock Ranch Preserve, and other similar expenses. Such expenditures shall be made from revenues generated from the operation of the ranch and not from funds appropriated by the Legislature except as provided in this section.

“Member” means a person appointed to the board of directors of the not-for-profit corporation created under this section.

“Multiple use” means the management of all of the renewable surface resources of the Babcock Ranch Preserve to best meet the needs of the public, including the use of the land for some or all of the renewable surface resources or related services over areas large enough to allow for periodic adjustments in use to conform to the changing needs and conditions of the preserve while recognizing that a portion of the land will be used for some of the renewable surface resources available on that land. The goal of multiple use is the harmonious and coordinated management of the renewable surface resources without impairing the productivity of the land and considering the relative value of the renewable surface resources, and not necessarily a combination of uses to provide the greatest monetary return or the greatest unit output.

“Sustained yield of the renewable surface resources” means the achievement and maintenance of a high level of annual or regular periodic output of the various renewable surface resources of the preserve without impairing the productivity of the land.

Upon the date of acquisition of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch, there is created the Babcock Ranch Preserve, which shall be managed in accordance with the purposes and requirements of this section.

The preserve is established to protect and preserve the environmental, agricultural, scientific, scenic, geologic, watershed, fish, wildlife, historic, cultural, and recreational values of the preserve, and to provide for the multiple use and sustained yield of the renewable surface resources within the preserve consistent with this section.

Babcock Ranch, Inc., and its officers and employees shall participate in the management of the Babcock Ranch Preserve in an advisory capacity only until the management agreement referenced in paragraph (11)(a) is terminated or expires.

Nothing in this section shall preclude Babcock Ranch, Inc., prior to assuming management and operation of the preserve and thereafter, from allowing the use of common varieties of mineral materials such as sand, stone, and gravel for construction and maintenance of roads and facilities within the preserve.

Nothing in this section shall be construed as affecting the constitutional responsibilities of the commission in the exercise of its regulatory and executive power with respect to wild animal life and freshwater aquatic life, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, and trapping within the preserve.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to interfere with or prevent the ability of Babcock Ranch, Inc., to implement agricultural practices authorized by the agricultural land use designations established in the local comprehensive plans of either Charlotte County or Lee County as those plans apply to the Babcock Ranch Preserve.

To clarify the responsibilities of the lead managing agencies and the not-for-profit corporation created under this section, the lead managing agencies are directed to establish a range of resource protection values for the Babcock Ranch Preserve, and the corporation shall establish operational parameters to conduct the business of the ranch within the range of values. The corporation shall establish a range of operational values for conducting the business of the ranch, and the lead managing agencies providing ground support to the ranch outside of each agency’s jurisdictional responsibilities shall establish management parameters within that range of values.

Nothing in this section shall preclude the maintenance and use of roads and trails or the relocation of roads in existence on the effective date of this section, or the construction, maintenance, and use of new trails, or any motorized access necessary for the administration of the land contained within the preserve, including motorized access necessary for emergencies involving the health or safety of persons within the preserve.

The Division of State Lands of the Department of Environmental Protection shall perform staff duties and functions for Babcock Ranch, Inc., the not-for-profit corporation created under this section, until such time as the corporation organizes to elect officers, file articles of incorporation, and exercise its powers and duties.

Subject to filing articles of incorporation, there is created a not-for-profit corporation, to be known as Babcock Ranch, Inc., which shall be registered, incorporated, organized, and operated in compliance with the provisions of chapter 617, and which shall not be a unit or entity of state government. For purposes of sovereign immunity, the corporation shall be a corporation primarily acting as an instrumentality of the state but otherwise shall not be an agency within the meaning of s. 20.03(11) or a unit or entity of state government.

The corporation is organized on a nonstock basis and shall operate in a manner consistent with its public purpose and in the best interest of the state.

Meetings and records of the corporation, its directors, advisory committees, or similar groups created by the corporation, including any not-for-profit subsidiaries, are subject to the public records provisions of chapter 119 and the public meetings and records provisions of s. 286.011.

All members of the board of directors shall be appointed no later than 90 days following the initial acquisition of the Babcock Ranch by the state, and:

With the exception of the Babcock Florida Company appointee, no member may be an officer, director, or shareholder in any entity that contracts with or receives funds from the corporation or its subsidiaries.

No member shall vote in an official capacity upon any measure that would inure to his or her special private gain or loss, that he or she knows would inure to the special private gain or loss of any principal by whom he or she is retained or to the parent organization or subsidiary of a principal by which he or she is retained, or that he or she knows would inure to the special private gain or loss of a relative or business associate of the member. Such member shall, prior to the vote being taken, publicly state the nature of his or her interest in the matter from which he or she is abstaining from voting and, no later than 15 days following the date the vote occurs, shall disclose the nature of his or her interest as a public record in a memorandum filed with the person responsible for recording the minutes of the meeting, who shall incorporate the memorandum in the minutes of the meeting.

Each member of the board of directors is accountable for the proper performance of the duties of office, and each member owes a fiduciary duty to the people of the state to ensure that funds provided in furtherance of this section are disbursed and used as prescribed by law and contract. Any official appointing a member may remove that member for malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, unexcused absence from three consecutive meetings of the board, arrest or indictment for a crime that is a felony or misdemeanor involving theft or a crime of dishonesty, or pleading nolo contendere to, or being found guilty of, any crime.

Each member of the board of directors shall serve without compensation, but shall receive travel and per diem expenses as provided in s. 112.061 while in the performance of his or her duties.

No appointee shall be an employee of any governmental entity.

The board of directors shall adopt articles of incorporation and bylaws necessary to govern its activities. The adopted articles of incorporation and bylaws must be approved by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund prior to filing with the Department of State.

The board of directors shall review and approve any management plan developed pursuant to ss. 253.034 and 259.032 for the management of lands in the preserve prior to the submission of that plan to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for approval and implementation.

The members may, with the written approval of the commission and in consultation with the department, designate hunting, fishing, and trapping zones and may establish additional periods when no hunting, fishing, or trapping shall be permitted for reasons of public safety, administration, and the protection and enhancement of nongame habitat and nongame species, as defined under s. 379.101.

The corporation shall have the sole and exclusive right to use the words “Babcock Ranch, Inc.,” and any seal, emblem, or other insignia adopted by the members. Without the express written authority of the corporation, no person may use the words “Babcock Ranch, Inc.,” as the name under which that person conducts or purports to conduct business, for the purpose of trade or advertisement, or in any manner that may suggest any connection with the corporation.

The corporation may from time to time appoint advisory committees to further any part of this section. The advisory committees shall be reflective of the expertise necessary for the particular function for which the committee is created, and may include public agencies, private entities, and not-for-profit conservation and agricultural representatives.

State laws governing the procurement of commodities and services by state agencies, as provided in s. 287.057, shall apply to the corporation.

The corporation and its subsidiaries must provide equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status.

The board of directors may establish and manage an operating fund to address the corporation’s unique cash-flow needs and to facilitate the management and operation of the preserve as a working ranch.

The board of directors shall provide for an annual financial audit of the corporate accounts and records to be conducted by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with rules adopted by the Auditor General under s. 11.45(8). The audit report shall be submitted no later than 3 months following the end of the fiscal year to the Auditor General, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the appropriate substantive and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The Auditor General, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, and the substantive or fiscal committees of the Legislature to which legislation affecting the Babcock Ranch Preserve may be referred shall have the authority to require and receive from the corporation or from the independent auditor any records relative to the operation of the corporation.

Not later than January 15 of each year, Babcock Ranch, Inc., shall submit to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the department, and the commission a comprehensive and detailed report of its operations, activities, and accomplishments for the prior year, including information on the status of the ecological, cultural, and financial resources being managed by the corporation, and benefits provided by the preserve to local communities. The report shall also include a section describing the corporation’s goals for the current year.

The board of directors shall prepare an annual budget with the goal of achieving a financially self-sustaining operation within 15 full fiscal years after the initial acquisition of the Babcock Ranch by the state. The department shall provide necessary assistance, including details as necessary, to the corporation for the timely formulation and submission of an annual legislative budget request for appropriations, if any, to support the administration, operation, and maintenance of the preserve. A request for appropriations shall be submitted to the department and shall be included in the department’s annual legislative budget request. Requests for appropriations shall be submitted to the department in time to allow the department to meet the requirements of s. 216.023. The department may not deny a request or refuse to include in its annual legislative budget submission a request from the corporation for an appropriation.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all moneys received from donations or from management of the preserve shall be retained by the corporation in the operating fund and shall be available, without further appropriation, for the administration, preservation, restoration, operation and maintenance, improvements, repairs, and related expenses incurred with respect to properties being managed by the corporation. Except as provided in this section, moneys received by the corporation for the management of the preserve shall not be subject to distribution by the state. Upon assuming management responsibilities for the preserve, the corporation shall optimize the generation of income based on existing marketing conditions to the extent that activities do not unreasonably diminish the long-term environmental, agricultural, scenic, and natural values of the preserve, or the multiple-use and sustained-yield capability of the land.

All parties in contract with the corporation and all holders of leases from the corporation which are authorized to occupy, use, or develop properties under the management jurisdiction of the corporation must procure proper insurance as is reasonable or customary to insure against any loss in connection with the properties or with activities authorized in the leases or contracts.

A comprehensive business plan for the management and operation of the preserve as a working ranch and amendments to the business plan may be developed only with input from the department and the commission, and may be implemented by Babcock Ranch, Inc., only upon expiration of the management agreement attached as Exhibit “E” to that certain agreement for sale and purchase approved by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund on November 22, 2005, and by Lee County on November 20, 2005.

Any final decision of Babcock Ranch, Inc., to adopt or amend the comprehensive business plan or to approve any activity related to the management of the renewable surface resources of the preserve shall be made in sessions that are open to the public. The board of directors shall establish procedures for providing adequate public information and opportunities for public comment on the proposed comprehensive business plan for the preserve or for amendments to the comprehensive business plan adopted by the members.

Not less than 2 years prior to the corporation’s assuming management and operation responsibilities for the preserve, the corporation, with input from the commission and the department, must begin developing the comprehensive business plan to carry out the purposes of this section. To the extent consistent with these purposes, the comprehensive business plan shall provide for:

On or before the date on which title to the portion of the Babcock Crescent B Ranch being purchased by the state as provided in s. 259.1052 is vested in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, Babcock Ranch Management, LLC, a limited liability company incorporated in this state, shall provide the commission and the department with the management plan and business plan in place for the operation of the ranch as of November 22, 2005, the date on which the board of trustees approved the purchase.

The corporation shall assume all authority provided by this section to manage and operate the preserve as a working ranch upon a determination by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund that the corporation is able to conduct business, and that provision has been made for essential services on the preserve, which, to the maximum extent practicable, shall be made no later than 60 days prior to the termination of the management agreement referenced in paragraph (11)(a).

Upon assuming management and operation of the preserve, the corporation shall:

Except for the powers of the commissioner provided in this section, and the powers of the commission provided in s. 9, Art. IV of the State Constitution, the preserve shall be managed by Babcock Ranch, Inc.

Officers and employees of Babcock Ranch, Inc., are private employees. At the request of the board of directors, the commission and the department may provide state employees for the purpose of implementing this section. Any state employees provided to assist the directors in implementing this section for more than 30 days shall be provided on a reimbursable basis. Reimbursement to the commission and the department shall be made from the corporation’s operating fund provided under this section and not from any funds appropriated to the corporation by the Legislature.

The corporation may be dissolved only by an act of the Legislature.

Upon dissolution of the corporation, the management responsibilities provided in this section shall revert to the commission and the department unless otherwise provided by the Legislature under the act dissolving Babcock Ranch, Inc.

Upon dissolution of the corporation, any cash balances of funds shall revert to the General Revenue Fund or such other state fund as may be provided under the act dissolving Babcock Ranch, Inc.