Senate Bill sb2520

    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2520

    By Senator Jones





    13-1549A-04                                             See HB

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Great Florida

  3         Wrek-reation Diving Trail Act; providing a

  4         popular name; providing purpose of the act;

  5         creating the Florida MARAD and U.S. Navy Vessel

  6         Placement Commission; providing membership and

  7         organization of the commission; providing

  8         duties of the commission; providing for

  9         administrative support; providing an effective

10         date.

11  

12         WHEREAS, in the past, the United States Navy has used

13  unneeded ships as targets for military exercises known as

14  sinking exercises, and

15         WHEREAS, now the Navy has devised an alternative means

16  of disposing of obsolete Navy vessels which allows the vessels

17  to serve in a productive capacity for hundreds of years past

18  their intended use, and

19         WHEREAS, the National Defense Authorization Bill for

20  fiscal year 2004 (H.R. 1588) allows appropriate decommissioned

21  ships to be donated for use as artificial reefing, and

22         WHEREAS, the process of using obsolete vessels as

23  man-made artificial reefs not only promotes marine life and

24  fishing but relieves pressures on natural coral reefs, and

25         WHEREAS, the measure allows the Navy to accomplish the

26  overall process for cost-effective donation transfer of

27  available naval vessels, and

28         WHEREAS, the United States Maritime Administration

29  (MARAD) will coordinate federal agency solicitation and

30  application for obtaining the vessels for use as artificial

31  reefs, and

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2520
    13-1549A-04                                             See HB




 1         WHEREAS, the donation and transfer application for all

 2  Navy and MARAD ships available for use as artificial reefs may

 3  be submitted only by states, commonwealths, and territories

 4  and possessions of the United States, or municipal

 5  corporations or political subdivisions thereof, and

 6         WHEREAS, the program provides a practical option for

 7  disposing of inactive naval vessels in a cost-effective and

 8  environmentally sound manner that can also promote ecotourism

 9  associated with recreational diving and fishing in Florida,

10  NOW, THEREFORE,

11  

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

13  

14         Section 1.  (1)  POPULAR NAME.--This act may be

15  referred to by the popular name the "Great Florida

16  Wrek-reation Diving Trail Act of 2004."

17         (2)  PURPOSE.--The purpose of the Great Florida

18  Wrek-reation Diving Trail Act is to promote ecotourism

19  associated with recreational diving and fishing in Florida

20  through the placement of United States Maritime Administration

21  (MARAD) and United States Navy decommissioned vessels in

22  Florida waters as artificial reefs. The commission shall be

23  considered the artificial reef coordinator for Florida for

24  purposes of the United States Department of Transportation

25  transfer of obsolete MARAD and Navy vessels program.

26         (3)  FLORIDA MARAD AND U.S. NAVY VESSEL PLACEMENT

27  COMMISSION; CREATION; MEMBERSHIP.--The Florida MARAD and U.S.

28  Navy Vessel Placement Commission is hereby created. The

29  commission shall consist of the following five members:

30         (a)  Three members representing recreational scuba

31  diving in Florida, one of whom shall be appointed by the

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 2520
    13-1549A-04                                             See HB




 1  Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be

 2  appointed by the President of the Senate, and one of whom

 3  shall be appointed by the Governor.

 4         (b)  Two members representing VISIT Florida, appointed

 5  by the Governor.

 6         (4)  ORGANIZATION.--The Governor shall designate one

 7  member of the commission as its chair. Vacancies in the

 8  membership of the commission shall be filled in the same

 9  manner as the original appointments.

10         (5)  DUTIES.--The commission shall review applications

11  from Florida counties and municipalities for placement of

12  MARAD and U.S. Navy decommissioned vessels in Florida waters

13  as artificial reefs. The commission shall receive donation

14  transfer applications for such vessels and, using the Maritime

15  Administration application evaluation criteria, as amended,

16  shall recommend to the Governor sites within the state for

17  placement of such vessels. The commission shall develop a

18  master site plan for the purposes of maximizing the number and

19  type of vessels for placement in Florida waters. Criteria

20  shall include placement of vessels in a geographically

21  dispersed manner.

22         (6)  ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.--VISIT Florida shall

23  provide administrative support to the commission for all of

24  its activities.

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

26  law.

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

                                  3

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