Senate Bill 2038c1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.


    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2038

    By the Committee on Natural Resources and Senator Carlton





    312-1926-99

  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 an

  7         appropriation; providing an effective date.

  8

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

10

11         Section 1.  (1)  There is established a

12  Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force for the purpose of determining

13  research, monitoring, control, and mitigation strategies for

14  red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida waters. The

15  Florida Marine Research Institute shall appoint to the task

16  force scientists, engineers, economists, members of citizen

17  groups, and members of government. The task force shall

18  determine research and monitoring priorities and control and

19  mitigation strategies and make recommendations to the Fish and

20  Wildlife Conservation Commission by October 1, 1999, for using

21  funds as provided in this act.

22         (2)  The Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force shall:

23         (a)  Review the status and adequacy of information for

24  monitoring physical, chemical, biological, economic, and

25  public health factors affecting harmful algal blooms in

26  Florida;

27         (b)  Develop research and monitoring priorities for

28  harmful algal blooms in Florida, including detection,

29  prediction, mitigation, and control;

30         (c)  Develop recommendations that can be implemented by

31  state and local governments to develop a response plan and to

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2038
    312-1926-99




  1  predict, mitigate, and control the effects of harmful algal

  2  blooms; and

  3         (d)  Make recommendations to the department by October

  4  1, 1999, for research, detection, monitoring, prediction,

  5  mitigation, and control of harmful algal blooms in Florida.

  6         (3)  After the completion of the tasks specified in

  7  subsection (2), the Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force may be

  8  continued at the pleasure of the Florida Marine Research

  9  Institute.

10         Section 2.  (1)(a)  The Florida Marine Research

11  Institute shall implement a program designed to increase the

12  knowledge of factors that control harmful algal blooms,

13  including red tide, and to gain knowledge to be used for the

14  early detection of factors precipitating harmful algal blooms

15  for accurate prediction of the extent and seriousness of

16  harmful algal blooms and for undertaking successful efforts to

17  control and mitigate the effects of harmful algal blooms.

18         (b)  The Legislature intends that this program enhance

19  and address areas that are not adequately covered in the

20  cooperative federal-state program known as Ecology and

21  Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (ECOHAB-Florida), which

22  includes the University of South Florida, the Mote Marine

23  Laboratory, and the Florida Marine Research Institute.

24         (c)  The goal of this program is to enable resource

25  managers to assess the potential for public health damage and

26  economic damage from a given bloom and to undertake control

27  and mitigation efforts through the development and application

28  of an integrated detection and prediction network for

29  monitoring and responding to the development and movement of

30  harmful algal blooms in Florida marine and estuarine waters.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2038
    312-1926-99




  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         Section 3.  There is hereby appropriated from the

12  General Revenue Fund to the Florida Marine Research Institute

13  for fiscal year 1999-2000 an additional sum of $3 million to

14  carry out the purposes of this act.

15         (1)  From these funds $1 million shall be used for

16  continuation of the harmful-algal-bloom contracts let to the

17  Manatee Community College, the University of Florida, the

18  University of Miami, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

19  Administration, the United States Food and Drug

20  Administration, the St. Johns River Water Management District,

21  the Florida Department of Health, the Mote Marine Laboratory,

22  the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and a citizens group

23  Solutions to Avoid Red Tide in fiscal year 1999-2000 in order

24  to bring these 10 studies to completion. These contracts

25  should promote state, federal, and private partnerships. No

26  more than $75,000 may be used by the Florida Marine Research

27  Institute for technical administration of these contracts. Up

28  to $50,000 shall be used by the institute to support the

29  travel and document-production costs of the

30  Harmful-Algal-Bloom Task Force.

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2038
    312-1926-99




  1         (2)  From the remaining $2 million appropriated by this

  2  section, $1 million shall be provided to Mote Marine

  3  Laboratory and $1 million to the Florida Marine Research

  4  Institute, to be used for a cooperative study of harmful algal

  5  blooms to address areas of critical need.

  6         (3)  Contractual services procured under this section

  7  are not subject to the provisions of section 287.057, Florida

  8  Statutes.

  9         Section 4.  Rules are not required to implement this

10  act.

11         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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13          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
14                             SB 2038

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16  The committee substitute provides that the Harmful-Algal-Bloom
    Task Force will be appointed by the Florida Marine Research
17  Institute instead of the Secretary of Environmental
    Protection. Provides that the task force will make
18  recommendations to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation
    Commission instead of the Department of Environmental
19  Protection. The task force may be continued at the pleasure of
    the Florida Marine Research Institute.
20
    Provides that the federal-state program known as Ecology and
21  Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (OCOHAB-Florida) includes
    the University of South Florida, the Mote Marine Laboratory,
22  and the Florida Marine Research Institute.

23  Deletes the provision that the Florida Marine Research
    Institute is to expend certain funds and deletes the criteria
24  upon which certain contracts are to be awarded.

25  Provides that $1 million is to be used to continue certain
    harmful-algal-bloom contracts that have been let.
26
    Contractual services procured under the provisions of this
27  bill are not subject to the provisions of s. 287.057, F.S.

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