| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to biomedical research, planning, and |
| 3 | development; creating the Florida Research, Planning, and |
| 4 | Development Authority to exercise authority within a |
| 5 | research, planning, and development area for biomedical |
| 6 | research, planning, and development purposes; providing |
| 7 | legislative findings and intent; providing definitions; |
| 8 | designating the Administration Commission as the governing |
| 9 | board of the authority; providing commission powers; |
| 10 | providing for staff of the Department of Community Affairs |
| 11 | as staff for the commission for certain purposes; |
| 12 | providing comprehensive plan development and adoption |
| 13 | requirements and procedures; providing plan requirements; |
| 14 | requiring the commission to conduct hearings for certain |
| 15 | purposes; providing for administrative challenges to the |
| 16 | plan; providing for the effect of an adopted plan; |
| 17 | providing for appeals of local government implementation |
| 18 | of the plan; providing for plan amendments; providing an |
| 19 | effective date. |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Section 1. Florida Research, Planning, and Development |
| 24 | Authority; creation; definitions; intent; governing board; |
| 25 | powers; timing and procedures; legal challenges; plans; plan |
| 26 | amendments.-- |
| 27 | (1) CREATION.--The Florida Research, Planning, and |
| 28 | Development Authority is created for the purpose of exercising |
| 29 | authority within the research, planning, and development area |
| 30 | for biomedical research, planning, and development purposes. |
| 31 | (2) FINDINGS AND INTENT.-- |
| 32 | (a) The state has invested more than $350 million in the |
| 33 | location and creation of a state-of-the-art biomedical research |
| 34 | institution and campus in this state. |
| 35 | (b) The Scripps Research Institute will establish a state- |
| 36 | of-the-art biomedical research institution and campus to benefit |
| 37 | all of the state. |
| 38 | (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Scripps |
| 39 | Research Institute provide a nexus for a cluster of biomedical |
| 40 | and research industries in the surrounding region. |
| 41 | (d) It is critical to develop a plan for future |
| 42 | development of not only the designated site for the Scripps |
| 43 | Research Institute but for the surrounding region to provide |
| 44 | compatible, sustainable community uses that enhance the Scripps |
| 45 | biomedical cluster. |
| 46 | (e) It is the intent of the Legislature to engage in |
| 47 | comprehensive planning and development within the multicounty |
| 48 | area surrounding the Scripps site to ensure the timely |
| 49 | construction and development of critical required public |
| 50 | infrastructure, including multimodal transportation facilities |
| 51 | that reduce reliance on the automobile as well as pedestrian- |
| 52 | friendly, mixed-use, sustainable communities. |
| 53 | (f) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a |
| 54 | mechanism for the coordinated planning of the Florida Research, |
| 55 | Planning, and Development Area in order to comprehensively and |
| 56 | holistically manage resource issues addressed by state and |
| 57 | federal regulatory programs. |
| 58 | (g) It is the intent of the Legislature that, |
| 59 | notwithstanding any other provision of law, the research, |
| 60 | planning, and development area include all of the land uses |
| 61 | necessary to support a balanced sustainable community to support |
| 62 | a state-of-the-art biomedical research institute and campus. |
| 63 | (3) DEFINITIONS.-- |
| 64 | (a) "Administration Commission" or "commission" means the |
| 65 | commission created pursuant to s. 14.202, Florida Statutes, |
| 66 | composed of the Governor and Cabinet with the Governor acting as |
| 67 | chair of the commission. |
| 68 | (b) "Development plan" means the comprehensive plan |
| 69 | adopted by the commission pursuant to subsection (5). |
| 70 | (c) "Governing board" or "board" means the Administration |
| 71 | Commission operating as the governing board of the Florida |
| 72 | Research, Planning, and Development Authority. |
| 73 | (d) "Research, planning, and development area" means the |
| 74 | geographic area designated by the commission under subparagraph |
| 75 | (5)(b)1. |
| 76 | (4) POWERS.--The Administration Commission shall plan and |
| 77 | develop the research, planning, and development area and may: |
| 78 | (a) Sue and be sued, enter into agreements, let contracts, |
| 79 | and acquire and sell real and personal property necessary to |
| 80 | conduct the business of the research, planning, and development |
| 81 | area. |
| 82 | (b) Designate and define the planning area to be known as |
| 83 | the Florida Research, Planning, and Development Area. |
| 84 | (c) Prepare, adopt, and amend a comprehensive plan to |
| 85 | govern development within the research, planning, and |
| 86 | development area pursuant to s. 163.3161, Florida Statutes. |
| 87 | (d) Create a transportation or concurrency exception area |
| 88 | for all or portions of the research, planning, and development |
| 89 | area pursuant to s. 163.3180(5), Florida Statutes, |
| 90 | notwithstanding the provisions of s. 163.3180(5)(b), Florida |
| 91 | Statutes. |
| 92 | (e) Delegate the administration of an adopted plan to the |
| 93 | respective local special or general purpose governments with |
| 94 | authority within the research, planning, and development area. |
| 95 | (f) Apply for and obtain any federal, state, or local |
| 96 | governmental licenses or permits required for construction or |
| 97 | operation of public infrastructure necessary or desirable for |
| 98 | successful development of the Scripps biomedical campus and |
| 99 | related cluster. Such infrastructure shall include, but is not |
| 100 | limited to, all forms of transportation facilities, including |
| 101 | roads, rail and mass transit operations and facilities, potable |
| 102 | water and wastewater systems, including reuse, flood control and |
| 103 | stormwater systems, indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, |
| 104 | environmental restoration or mitigation, and lighting. |
| 105 | (g) Expedite any permit applications or legal challenges |
| 106 | pursuant to s. 403.973, Florida Statutes. |
| 107 | (h) Implement and construct all authorized public |
| 108 | infrastructure separately or in cooperation with other public or |
| 109 | private entities or businesses. |
| 110 | (i) Adopt rules of procedure for preparation, review, and |
| 111 | approval of the development plan and review of local government |
| 112 | actions. |
| 113 |
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| 114 | The commission shall act as an appellate board for any appeals |
| 115 | of local government decisions by an affected party. Such appeals |
| 116 | shall be on the record made before the local government. |
| 117 | (5) STAFF, PROCEDURE, AND TIMING.-- |
| 118 | (a) The Department of Community Affairs is designated to |
| 119 | act as staff to the commission for the preparation of a |
| 120 | comprehensive plan for the research, planning, and development |
| 121 | area. The department shall coordinate all preparation, review, |
| 122 | and plan adoption procedures with all affected agencies, local |
| 123 | governments, and affected parties. |
| 124 | (b) The department shall prepare a draft comprehensive |
| 125 | plan for the research, planning, and development area within 6 |
| 126 | months after the effective date of this act. The plan shall |
| 127 | include: |
| 128 | 1. A recommended designation of the boundaries of the |
| 129 | research, planning, and development area. |
| 130 | 2. All applicable comprehensive planning requirements |
| 131 | pursuant to part II of chapter 163, Florida Statutes. |
| 132 | 3. Any waivers, concurrency exceptions, or management |
| 133 | plans for concurrency. |
| 134 | (c)1. The commission shall conduct a preliminary hearing |
| 135 | on the proposed plan within 30 days after its submission. |
| 136 | 2. Following the initial hearing, the department shall |
| 137 | have 45 days to recommend amendments or changes to the final |
| 138 | plan and submit the final plan to the commission for hearing. |
| 139 | 3. The commission shall conduct a final hearing on the |
| 140 | proposed plan and consider comments on the proposed plan and |
| 141 | shall adopt, adopt with amendments, or reject the plan with |
| 142 | directions to the department to amend the plan accordingly. |
| 143 | (6) ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGE.--Any affected party may |
| 144 | challenge the adoption of the plan pursuant to the provisions of |
| 145 | s. 163.3161, Florida Statutes. |
| 146 | (7) EFFECT OF PLAN ADOPTION.--The plan adopted by the |
| 147 | commission shall have the force and effect of a comprehensive |
| 148 | plan pursuant to part II of chapter 163, Florida Statutes. The |
| 149 | adopted plan shall be incorporated into the comprehensive plans |
| 150 | of the respective local governments and administered by the |
| 151 | local governments with comprehensive planning authority over the |
| 152 | designated research, planning, and development area. |
| 153 | (8) APPEALS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISIONS.--Any appeal of |
| 154 | a local government decision implementing the plan shall be to |
| 155 | the commission on the record made before the local government. |
| 156 | (9) PLAN AMENDMENTS.--The Department of Community Affairs |
| 157 | shall review and, if necessary, recommend amendments to the plan |
| 158 | to the commission once every 6 months pursuant to the procedures |
| 159 | specified in this section. |
| 160 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |