Senate Bill 2038
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2038
By Senator Carlton
24-1052A-99
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to red tide research and
3 mitigation; establishing a Harmful-Algal-Bloom
4 Task Force; providing for task force membership
5 and duties; providing legislative intent;
6 providing program goals; providing criteria for
7 procurement of contractual services; providing
8 an appropriation; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. (1) There is established a
13 Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force for the purpose of determining
14 research, monitoring, control, and mitigation strategies for
15 red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida waters. The
16 Secretary of Environmental Protection shall appoint to the
17 task force scientists, engineers, economists, members of
18 citizen groups, and members of government. The task force
19 shall determine research and monitoring priorities and control
20 and mitigation strategies and make recommendations to the
21 Department of Environmental Protection by October 1, 1999, for
22 using funds as provided in this act.
23 (2) The Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force shall:
24 (a) Review the status and adequacy of information for
25 monitoring physical, chemical, biological, economic, and
26 public health factors affecting harmful algal blooms in
27 Florida;
28 (b) Develop research and monitoring priorities for
29 harmful algal blooms in Florida, including detection,
30 prediction, mitigation, and control;
31
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2038
24-1052A-99
1 (c) Develop recommendations that can be implemented by
2 state and local governments to develop a response plan and to
3 predict, mitigate, and control the effects of harmful algal
4 blooms; and
5 (d) Make recommendations to the department by October
6 1, 1999, for research, detection, monitoring, prediction,
7 mitigation, and control of harmful algal blooms in Florida.
8 (3) After the completion of the tasks specified in
9 subsection (2), the Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force may be
10 continued at the pleasure of the secretary.
11 Section 2. (1)(a) The Florida Marine Research
12 Institute shall implement a program designed to increase the
13 knowledge of factors that control harmful algal blooms,
14 including red tide, and to gain knowledge to be used for the
15 early detection of factors precipitating harmful algal blooms
16 for accurate prediction of the extent and seriousness of
17 harmful algal blooms and for undertaking successful efforts to
18 control and mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms.
19 (b) The Legislature intends that this program enhance
20 and address areas that are not adequately covered in the
21 cooperative federal-state program known as Ecology and
22 Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB-Florida), which
23 includes the University of South Florida, Mote Marine
24 Laboratory, and the Department of Environmental Protection.
25 (c) The goal of this program is to enable resource
26 managers to assess the potential for public health damage and
27 economic damage from a given bloom and to undertake control
28 and mitigation efforts through the development and application
29 of an integrated detection and prediction network for
30 monitoring and responding to the development and movement of
31 harmful algal blooms in Florida marine and estuarine waters.
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2038
24-1052A-99
1 (2) A financial disbursement program is created within
2 the Florida Marine Research Institute to implement the
3 provisions of this act. Under the program, the institute shall
4 provide funding and technical assistance to government
5 agencies, research universities, coastal local governments,
6 and organizations with scientific and technical expertise for
7 the purposes of harmful-algal-bloom research, economic impact
8 study, monitoring, detection, control, and mitigation. The
9 program may be funded from state, federal, and private
10 contributions.
11 (3) The institute shall expend funds based on the
12 priorities established by the task force and as described in
13 section 3. Contractual services procured under this section
14 and section 3 are not subject to the provisions of section
15 287.057, Florida Statutes. Contracts shall be awarded based on
16 the following criteria:
17 (a) Priorities established by the Harmful-Algal-Bloom
18 Task Force;
19 (b) Availability of state, federal, and other funding
20 to accomplish the work;
21 (c) The commitment of the government agency or
22 authorized nonprofit organization to provide funds or other
23 support for the activity;
24 (d) The ability of the entity to conduct the work
25 using established scientific protocol either independently or
26 in collaboration with research or governmental entities.
27 Section 3. (1) There is appropriated from the General
28 Revenue Fund to the Florida Marine Research Institute for
29 fiscal year 1999-2000 an additional sum of $3 million to carry
30 out the purposes of this act. From these funds $1 million
31 shall be used for continuation of the harmful-algal-bloom
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Florida Senate - 1999 SB 2038
24-1052A-99
1 contracts let to universities (University of Florida,
2 University of Miami), governmental agencies (National Oceanic
3 and Atmospheric Administration, Food and Drug Administration,
4 St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Department
5 of Health), private laboratories (Mote Marine Laboratory,
6 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), and a citizens group
7 (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide) in 1998-1999 in order to bring
8 these ten studies to completion. These contracts should
9 promote state, federal, and private partnerships. No more than
10 $75,000 may be used by the Florida Marine Research Institute
11 for technical administration of these contracts. Up to $50,000
12 shall be used by the institute to support the travel and
13 document-production costs of the Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task
14 Force.
15 (2) From the remaining $2 million appropriated by this
16 section, half shall be provided to Mote Marine Laboratory and
17 half to the Florida Marine Research Institute for a
18 cooperative harmful-algal-bloom study to address areas of
19 critical need.
20 Section 4. Rules are not required to implement this
21 act.
22 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.
23
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25 SENATE SUMMARY
26 Establishes a Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force. Requires
the task force to determine research and monitoring
27 priorities and control and mitigation strategies for
harmful algal blooms and make recommendations to the
28 Department of Environmental Protection for using funds by
October 1, 1999. Requires the Florida Marine Research
29 Institute to provide funding and technical assistance to
government agencies, research universities, coastal local
30 governments, and organizations with scientific and
technical expertise for research purposes. Provides
31 criteria for the procurement of contractual services
under the program. Provides an appropriation.
4