| 1 | Representative Needelman offered the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Amendment (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Remove lines 100-200 and insert: |
| 5 | (2)(a) As part of the enhanced manatee protection study, |
| 6 | the Legislature intends that the commission shall contract with |
| 7 | a Florida marine mammal institution to conduct a Manatee Habitat |
| 8 | and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Assessment that specifically |
| 9 | considers: |
| 10 | 1. Manatee populations that congregate in the warm water |
| 11 | discharge sites at power plants in the state and the potential |
| 12 | risks for disease resulting from increased congregation of |
| 13 | manatees at these sites. |
| 14 | 2. Development of research, monitoring, and submerged |
| 15 | aquatic vegetation restoration priorities for manatee habitat in |
| 16 | and near the warm water discharge sites at power plants in the |
| 17 | state. |
| 18 | 3. The potential impacts on manatees and manatee habitat |
| 19 | if power plants that provide warm water discharge sites where |
| 20 | manatees congregate are closed, including how closure will |
| 21 | affect the size and health of submerged aquatic vegetation |
| 22 | areas. |
| 23 | (b) A Florida marine mammal institution selected by the |
| 24 | Fish and Wildlife conservation Commission must submit an interim |
| 25 | report on the Manatee Habitat and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation |
| 26 | Assessment to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the |
| 27 | Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the commission by |
| 28 | September 1, 2006. The interim report must detail the progress |
| 29 | of the assessment. The final report, due to the Governor, the |
| 30 | President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
| 31 | Representatives, and the commission by January 1, 2007, must |
| 32 | detail the results of the assessment and include recommendations |
| 33 | for protection of manatee habitat in warm water discharge sites |
| 34 | at power plants in the state. |
| 35 | (c) The commission shall ensure that funds allocated to |
| 36 | implement the Manatee Habitat and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation |
| 37 | Assessment are expended in a manner that is consistent with the |
| 38 | requirements of this subsection. The commission may require an |
| 39 | annual audit of the expenditures made by the selected Florida |
| 40 | marine mammal institution. Copies of any audit requested under |
| 41 | this subsection must be provided to the appropriate substantive |
| 42 | and appropriations committees of the Senate and the House of |
| 43 | Representatives as they become available. |
| 44 | (3) As part of the enhanced manatee protection study, the |
| 45 | Legislature intends that the commission must conduct a Signage |
| 46 | and Boat Speed Assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of |
| 47 | manatee protection signs and sign placement and assess boat |
| 48 | speeds. The commission shall evaluate existing data on manatee |
| 49 | mortality before and after existing manatee protection zones |
| 50 | were established, boater compliance with and comprehension of |
| 51 | regulatory signs and buoys, changes in boating traffic patterns, |
| 52 | and manatee distribution and behavior. The commission shall also |
| 53 | provide recommendations on innovative marker designs that are in |
| 54 | compliance with the federal aids to navigation system. The |
| 55 | Signage and Boat Speed Assessment must address: |
| 56 | (a) The effectiveness of signs and buoys to warn boaters |
| 57 | of manatee slow-speed zones with a goal of developing federally |
| 58 | approved standards for marking manatee protection zones. |
| 59 | (b) Determining where buoys may be used in place of |
| 60 | pilings for boating safety purposes. |
| 61 | (c) An evaluation of higher speed travel corridors in |
| 62 | manatee zones to determine the most effective speed to balance |
| 63 | safe boating, recreational use, vessel operating |
| 64 | characteristics, and manatee protection. |
| 65 |
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| 66 | The commission shall complete its Signage and Boat Speed |
| 67 | Assessment by January 1, 2007, and must submit a report of its |
| 68 | findings to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the |
| 69 | Speaker of the House of Representatives by February 1, 2007. The |
| 70 | report must detail the results of the assessment, including |
| 71 | specific recommendations for developing state and local policies |
| 72 | relating to the appropriate placement of signs, including |
| 73 | innovative markers, in manatee slow-speed zones. |
| 74 | (4) The commission is authorized to develop and implement |
| 75 | the use of genetic tagging to improve its ability to assess the |
| 76 | status, health, and reproductive capacity of the manatee |
| 77 | population, estimate annual survival rates through mark |
| 78 | recapture studies, determine migration patterns, and determine |
| 79 | maternity and paternity. The development and use of genetic |
| 80 | tagging may be done in cooperation with federal agencies or |
| 81 | other entities, such as genetic laboratories at schools within |
| 82 | the state university system. |
| 83 | Section 3. Subsection (6) of section 372.072, Florida |
| 84 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 85 | 372.072 Endangered and Threatened Species Act.-- |
| 86 | (6) MEASURABLE BIOLOGICAL GOALS.--No later than February |
| 87 | 15, 2003, the commission, working in conjunction with the United |
| 88 | States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall develop measurable |
| 89 | biological goals that define manatee recovery. These |
| 90 | Measurable biological goals that define manatee recovery |
| 91 | developed by the commission, working in conjunction with the |
| 92 | United States Fish and Wildlife Service, shall be used by the |
| 93 | commission in its development of management plans or work plans. |
| 94 | In addition to other criteria, these measurable biological goals |
| 95 | shall be used by the commission when evaluating existing and |
| 96 | proposed protection rules, and in determining progress in |
| 97 | achieving manatee recovery. Any evaluation of an existing or |
| 98 | proposed protection rule must describe how the measurable |
| 99 | biological goals were used in the evaluation. |
| 100 | Section 4. Appropriations.-- |
| 101 | (1) For fiscal year 2004-2005, the sum of $325,000 is |
| 102 | appropriated from the Save the Manatee Trust Fund to the Fish |
| 103 | and Wildlife Conservation Commission for the purpose of |
| 104 | contracting with a Florida marine mammal institution to conduct |
| 105 | the Manatee Habitat and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Assessment |
| 106 | as provided in this act. |
| 107 | ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ============= |
| 108 | Remove line 22 and insert: |
| 109 | the commission to contract with a Florida marine mammal |
| 110 | institution to |