Senate Bill 1578c1

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1578

    By the Committee on Community Affairs and Senator Forman





    316-1848-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to metropolitan planning

  3         organizations; amending s. 339.175, F.S.;

  4         amending provisions prescribing the voting

  5         membership of an M.P.O.; providing an effective

  6         date.

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  8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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10         Section 1.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section

11  339.175, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

12         339.175  Metropolitan planning organization.--It is the

13  intent of the Legislature to encourage and promote the

14  development of transportation systems embracing various modes

15  of transportation in a manner that will maximize the mobility

16  of people and goods within and through urbanized areas of this

17  state and minimize, to the maximum extent feasible, and

18  together with applicable regulatory government agencies,

19  transportation-related fuel consumption and air pollution.  To

20  accomplish these objectives, metropolitan planning

21  organizations, referred to in this section as M.P.O.'s, shall

22  develop, in cooperation with the state, transportation plans

23  and programs for metropolitan areas. Such plans and programs

24  must provide for the development of transportation facilities

25  that will function as an intermodal transportation system for

26  the metropolitan area.  The process for developing such plans

27  and programs shall be continuing, cooperative, and

28  comprehensive, to the degree appropriate, based on the

29  complexity of the transportation problems.

30         (2)  VOTING MEMBERSHIP.--

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1578
    316-1848-98




  1         (a)  The voting membership of an M.P.O. shall consist

  2  of not fewer than 5 or more than 19 apportioned members, the

  3  exact number to be determined on an equitable

  4  geographic-population ratio basis by the Governor, based on an

  5  agreement among the affected units of general-purpose local

  6  government as required by federal rules and regulations. The

  7  Governor, in accordance with 23 U.S.C. s. 134, as amended by

  8  the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991,

  9  may also provide for M.P.O. members who represent

10  municipalities to alternate with representatives from other

11  municipalities within the designated urban area that do not

12  have members on the M.P.O. County commission members shall

13  compose not less than one-third of the M.P.O. membership,

14  except for an M.P.O. with more than 15 members located in a

15  county with a five-member county commission or an M.P.O. with

16  19 members located in a county with no more than 6 county

17  commissioners, in which case county commission members may

18  compose less than one-third percent of the M.P.O. membership,

19  but all county commissioners must be members. A county

20  commission having fewer than seven members may have one less

21  member than is required by this section during any

22  apportionment period upon the approval of the county

23  commission and its respective M.P.O. Any such approval expires

24  at the time of the next M.P.O. reapportionment. All voting

25  members shall be elected officials of general-purpose

26  governments, except that an M.P.O. may include, as part of its

27  apportioned voting members, a member of a statutorily

28  authorized planning board or an official of an agency that

29  operates or administers a major mode of transportation.  In

30  metropolitan areas in which authorities or other agencies have

31  been, or may be, created by law to perform transportation

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1578
    316-1848-98




  1  functions that are not under the jurisdiction of a

  2  general-purpose local government represented on the M.P.O.,

  3  they shall be provided voting membership on the M.P.O.  The

  4  county commission shall compose not less than 20 percent of

  5  the M.P.O. membership if an official of an agency that

  6  operates or administers a major mode of transportation has

  7  been appointed to an M.P.O.

  8         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

  9

10          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
11                         Senate Bill 1578

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13  Narrows application of the exception to county commissions
    with fewer than seven members.
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    Clarifies application of the exception only during an
15  apportionment period and only upon approval of the county
    commission and its respective M.P.O.
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