| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Comprehensive Everglades |
| 3 | Restoration Plan; requiring the Department of |
| 4 | Environmental Protection to expend appropriated funds for |
| 5 | certain acquisitions relating to restoration of the |
| 6 | Everglades in accordance with the comprehensive plan; |
| 7 | prohibiting reversion of appropriated funds to the General |
| 8 | Revenue Fund; providing for the sale of lands acquired |
| 9 | using appropriated funds after a finding by the department |
| 10 | and the South Florida Water Management District that the |
| 11 | land is no longer needed for the comprehensive plan; |
| 12 | providing for deposit of the proceeds of the sale, or an |
| 13 | equivalent amount, into the Save Our Everglades Trust |
| 14 | Fund; providing for use of such deposited moneys to |
| 15 | implement the comprehensive plan; providing an |
| 16 | appropriation; providing an effective date. |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Section 1. (1) The Department of Environmental Protection |
| 21 | shall, within the 2005-2006 fiscal year, expend or contract to |
| 22 | expend the sum appropriated by this act in a manner that expends |
| 23 | $100 million in the 2005-2006 fiscal year and expends $100 |
| 24 | million in each of the following 4 fiscal years for the purpose |
| 25 | of implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. |
| 26 | The funds shall be used to acquire and improve land, water |
| 27 | areas, and related property interests and resources for the |
| 28 | purpose of implementing the comprehensive plan. |
| 29 | (2) Notwithstanding any provision in section 216.301, |
| 30 | Florida Statutes, the funds appropriated by this act and |
| 31 | expended or committed for expenditure as directed by subsection |
| 32 | (1) shall not revert to the General Revenue Fund. |
| 33 | (3) Lands purchased pursuant to this section which are |
| 34 | later determined by the South Florida Water Management District |
| 35 | and the Department of Environmental Protection not to be needed |
| 36 | to implement the comprehensive plan shall be sold as surplus at |
| 37 | no less than appraised value, and the proceeds from the sale of |
| 38 | such lands deposited into the Save Our Everglades Trust Fund to |
| 39 | be used to implement the comprehensive plan, or the South |
| 40 | Florida Water Management District shall use a different source |
| 41 | of funds to pay for or reimburse the Save Our Everglades Trust |
| 42 | Fund for that portion of land not needed to implement the |
| 43 | comprehensive plan. |
| 44 | Section 2. The sum of $500 million is appropriated from |
| 45 | the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Environmental |
| 46 | Protection for the acquisition and improvement of land, water |
| 47 | areas, and related property interests and resources for the |
| 48 | purpose of implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration |
| 49 | Plan under section 373.470, Florida Statutes. |
| 50 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |