Senate Bill sb2110

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110

    By Senator Sebesta





    16-943-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to metropolitan planning

  3         organizations; amending s. 120.52, F.S.;

  4         redefining the term "agency" for the purposes

  5         of the Administrative Procedure Act; amending

  6         s. 339.175, F.S.; providing authority for

  7         metropolitan planning organizations and

  8         political subdivisions to form separate legal

  9         or administrative entities for the purpose of

10         coordinating regional transportation planning

11         and development goals and purposes; specifying

12         how the entity shall be created and operated;

13         exempting the entity from the Administrative

14         Procedure Act; providing an effective date.

15  

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

17  

18         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 120.52, Florida

19  Statutes, is amended to read:

20         120.52  Definitions.--As used in this act:

21         (1)  "Agency" means:

22         (a)  The Governor in the exercise of all executive

23  powers other than those derived from the constitution.

24         (b)  Each:

25         1.  State officer and state department, and each

26  departmental unit described in s. 20.04.

27         2.  Authority, including a regional water supply

28  authority.

29         3.  Board.

30  

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
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 1         4.  Commission, including the Commission on Ethics and

 2  the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission when acting

 3  pursuant to statutory authority derived from the Legislature.

 4         5.  Regional planning agency.

 5         6.  Multicounty special district with a majority of its

 6  governing board comprised of nonelected persons.

 7         7.  Educational units.

 8         8.  Entity described in chapters 163, 373, 380, and 582

 9  and s. 186.504.

10         (c)  Each other unit of government in the state,

11  including counties and municipalities, to the extent they are

12  expressly made subject to this act by general or special law

13  or existing judicial decisions.

14  

15  This definition does not include any legal entity or agency

16  created in whole or in part pursuant to chapter 361, part II,

17  any metropolitan planning organization created pursuant to s.

18  339.175, any separate legal or administrative entity created

19  pursuant to s. 339.175 of which a metropolitan planning

20  organization is a member, an expressway authority pursuant to

21  chapter 348, any legal or administrative entity created by an

22  interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.01(7), unless any

23  party to such agreement is otherwise an agency as defined in

24  this subsection, or any multicounty special district with a

25  majority of its governing board comprised of elected persons;

26  however, this definition shall include a regional water supply

27  authority.

28         Section 2.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and

29  paragraph (h) of subsection (5) of section 339.175, Florida

30  Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (i) is added to

31  subsection (5) of that section to read:

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
    16-943-03




 1         339.175  Metropolitan planning organization.--It is the

 2  intent of the Legislature to encourage and promote the safe

 3  and efficient management, operation, and development of

 4  surface transportation systems that will serve the mobility

 5  needs of people and freight within and through urbanized areas

 6  of this state while minimizing transportation-related fuel

 7  consumption and air pollution. To accomplish these objectives,

 8  metropolitan planning organizations, referred to in this

 9  section as M.P.O.'s, shall develop, in cooperation with the

10  state and public transit operators, transportation plans and

11  programs for metropolitan areas. The plans and programs for

12  each metropolitan area must provide for the development and

13  integrated management and operation of transportation systems

14  and facilities, including pedestrian walkways and bicycle

15  transportation facilities that will function as an intermodal

16  transportation system for the metropolitan area, based upon

17  the prevailing principles provided in s. 334.046(1).  The

18  process for developing such plans and programs shall provide

19  for consideration of all modes of transportation and shall be

20  continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive, to the degree

21  appropriate, based on the complexity of the transportation

22  problems to be addressed.

23         (1)  DESIGNATION.--

24         (a)1.  An M.P.O. shall be designated for each urbanized

25  area of the state; however, this does not require that an

26  individual M.P.O. be designated for each such area.  Such

27  designation shall be accomplished by agreement between the

28  Governor and units of general-purpose local government

29  representing at least 75 percent of the population of the

30  urbanized area; however, the unit of general-purpose local

31  government that represents the central city or cities within

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
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 1  the M.P.O. jurisdiction, as defined by the United States

 2  Bureau of the Census, must be a party to such agreement.

 3         2.  More than one M.P.O. may be designated within an

 4  existing metropolitan planning area only if the Governor and

 5  the existing M.P.O. determine that the size and complexity of

 6  the existing metropolitan planning area makes the designation

 7  of more than one M.P.O. for the area appropriate.

 8         (5)  POWERS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.--The powers,

 9  privileges, and authority of an M.P.O. are those specified in

10  this section or incorporated in an interlocal agreement

11  authorized under s. 163.01.  Each M.P.O. shall perform all

12  acts required by federal or state laws or rules, now and

13  subsequently applicable, which are necessary to qualify for

14  federal aid. It is the intent of this section that each M.P.O.

15  shall be involved in the planning and programming of

16  transportation facilities, including, but not limited to,

17  airports, intercity and high-speed rail lines, seaports, and

18  intermodal facilities, to the extent permitted by state or

19  federal law.

20         (h)  A chair's coordinating committee is created,

21  composed of the M.P.O's serving Hernando, Hillsborough,

22  Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota Counties. Any

23  group of M.P.O.'s which has created a chair's coordinating

24  committee as of the effective date of this act and is located

25  within the same Department of Transportation District which is

26  comprised of four adjacent M.P.O.'s must continue such

27  committee as provided for in this section. Such committee must

28  also include one representative from each M.P.O. contiguous to

29  the geographic boundaries of the original committee. The

30  committee must, at a minimum:

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
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 1         1.  Coordinate transportation projects deemed to be

 2  regionally significant by the committee.

 3         2.  Review the impact of regionally significant land

 4  use decisions on the region.

 5         3.  Review all proposed regionally significant

 6  transportation projects in the respective transportation

 7  improvement programs which affect more than one of the

 8  M.P.O.'s represented on the committee.

 9         4.  Institute a conflict resolution process to address

10  any conflict that may arise in the planning and programming of

11  such regionally significant projects.

12         (i)1.  The Legislature finds that the state's rapid

13  growth in recent decades has caused many urbanized areas

14  subject to M.P.O. jurisdiction to become contiguous to each

15  other. As a result, various transportation projects may cross

16  from the jurisdiction of one M.P.O. into the jurisdiction of

17  another M.P.O. To more fully accomplish the purposes for which

18  M.P.O.'s have been mandated, M.P.O.'s shall develop

19  coordination mechanisms with one another to expand and improve

20  transportation within the state. The appropriate method of

21  coordination between M.P.O.'s shall vary depending upon the

22  project involved and given local and regional needs.

23  Consequently, it is appropriate to set forth a flexible

24  methodology that can be used by M.P.O.'s to coordinate with

25  other M.P.O.'s and appropriate political subdivisions as

26  circumstances demand.

27         2.  Any M.P.O. may join with any other M.P.O. or any

28  individual political subdivision to coordinate activities or

29  to achieve any federal or state transportation planning or

30  development goals or purposes consistent with federal or state

31  law. When an M.P.O. determines that it is appropriate to join

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
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 1  with another M.P.O. or any political subdivision to coordinate

 2  activities, the M.P.O. or political subdivision shall enter

 3  into an interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.01, which, at

 4  a minimum, creates a separate legal or administrative entity

 5  to coordinate the transportation planning or development

 6  activities required to achieve the goal or purpose; provide

 7  the purpose for which the entity is created; provide the

 8  duration of the agreement and the entity, and specify how the

 9  agreement may be terminated, modified, or rescinded; describe

10  the precise organization of the entity, including who has

11  voting rights on the governing board, whether alternative

12  voting members are provided for, how voting members are

13  appointed, and what the relative voting strength is for each

14  constituent M.P.O. or political subdivision; provide the

15  manner in which the parties to the agreement will provide for

16  the financial support of the entity and payment of costs and

17  expenses of the entity; provide the manner in which funds may

18  be paid to and disbursed from the entity; and provide how

19  members of the entity will resolve disagreements regarding

20  interpretation of the interlocal agreement or disputes

21  relating to the operation of the entity. Such interlocal

22  agreement shall become effective upon its recordation in the

23  official public records of each county in which a member of

24  the entity created by the interlocal agreement has a voting

25  member. This paragraph does not require any M.P.O.'s to merge,

26  combine, or otherwise join together as a single M.P.O.

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

28  law.

29  

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    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 2110
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 2                          SENATE SUMMARY

 3    Revises provisions relating to metropolitan planning
      organizations. Redefines the term "agency." Authorizes
 4    the creation of separate entities to coordinate
      transportation planning and development on a regional
 5    basis. (See bill for details.)

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