Senate Bill sb2486

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2486

    By Senator Constantine





    22-995A-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to natural disaster

  3         preparedness, response, and recovery; requiring

  4         the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental

  5         Relations to conduct a study of the costs

  6         associated with protecting and storing vital

  7         records and supplies in a school during a

  8         hurricane; requiring the Legislative Committee

  9         on Intergovernmental Relations to review the

10         collection and allocation of funds deposited in

11         the Emergency Management, Preparedness, and

12         Assistance Trust Fund; requiring reports to the

13         Legislature; amending s. 252.355, F.S.;

14         revising the dates on which an electric utility

15         is required to notify customers of the

16         registration program for persons with special

17         needs; amending s. 252.38, F.S.; requiring a

18         local government to have a procedure in its

19         emergency management plan for evacuating

20         certain residents before a natural disaster;

21         requiring a local government to educate

22         residents about evacuation procedures;

23         requiring a local government to test its

24         evacuation plan annually; authorizing a county

25         or municipality to require that a

26         representative of an electric utility or water

27         or wastewater utility be accessible and present

28         at a local emergency operations center under

29         certain circumstances; creating s. 455.2287,

30         F.S.; requiring the Department of Business and

31         Professional Regulation to establish a

                                  1

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2486
    22-995A-06




 1         statewide toll-free telephone hotline to

 2         receive information following a natural

 3         disaster concerning the regulation of certain

 4         professions; providing effective dates.

 5  

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

 7  

 8         Section 1.  (1)  The Legislative Committee on

 9  Intergovernmental Relations, in cooperation with the Florida

10  School Board Association, shall conduct a study to develop

11  cost estimates associated with the protection and temporary

12  storage of vital records, supplies, and equipment contained

13  within each school during a hurricane. The committee shall

14  report the results of the study to the President of the Senate

15  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by October 1,

16  2006.

17         (2)  The Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental

18  Relations shall review the collection and allocation of funds

19  deposited in the Emergency Management, Preparedness, and

20  Assistance Trust Fund. The committee shall report the results

21  of the review to the President of the Senate and the Speaker

22  of the House of Representatives by October 1, 2006. The review

23  must include, but need not be limited to:

24         (a)  Whether collection of the surcharge through

25  insurance policies is the best method to ensure that all

26  residential and commercial properties are paying the fee into

27  the trust fund. The review may identify possible alternative

28  methods of collecting the surcharge that might increase the

29  funds collected to adequately capture the growth of

30  residential and commercial properties in the state.

31  

                                  2

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2486
    22-995A-06




 1         (b)  Whether an increase in the trust fund surcharge is

 2  warranted and the reasons for the increase.

 3         (c)  How funds can be used to finance specific local

 4  emergency management projects and functions.

 5         (d)  Whether the law should be revised to exempt funds

 6  used to cover identified capital improvement projects from the

 7  reversion process for an appropriation of fixed capital outlay

 8  provided in s. 216.301.

 9         (3)  This section shall take effect upon becoming a

10  law.

11         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 252.355, Florida

12  Statutes, is amended to read:

13         252.355  Registry of persons with special needs;

14  notice.--

15         (2)  On or before the first day of each of the 6 months

16  preceding June 1 May 1 of each year each electric utility in

17  the state shall annually notify residential customers in its

18  service area of the availability of the registration program

19  available through their local emergency management agency.

20         Section 3.  Present paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of

21  section 252.38, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph

22  (c), and a new paragraph (b) is added to that subsection, and

23  paragraph (c) is added to subsection (3) of that section, to

24  read:

25         252.38  Emergency management powers of political

26  subdivisions.--Safeguarding the life and property of its

27  citizens is an innate responsibility of the governing body of

28  each political subdivision of the state.

29         (1)  COUNTIES.--

30         (b)  Each local government shall have a specific

31  procedure in place in its county emergency management plan

                                  3

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2486
    22-995A-06




 1  pursuant to paragraph (a) to evacuate those residents of the

 2  community who live in a flood or surge-prone area or in

 3  substandard housing that might not withstand a natural

 4  disaster and who do not have the means to evacuate before the

 5  natural disaster. In addition, each local government shall

 6  institute a public education program to inform residents of

 7  pick-up points during an evacuation and items that the

 8  residents may or may not bring when evacuating. A local

 9  government shall coordinate with regional and state responders

10  and test the evacuation plan annually in order to ensure its

11  functionality.

12         (3)  EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT POWERS; POLITICAL

13  SUBDIVISIONS.--

14         (c)  Pursuant to s. 252.41, a county or municipality

15  may require that a representative of an electric utility, as

16  defined in s. 366.02, or water or wastewater utility, as

17  defined in s. 367.021(12), be accessible during preparation

18  prior to an emergency or natural disaster and be present at

19  its local emergency operations center for purposes of

20  coordination during an actual emergency or natural disaster if

21  adequate means of coordination cannot be readily established

22  after the utility company has completed its initial assessment

23  of the damage to its facilities. Adequate means of

24  coordination include the ability to establish telephonic or

25  other electronic two-way communication between the emergency

26  operations center and a representative of the utility company

27  within 8 hours after attempting to initiate communication

28  after the utility has completed its initial assessment of the

29  damage to its facility.

30         Section 4.  Section 455.2287, Florida Statutes, is

31  created to read:

                                  4

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2486
    22-995A-06




 1         455.2287  Toll-free telephone number for inquiries and

 2  complaints.--The Department of Business and Professional

 3  Regulation shall establish and operate a statewide toll-free

 4  telephone hotline to receive inquiries and complaints

 5  following a natural disaster and to provide information

 6  relating to the regulation of building code administrators and

 7  inspectors under part XII of chapter 468; professional

 8  engineers under chapter 471; architects, interior designers,

 9  and landscape architects under chapter 481; and construction

10  contractors, electrical contractors, and septic tank

11  contractors under chapter 489.

12         Section 5.  Except as otherwise expressly provided in

13  this act and except for this section, which shall take effect

14  upon becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

15  

16            *****************************************

17                          SENATE SUMMARY

18    Requires the Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental
      Relations to conduct a study of the costs associated with
19    protecting and storing vital records and supplies in a
      school during a hurricane. Requires the Legislative
20    Committee on Intergovernmental Relations to review the
      collection and allocation of funds deposited in the
21    Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Assistance Trust
      Fund. Revises the dates on which an electric utility is
22    required to notify customers of the registration program
      for persons with special needs. Requires a local
23    government to have a procedure in its emergency
      management plan for evacuating certain residents before a
24    natural disaster. Requires a local government to educate
      residents about evacuation procedures. Requires a local
25    government to test its evacuation plan annually.
      Authorizes a county or municipality to require that a
26    representative of an electric utility or water or
      wastewater utility be accessible and present at a local
27    emergency operations center under certain circumstances.
      Requires the Department of Business and Professional
28    Regulation to establish a statewide toll-free telephone
      hotline to receive information relating to the regulation
29    of certain professions.

30  

31  

                                  5

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