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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to motor vehicle safety; requiring limited

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access facilities that are adjacent to a canal or other

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water body to have a system of guardrails, retention

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cables, or other barriers between the highway and the

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canal or water body; providing for the Department of

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Transportation to establish certain standards governing

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the installation and maintenance of the barriers;

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requiring that barriers be installed for existing highways

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by a specified date; providing an effective date.

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

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     Section 1. Barrier required between a highway and a canal

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or a water body.--

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     (1) Each limited access facility in an area that has a high

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volume of canals or narrow roadways that are adjacent to bodies

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of water body must have a system of guardrails, retention cables,

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or other barriers between the highway and the canal or water body

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which are installed and maintained in conformance with standards

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established by the Department of Transportation. The standards

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should be designed to limit the loss of life by safely preventing

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out-of-control motor vehicles from entering the canal or water

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body, and may include criteria, such as the width or depth of the

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canal or water body or its proximity to the traveled way of the

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highway, in specifying where barriers are required.

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     (2) For a limited access facility in existence on July 1,

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2008, the barriers required under this section must be installed

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on or before December 31, 2011.

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     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.