SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1944

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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11  Senator Bronson moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 12, between lines 21 and 22,

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16  insert:

17         Section 11.  Effective October 1, 1999, section

18  380.275, Florida Statutes, is created to read:

19         380.275  Beaches and coastal areas; posting of rip

20  current warning signs.--

21         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature that a

22  cooperative effort among state agencies and local governments

23  be developed to plan for and assist in the placement of rip

24  current warning signs along the public beaches and coastal

25  areas of the state.  A rip current is a strong surface current

26  of water flowing out past the surf zone which can pull even

27  the strongest swimmer into deeper water.  Rip currents pose a

28  significant danger of drowning to tourists and the public, and

29  it is therefore important to warn the public to be cautious in

30  coastal areas where rip currents can occur.

31         (2)  The Department of Community Affairs, through the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1944

    Amendment No.    





 1  Florida Coastal Management Program, shall direct and

 2  coordinate the rip current warning sign program, which shall

 3  be a program to require the placement of rip current warning

 4  signs in areas that pose a significant risk to the public as a

 5  result of rip currents.  Signs shall be located where the

 6  public has established an access way to a beach or coastal

 7  area.

 8         (3)  The department shall develop a uniform rip current

 9  warning sign for use at any public beach or along any coastal

10  area where there may be a significant threat to the public as

11  a result of rip currents, to be placed, insofar as is

12  practicable, wherever the public has established access ways

13  to the beach.

14         (4)  The department shall, within the limits of

15  appropriations available to it for such purposes, establish

16  and operate a program to fund the placement of rip current

17  warning signs in areas where the public has established an

18  access way to a beach or coastal area that may be subject to a

19  significant threat of dangerous rip currents and therefore may

20  pose a hazard to the public.  The department shall coordinate

21  efforts to determine the locations that local governments

22  consider appropriate for placement of rip current warning

23  signs.  For these locations, the department shall make rip

24  current warning signs available to the governing body of any

25  county or municipality in such quantity as is determined by

26  the department.  The department shall also coordinate with the

27  local governing body the distribution and erection of rip

28  current warning signs, whenever there is a request for such

29  assistance.

30         (5)  The department shall adopt such rules and forms as

31  are necessary to carry out the purposes of this section and to

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS for SB 1944

    Amendment No.    





 1  ensure that all projects to which assistance is rendered under

 2  this section are for the purpose of providing and erecting rip

 3  current warning signs.

 4         (6)  The state, state agencies, local governments, and

 5  local government agencies shall not be held liable for any

 6  injury caused by the placement or maintenance of rip current

 7  warning signs or the failure to install or maintain rip

 8  current signs as provided by this section.

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10  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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13  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

14  And the title is amended as follows:

15         On page 2, line 1, after the semicolon

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17  insert:

18         creating s. 380.275, F.S.; providing for a

19         cooperative effort among state agencies and

20         local governments to plan for and assist in the

21         placement of rip current warning signs;

22         providing that the Department of Community

23         Affairs shall direct and coordinate the

24         program; requiring the development of a uniform

25         rip current warning sign; authorizing the

26         department to coordinate the location,

27         distribution, and erection of rip current

28         warning signs; providing for rules; limiting

29         the liability of participating governmental

30         entities;

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