| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to military base closures; creating s. |
| 3 | 288.984, F.S.; establishing the Florida Council on |
| 4 | Military Base and Mission Support; providing for the |
| 5 | mission of the council; providing for membership; |
| 6 | providing for terms of appointment; providing for |
| 7 | reappointment of members; providing for election of a |
| 8 | council chair and vice chair; providing for reimbursement |
| 9 | of members for expenses; requiring the Office of Tourism, |
| 10 | Trade, and Economic Development to provide administrative |
| 11 | support; providing for council workgroups and tasks |
| 12 | thereof; requiring an annual report to the Legislature and |
| 13 | Governor; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Section 288.984, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 18 | to read: |
| 19 | 288.984 Florida Council on Military Base and Mission |
| 20 | Support.--The Florida Council on Military Base and Mission |
| 21 | Support is established. The council shall provide oversight and |
| 22 | direction for initiatives, claims, and actions taken on behalf |
| 23 | of the state, its agencies, and political subdivisions under |
| 24 | this part. |
| 25 | (1) MISSION.--The mission of the council is to: |
| 26 | (a) Support and strengthen all United States Department of |
| 27 | Defense missions and bases located in this state. |
| 28 | (b) Know the capabilities of all state military |
| 29 | installations in order to understand and be supportive of future |
| 30 | military growth opportunities in this state. |
| 31 | (c) Support local community efforts relating to mission |
| 32 | support of a military base by acting as a liaison between the |
| 33 | local communities and the Legislature. |
| 34 | (2) MEMBERSHIP.-- |
| 35 | (a) The council shall be composed of nine members. The |
| 36 | President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
| 37 | Representatives, and the Governor shall each appoint three |
| 38 | members as follows: |
| 39 | 1. The President of the Senate shall appoint one member of |
| 40 | the Senate, one community representative from a community-based |
| 41 | defense support organization, and one member who is a retired |
| 42 | military general or flag-rank officer residing in this state or |
| 43 | an executive officer of a defense contracting firm doing |
| 44 | significant business in this state. |
| 45 | 2. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall |
| 46 | appoint one member of the House of Representatives, one |
| 47 | community representative from a community-based defense support |
| 48 | organization, and one member who is a retired military general |
| 49 | or flag-rank officer residing in this state or an executive |
| 50 | officer of a defense contracting firm doing significant business |
| 51 | in this state. |
| 52 | 3. The Governor shall appoint the director or designee of |
| 53 | the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, the vice |
| 54 | chairperson or designee of Enterprise Florida, Inc., and one at- |
| 55 | large member. |
| 56 | (b) Each of the appointed legislative members shall serve |
| 57 | for a term of 2 years, commencing July 1 of each odd-numbered |
| 58 | year. Each of the other appointed members shall serve for a term |
| 59 | of 4 years, commencing July 1 in the year of appointment. A |
| 60 | vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term |
| 61 | in the same manner as the initial appointment. All members of |
| 62 | the council are eligible for reappointment. |
| 63 | (c) Members of the council shall elect a chair and vice |
| 64 | chair to serve for terms of 2 years. The chair and vice chair |
| 65 | are eligible to succeed themselves. |
| 66 | (d) The members of the council shall serve without |
| 67 | compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and |
| 68 | travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061, which shall be |
| 69 | paid by the appointing legislative chamber or the Executive |
| 70 | Office of the Governor, as appropriate. |
| 71 | (e) The Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development |
| 72 | shall provide administrative support to the council. |
| 73 | (f) The Secretary of Community Affairs or his or her |
| 74 | designee, the Secretary of Environmental Protection or his or |
| 75 | her designee, and the Secretary of Transportation or his or her |
| 76 | designee shall attend meetings held by the council and provide |
| 77 | assistance, information, and support as requested by the |
| 78 | council. |
| 79 | (3) WORKGROUPS.--The council shall establish the following |
| 80 | workgroups: |
| 81 | (a) The Intrastate Activities Workgroup.--The task of the |
| 82 | workgroup is to: |
| 83 | 1. Collect information about and become familiar with the |
| 84 | concerns and activities of local communities in enhancing and |
| 85 | supporting their respective military bases. |
| 86 | 2. Conduct an analysis of the strengths of each military |
| 87 | base and share the evaluation with the council and the affected |
| 88 | community. |
| 89 | 3. In partnership with the Florida Defense Alliance and |
| 90 | local communities, conduct ongoing analyses of current and |
| 91 | proposed changes to the mission and military force structure and |
| 92 | alignment of the United States Department of Defense. |
| 93 | 4. Identify the most effective methods and practices used |
| 94 | by local communities to address the issue of military base |
| 95 | support and enhancement and disseminate such best practices |
| 96 | among affected communities. |
| 97 | 5. Ensure that affected communities and stakeholders are |
| 98 | informed of and invited to assist and support state-level |
| 99 | efforts to affect statewide coordination of information |
| 100 | gathering, strategy development, and the sharing of best |
| 101 | practices. |
| 102 | 6. Educate the Legislature on the importance of supporting |
| 103 | legislation relating to the state's military bases. |
| 104 | (b) The Federal Activities Workgroup.--The task of the |
| 105 | workgroup is to ensure that the council has a presence at the |
| 106 | Pentagon and has ongoing dialogue with key Department of Defense |
| 107 | officials concerning the state's military bases. |
| 108 | (c) The Competitive Advantages Workgroup.--The task of the |
| 109 | workgroup is to research and identify best practices and |
| 110 | strategies throughout the country with respect to other military |
| 111 | communities in order to leverage the state's competitive |
| 112 | advantage. |
| 113 | (d) The Public Communications Workgroup.--The task of the |
| 114 | workgroup is to increase public awareness of the presence and |
| 115 | value of United States military installations and their missions |
| 116 | in Florida and public investment in supporting the state's |
| 117 | military bases. |
| 118 | (4) ANNUAL REPORT.--The council shall prepare and submit a |
| 119 | report to the Legislature and the Governor by January 1 of each |
| 120 | year. The report shall summarize the current status of the |
| 121 | state's military bases, the council's activities, and any |
| 122 | recommendations for legislative or executive action. |
| 123 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |