House Bill hb0533c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 533
By the Council for Ready Infrastructure and Representative
Needelman
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the placement of rip current
3 warning signs; creating s. 380.275, F.S.;
4 providing for a cooperative effort among state
5 agencies and local governments to plan for and
6 assist in the placement of rip current warning
7 signs; providing that the Department of
8 Community Affairs shall direct and coordinate
9 the program; requiring the development of a
10 uniform rip current warning sign; authorizing
11 the department to coordinate the distribution
12 and erection of rip current warning signs;
13 providing for rules; providing operational
14 immunity for participating government entities;
15 providing an effective date.
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17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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19 Section 1. Section 380.275, Florida Statutes, is
20 created to read:
21 380.275 Beaches and coastal areas; posting of rip
22 current warning signs.--
23 (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that a
24 cooperative effort among state agencies and local governments
25 be developed to plan for and assist in the placement of rip
26 current warning signs along the public beaches and coastal
27 areas of the state. A rip current is a strong surface current
28 of water flowing out past the surf zone, which can pull even
29 the strongest swimmer into deeper water. Rip currents pose a
30 significant danger of drowning to tourists and the general
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 533
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1 public, and it is therefore important to inform the public to
2 be cautious in coastal areas where rip currents can occur.
3 (2) The Department of Community Affairs, through the
4 Florida Coastal Management Program, shall direct and
5 coordinate the rip current warning sign program, which shall
6 be a program to encourage the placement of rip current warning
7 signs in areas that may pose a significant risk to the public
8 as a result of rip currents. Signs may be located where the
9 public has established an access way to a beach or coastal
10 area.
11 (3) The department shall develop a uniform rip current
12 warning sign for use at any public beach or along any coastal
13 area where there may be a significant threat to the public as
14 a result of rip currents, to be placed, insofar as is
15 practicable, wherever the public has established access ways
16 to the beach.
17 (4) The department is authorized, within the limits of
18 appropriations available to it for such purposes, to establish
19 and operate a program to encourage the placement of rip
20 current warning signs in areas where the public has
21 established an access way to a beach or coastal area that may
22 be subject to a significant threat of dangerous rip currents
23 and therefore may pose a hazard to the public. The department
24 shall also coordinate with the local governing body the
25 distribution and erection of rip current warning signs,
26 whenever there is a request for such assistance.
27 (5) The department may adopt rules necessary to
28 administer this section.
29 (6) The state, state agencies, local governments, and
30 local government agencies have operational immunity for any
31 injury caused by the placement, location, or for the failure
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 533
401-117-02
1 to install the uniform rip current warning signs provided for
2 in this section; however, this is not intended to limit in any
3 way the responsibility imposed on such entities by other
4 provisions of law with regard to the posting of rip current
5 warning signs on public beaches.
6 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2002.
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