Senate Bill sb1468

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1468

    By Senator Latvala





    19-861-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Forever program;

  3         amending s. 259.105, F.S.; revising goals and

  4         performance measures for Florida Forever

  5         projects of the Department of Environmental

  6         Protection and water management districts;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8

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

10

11         Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 259.105, Florida

12  Statutes, is amended to read:

13         259.105  The Florida Forever Act.--

14         (4)  It is the intent of the Legislature that projects

15  or acquisitions funded pursuant to paragraphs (3)(a) and (b)

16  contribute to the achievement of the following goals:

17         (a)  Enhance the coordination and completion of land

18  acquisition projects, as measured by:

19         1.  The number of acres acquired through the state's

20  land acquisition programs that contribute to the completion of

21  Florida Preservation 2000 projects or projects begun before

22  Preservation 2000;

23         2.  The number of acres protected through the use of

24  alternatives to fee simple acquisition; or

25         3.  The number of shared acquisition projects among

26  Florida Forever funding partners and partners with other

27  funding sources, including local governments and the federal

28  government.

29         (b)  Increase the protection of Florida's biodiversity

30  at the species, natural community, and landscape levels, as

31  measured by:

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1468
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  1         1.  The number of acres acquired of significant

  2  strategic habitat conservation areas;

  3         2.  The number of acres acquired of highest priority

  4  conservation areas for Florida's rarest species;

  5         3.  The number of acres acquired of significant

  6  landscapes, landscape linkages, and conservation corridors,

  7  giving priority to completing linkages;

  8         4.  The number of acres acquired of under-represented

  9  native ecosystems;

10         5.  The number of landscape-sized protection areas of

11  at least 50,000 acres that exhibit a mosaic of predominantly

12  intact or restorable natural communities established through

13  new acquisition projects, or augmentations to previous

14  projects; or

15         6.  The percentage increase in the number of

16  occurrences of endangered species, threatened species, or

17  species of special concern on publicly managed conservation

18  areas.

19         (c)  Protect, restore, and maintain the quality and

20  natural functions of land, water, and wetland systems of the

21  state, as measured by:

22         1.  The number of acres of publicly-owned land

23  identified as needing restoration, acres undergoing

24  restoration, and acres with restoration activities completed;

25         2.  The percentage of water segments that fully meet,

26  partially meet, or do not meet their designated uses as

27  reported in the Department of Environmental Protection's State

28  Water Quality Assessment 305(b) Report;

29         3.  The percentage completion of targeted capital

30  improvements in surface water improvement and management plans

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1468
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  1  created under s. 373.453(2), regional or master stormwater

  2  management system plans, or other adopted restoration plans;

  3         4.  The number of acres acquired that protect natural

  4  floodplain functions;

  5         5.  The number of acres acquired that protect surface

  6  waters of the state;

  7         6.  The number of acres identified for acquisition to

  8  minimize damage from flooding and the percentage of those

  9  acres acquired;

10         7.  The number of acres acquired that protect fragile

11  coastal resources;

12         8.  The number of acres of functional wetland systems

13  protected;

14         9.  The percentage of miles of critically eroding

15  beaches contiguous with public lands that are restored or

16  protected from further erosion;

17         10.  The percentage of public lakes and rivers in which

18  invasive, non-native aquatic plants are under maintenance

19  control; or

20         11.  The number of acres of public conservation lands

21  in which upland invasive, exotic plants are under maintenance

22  control.

23         (d)  Ensure that sufficient quantities of water are

24  available to meet the current and future needs of natural

25  systems and the citizens of the state, as measured by:

26         1.  The number of acres acquired which provide

27  retention and storage of surface water in naturally occurring

28  storage areas, such as lakes and wetlands, consistent with the

29  maintenance of water resources or water supplies and

30  consistent with district water supply plans;

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  1         2.  The quantity of water made available through the

  2  water resource development component of a district water

  3  supply plan for which a water management district is

  4  responsible; or

  5         3.  The number of acres acquired of groundwater

  6  recharge areas critical to springs, sinks, aquifers, other

  7  natural systems, or water supply.

  8         (e)  Increase natural resource-based public

  9  recreational and educational opportunities, as measured by:

10         1.  The number of acres acquired that are available for

11  natural resource-based public recreation or education;

12         2.  The miles of trails that are available for public

13  recreation, giving priority to those that provide significant

14  connections including those that will assist in completing the

15  Florida National Scenic Trail; or

16         3.  The number of new resource-based recreation

17  facilities, by type, made available on public land.

18         (f)  Preserve significant archaeological or historic

19  sites, as measured by:

20         1.  The increase in the number of and percentage of

21  historic and archaeological properties listed in the Florida

22  Master Site File or National Register of Historic Places which

23  are protected or preserved for public use; or

24         2.  The increase in the number and percentage of

25  historic and archaeological properties that are in state

26  ownership.

27         (g)  Increase the amount of forestland available for

28  sustainable management of natural resources, as measured by:

29         1.  The number of acres acquired that are available for

30  sustainable forest management;

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1468
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  1         2.  The number of acres of state owned forestland

  2  managed for economic return in accordance with current best

  3  management practices;

  4         3.  The number of acres of forestland acquired that

  5  will serve to maintain natural groundwater recharge functions;

  6  or

  7         4.  The percentage and number of acres identified for

  8  restoration actually restored by reforestation.

  9         (h)  Increase the amount of open space available in

10  urban areas, as measured by:

11         1.  The percentage of local governments that

12  participate in land acquisition programs and acquire open

13  space in urban cores; or

14         2.  The percentage and number of acres of purchases of

15  open space within urban service areas.

16         (a)  An increase in the level of protection for, or an

17  increase in the populations of, listed plant species, as

18  measured by the number of occurrences, acres of strategic

19  habitat areas, or delisting or redesignation of such species.

20         (b)  An increase in the level of protection for, or an

21  increase in the populations of, listed animal species, as

22  measured by the number of occurrences, acres of strategic

23  habitat areas, delisting or redesignation of such species, or

24  the change in long-term survival rates.

25         (c)  The restoration of land areas, as measured by a

26  reduction in nonnative species, level of maintenance control

27  of invasive species, reforestation rates, or regeneration of

28  natural communities.

29         (d)  An increase in public landholdings needed to meet

30  the goals of this subsection, as measured by the acquisition

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  1  of lands in fee simple or with less than fee simple

  2  alternatives.

  3         (e)  The completion of projects begun under previous

  4  land acquisition programs, as measured through the acquisition

  5  of land under inholdings and additions programs.

  6         (f)  An increase in the amount of forest land for

  7  sustainable natural resources.

  8         (g)  An increase in public recreational opportunities,

  9  as measured by the acreage available for recreational

10  opportunities or the number of miles available for greenways

11  or trails.

12         (h)  A reduction in the amount of pollutants flowing

13  into Florida's surface waters, as measured by a reduction in

14  the number of surface water bodies designated as impaired.

15         (i)  The improvement of water recharge rates on public

16  lands, as measured by increased speed of recharge and amount

17  of cubic feet of water made available.

18         (j)  The restoration of water areas, as measured by a

19  reduction of nonnative species, level of maintenance control

20  of invasive species, regeneration of natural communities,

21  reduction of excessive sedimentation, removal of impediments,

22  or reduction of shoreline erosion.

23         (k)  The protection of natural floodplain functions and

24  prevention of or reduction in flood damage, as measured by the

25  number of acres of floodplain in public ownership.

26         (l)  The restoration of degraded water bodies, as

27  measured by the number of goals implemented under a surface

28  water improvement plan or other restoration plans.

29         (m)  The restoration of wetlands, as measured by the

30  number of acres of previously converted wetlands returned to a

31  functioning status.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                                  SB 1468
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  1         (n)  The preservation of strategic wetlands, as

  2  measured by the number of acres acquired.

  3         (o)  The preservation of, or reduction of contaminants

  4  in, aquifers and springs, as measured by contaminant levels or

  5  the number of acres of recharge areas acquired.

  6         (p)  The implementation of practices that provide

  7  sufficient quantities of water available to meet current and

  8  future needs of the natural system and residents of the state,

  9  as measured by execution of water-resource-development

10  components of the districts' water management plans. However,

11  funds provided for capital improvements under this purpose are

12  limited to those provided the water management districts in

13  paragraph (3)(a).

14         (q)  An increase in the state's inventory of historical

15  and cultural sites as measured by the number of sites

16  acquired.

17         (r)  An increase in the protection of fragile coastal

18  resources, as measured by the linear feet and acreage of

19  coastline acquired.

20         (s)  An increase in the protection of significant

21  surface waters of the state, as measured by the acreage of

22  lands acquired to buffer them.

23         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

24  law.

25

26            *****************************************

27                          SENATE SUMMARY

28    Revises goals and performance measures for Florida
      Forever projects of the Department of Environmental
29    Protection and water management districts.

30

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