Senate Bill sb1184e1

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  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to transportation access;

  3         amending s. 316.006, F.S.; providing that a

  4         municipality may, by interlocal agreement with

  5         a county, agree to transfer traffic regulatory

  6         authority over areas within the municipality to

  7         the county; amending s. 704.01, F.S.; revising

  8         criteria for establishing a statutory way of

  9         necessity exclusive of common-law right;

10         amending s. 704.04, F.S.; removing a limitation

11         on the existence of certain easements;

12         providing for reenactment of certain provisions

13         under certain circumstances; providing for

14         effectiveness; creating s. 166.0498, F.S.;

15         prohibiting a municipality from permanently

16         closing a road unless certain conditions are

17         met; providing an effective date.

18  

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

20  

21         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 316.006, Florida

22  Statutes, is amended to read:

23         316.006  Jurisdiction.--Jurisdiction to control traffic

24  is vested as follows:

25         (2)  MUNICIPALITIES.--

26         (a)  Chartered municipalities shall have original

27  jurisdiction over all streets and highways located within

28  their boundaries, except state roads, and may place and

29  maintain such traffic control devices which conform to the

30  manual and specifications of the Department of Transportation

31  upon all streets and highways under their original


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 1  jurisdiction as they shall deem necessary to indicate and to

 2  carry out the provisions of this chapter or to regulate, warn,

 3  or guide traffic.

 4         (b)  A municipality may exercise jurisdiction over any

 5  private road or roads, or over any limited access road or

 6  roads owned or controlled by a special district, located

 7  within its boundaries if the municipality and party or parties

 8  owning or controlling such road or roads provide, by written

 9  agreement approved by the governing body of the municipality,

10  for municipal traffic control jurisdiction over the road or

11  roads encompassed by such agreement. Pursuant thereto:

12         1.  Provision for reimbursement for actual costs of

13  traffic control and enforcement and for liability insurance

14  and indemnification by the party or parties, and such other

15  terms as are mutually agreeable, may be included in such an

16  agreement.

17         2.  The exercise of jurisdiction provided for herein

18  shall be in addition to jurisdictional authority presently

19  exercised by municipalities under law, and nothing in this

20  paragraph shall be construed to limit or remove any such

21  jurisdictional authority. Such jurisdiction includes

22  regulation of access to such road or roads by security devices

23  or personnel.

24         3.  Any such agreement may provide for the installation

25  of multiparty stop signs by the parties controlling the roads

26  covered by the agreement if a determination is made by such

27  parties that the signage will enhance traffic safety.

28  Multiparty stop signs must conform to the manual and

29  specifications of the Department of Transportation; however,

30  minimum traffic volumes may not be required for the

31  


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 1  installation of such signage. Enforcement for the signs shall

 2  be as provided in s. 316.123.

 3         (c)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the

 4  contrary, a municipality may, by interlocal agreement with a

 5  county, agree to transfer traffic regulatory authority over

 6  areas within the municipality to the county.

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 8  This subsection shall not limit those counties which have the

 9  charter powers to provide and regulate arterial, toll, and

10  other roads, bridges, tunnels, and related facilities from the

11  proper exercise of those powers by the placement and

12  maintenance of traffic control devices which conform to the

13  manual and specifications of the Department of Transportation

14  on streets and highways located within municipal boundaries.

15         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 704.01, Florida

16  Statutes, is amended to read:

17         704.01  Common-law and statutory easements defined and

18  determined.--

19         (2)  STATUTORY WAY OF NECESSITY EXCLUSIVE OF COMMON-LAW

20  RIGHT.--Based on public policy, convenience, and necessity, a

21  statutory way of necessity exclusive of any common-law right

22  exists when any land, including land formed by accretion,

23  reliction, or other naturally occurring processes, or portion

24  thereof, outside any municipality which is being used or is

25  desired to be used for a dwelling or dwellings or for

26  agricultural or for timber raising or cutting or stockraising

27  purposes is shall be shut off or hemmed in by lands, fencing,

28  or other improvements by of other persons so that no

29  practicable route of egress or ingress is shall be available

30  therefrom to the nearest practicable public or private road in

31  which the landlocked owner has vested easement rights. The


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 1  owner or tenant thereof, or anyone in their behalf, lawfully

 2  may use and maintain an easement for persons, vehicles, stock,

 3  franchised cable television service, and any utility service,

 4  including, but not limited to, water, wastewater, reclaimed

 5  water, natural gas, electricity, and telephone service, over,

 6  under, through, and upon the lands which lie between the said

 7  shut-off or hemmed-in lands and such public or private road by

 8  means of the nearest practical route, considering the use to

 9  which said lands are being put; and the use thereof, as

10  aforesaid, shall not constitute a trespass; nor shall the

11  party thus using the same be liable in damages for the use

12  thereof,; provided that such easement shall be used only in an

13  orderly and proper manner.

14         Section 3.  Effective only if a court determines that

15  subsection (2) of section 704.01, Florida Statutes, as amended

16  by section 1 of this act, is unconstitutional and such

17  determination is upheld on appeal, it is the intent of the

18  Legislature that the provisions of such subsection shall be

19  the same as those in existence prior to amendment by this act,

20  and to that end subsection (2) of section 704.01, Florida

21  Statutes, as it existed prior to amendment by section 1 of

22  this act, is reenacted to read:

23         704.01  Common-law and statutory easements defined and

24  determined.--

25         (2)  STATUTORY WAY OF NECESSITY EXCLUSIVE OF COMMON-LAW

26  RIGHT.--Based on public policy, convenience, and necessity, a

27  statutory way of necessity exclusive of any common-law right

28  exists when any land or portion thereof outside any

29  municipality which is being used or desired to be used for a

30  dwelling or dwellings or for agricultural or for timber

31  raising or cutting or stockraising purposes shall be shut off


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 1  or hemmed in by lands, fencing, or other improvements of other

 2  persons so that no practicable route of egress or ingress

 3  shall be available therefrom to the nearest practicable public

 4  or private road. The owner or tenant thereof, or anyone in

 5  their behalf, lawfully may use and maintain an easement for

 6  persons, vehicles, stock, franchised cable television service,

 7  and any utility service, including, but not limited to, water,

 8  wastewater, reclaimed water, natural gas, electricity, and

 9  telephone service, over, under, through, and upon the lands

10  which lie between the said shut-off or hemmed-in lands and

11  such public or private road by means of the nearest practical

12  route, considering the use to which said lands are being put;

13  and the use thereof, as aforesaid, shall not constitute a

14  trespass; nor shall the party thus using the same be liable in

15  damages for the use thereof; provided that such easement shall

16  be used only in an orderly and proper manner.

17         Section 4.  Section 704.04, Florida Statutes, is

18  amended to read:

19         704.04  Judicial remedy and compensation to servient

20  owner.--When the owner or owners of such lands across which a

21  statutory way of necessity under s. 704.01(2) is claimed,

22  exclusive of the common-law right, objects or refuses to

23  permit the use of such way under the conditions set forth

24  herein or until she or he receives compensation therefor,

25  either party or the board of county commissioners of such

26  county may file suit in the circuit court of the county

27  wherein the land is located in order to determine if the claim

28  for said easement exists, and the amount of compensation to

29  which said party is entitled for use of such easement. When

30  Where said easement is awarded to the owner of the dominant

31  tenement, it shall be in compliance with s. 704.01(2) and


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 1  shall exist so long as such easement is reasonably necessary

 2  for the purposes stated herein. The court, in its discretion,

 3  shall determine all questions, including the type, duration,

 4  extent, and location of the easement, the amount of

 5  compensation, and the attorney's fees and costs to be awarded

 6  to either party for unreasonable refusal to comply with the

 7  provisions of s. 704.01(2), provided that if either of said

 8  parties so requests in her or his original pleadings, the

 9  amount of compensation may be determined by a jury trial. The

10  easement shall date from the time the award is paid.

11         Section 5.  Effective only if a court determines that

12  section 704.04, Florida Statutes, as amended by section 3 of

13  this act, is unconstitutional and such determination is upheld

14  on appeal, it is the intent of the Legislature that the

15  provisions of such section shall be the same as those in

16  existence prior to amendment by this act, and to that end

17  section 704.04, Florida Statutes, as it existed prior to

18  amendment by this act, is reenacted to read:

19         704.04  Judicial remedy and compensation to servient

20  owner.--When the owner or owners of such lands across which a

21  statutory way of necessity under s. 704.01(2) is claimed,

22  exclusive of the common-law right, objects or refuses to

23  permit the use of such way under the conditions set forth

24  herein or until she or he receives compensation therefor,

25  either party or the board of county commissioners of such

26  county may file suit in the circuit court of the county

27  wherein the land is located in order to determine if the claim

28  for said easement exists, and the amount of compensation to

29  which said party is entitled for use of such easement. Where

30  said easement is awarded to the owner of the dominant

31  tenement, it shall be in compliance with s. 704.01(2) and


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    CS for SB 1184                                 First Engrossed



 1  shall exist so long as such easement is reasonably necessary

 2  for the purposes stated herein. The court, in its discretion,

 3  shall determine all questions, including the type, duration,

 4  extent, and location of the easement, the amount of

 5  compensation, and the attorney's fees and costs to be awarded

 6  to either party for unreasonable refusal to comply with the

 7  provisions of s. 704.01(2) provided that if either of said

 8  parties so requests in her or his original pleadings, the

 9  amount of compensation may be determined by a jury trial. The

10  easement shall date from the time the award is paid.

11         Section 6.  Section 166.0498, Florida Statutes, is

12  created to read:

13         166.0498  Closing of a road by a municipality.--A

14  municipality may not permanently close a road that crosses

15  into or through an adjoining municipality until the following

16  conditions have been met:

17         (1)  The municipality closing the road must adopt an

18  ordinance and provide notice to the adjoining municipality of

19  the public hearing for the adoption of the ordinance;

20         (2)  The closure may not leave an area within the

21  adjoining municipality with only one means of egress or

22  ingress into the area;

23         (3)  The closure must be reviewed by each

24  municipality's emergency services providers, including, but

25  not limited to, police and fire rescue, who must make a

26  determination that the road closure will not adversely impact

27  the delivery of such emergency services by an entity or

28  adversely impact local or regional emergency preparedness,

29  including, but not limited to, eliminating potential

30  evacuation routes; and

31  


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 1         (4)  The municipality that is closing the road must

 2  provide signage, lighting, other necessary and appropriate

 3  safety signals for traffic, and paved roundabouts or other

 4  turn-around capability for all emergency vehicles on both

 5  sides of the barrier.

 6         Section 7.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

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