House Bill hb0255

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 255

        By Representatives Bullard and Lerner






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to citrus canker eradication;

  3         amending s. 581.184, F.S.; revising

  4         requirements with respect to compensation for

  5         citrus trees removed as part of an eradication

  6         program; providing appropriations; directing

  7         the department to compensate certain owners of

  8         citrus trees removed as part of eradication

  9         programs; providing retroactive applicability;

10         providing an effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 581.184, Florida

15  Statutes, is amended to read:

16         581.184  Adoption of rules; citrus canker eradication;

17  voluntary destruction agreements; buffer zone.--

18         (3)  The department, pursuant to s. 581.031(15) and

19  (17), may create a citrus canker host-free buffer area,

20  delineated by department rule, to retard the spread of citrus

21  canker from known infected areas.  In addition, the department

22  shall develop a compensation plan for the trees removed from

23  the buffer area. Compensation for the trees removed from

24  nonresidential property within the buffer area is subject to

25  annual legislative appropriation.

26         Section 2.  (1)  The sum of $45 million is appropriated

27  from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Agriculture

28  and Consumer Services, and the sum of $5 million is

29  appropriated from the Citrus Trust Fund to the Department of

30  Agriculture and Consumer Services. These moneys shall be used

31  by the department to compensate, in the amount of $100 a tree,

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001                 HB 255

    756-103A-01






  1  the owners of citrus trees removed as part of a citrus canker

  2  eradication program. Compensation may be paid under this

  3  section only for the removal of trees located on residential

  4  property.

  5         (2)  The specification of a per-tree amount of

  6  compensation in this section does not limit the amount of

  7  compensation that may be paid by another entity or pursuant to

  8  court order for the removal of citrus trees as part of a

  9  citrus canker eradication program.

10         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

11  law and shall operate retroactively to provide compensation

12  for citrus trees removed on or after January 1, 2000.

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15                          SENATE SUMMARY

16    Appropriates $50 million to the Department of Agriculture
      and Consumer Services to compensate owners of citrus
17    trees removed from residential property on or after
      January 1, 2000, as part of a citrus canker eradication
18    program.

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