Florida Senate - 2013 SB 1784
By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
Domestic Security
583-02386-13 20131784__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to military installations; amending s.
3 253.025, F.S.; authorizing the Board of Trustees of
4 the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to acquire certain
5 nonconservation lands to buffer a military
6 installation against encroachment; amending s.
7 288.980, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
8 providing functions of the Military Base Protection
9 Program; authorizing the Department of Economic
10 Opportunity to annually recommend nonconservation
11 lands for acquisition through fee simple purchase or
12 less-than-fee interest purchase to the Board of
13 Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for
14 the purpose of preventing the encroachment of military
15 installations; requiring the board of trustees to also
16 consider land acquisition recommendations of the
17 Florida Defense Support Task Force; authorizing funds
18 appropriated to the Military Base Protection Program
19 to be used for land acquisition to prevent or reduce
20 encroachment of military installations; providing an
21 effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Subsection (18) is added to section 253.025,
26 Florida Statutes, to read:
27 253.025 Acquisition of state lands for purposes other than
28 preservation, conservation, and recreation.—
29 (18) The board of trustees may acquire, pursuant to s.
30 288.980(2)(b), nonconservation lands from the annual list
31 submitted by the Department of Economic Opportunity for the
32 purpose of buffering a military installation against
33 encroachment.
34 Section 2. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 288.980,
35 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
36 288.980 Military base retention; legislative intent; grants
37 program.—
38 (1)(a) It is the intent of this state to provide the
39 necessary means to assist communities with military
40 installations in supporting and sustaining those installations.
41 It is further the intent to encourage communities to initiate a
42 coordinated program of response and plan of action in advance of
43 future actions of the federal government relating to
44 realignments and closures. It is critical that communities
45 develop and implement strategies to preserve and protect
46 military installations. The Legislature hereby recognizes that
47 the state needs to coordinate all efforts that can support
48 military installations throughout the state. The Legislature,
49 therefore, declares that providing such assistance to support
50 the defense-related initiatives within this section is a public
51 purpose for which public money may be used.
52 (b) The Florida Defense Alliance, an organization within
53 Enterprise Florida, Inc., is designated as the organization to
54 ensure that Florida, its resident military bases and missions,
55 and its military host communities are in competitive positions
56 as the United States continues its defense realignment and
57 downsizing. The defense alliance shall serve as an overall
58 advisory body for defense-related activity of Enterprise
59 Florida, Inc. The Florida Defense Alliance may receive funding
60 from appropriations made for that purpose administered by the
61 department.
62 (c) The Legislature finds that encroachment of military
63 installations has been identified by local, state, and federal
64 leaders as a critical threat to protecting, preserving, and
65 enhancing military installations in this state. Encroachment can
66 be detrimental to the current and future missions of military
67 installations due to the incompatible use of adjacent land. The
68 Legislature recognizes the unique need to secure lands that have
69 no conservation value, but may present an encroachment threat to
70 a military installation.
71 (2)(a) The Military Base Protection Program is created. The
72 functions of the Military Base Protection Program includes, but
73 is not limited to:
74 1. Securing nonconservation lands to serve as a buffer to
75 protect military installations against encroachment; and
76 2. Supporting local community efforts to engage in service
77 partnerships with military installations.
78 (b) The department may annually submit a list to the Board
79 of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of
80 nonconservation lands to acquire, subject to a specific
81 appropriation, through fee simple purchase or through perpetual,
82 less-than-fee interest purchase, for the purpose of buffering a
83 military installation against encroachment. The Board of
84 Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall also
85 consider the recommendations of the Florida Defense Support Task
86 Force, created in s. 288.987, when selecting nonconservation
87 lands to purchase for the purpose of securing and protecting a
88 military installation against encroachment. This paragraph does
89 not preclude the acquisition of such lands by local governments
90 through fee simple purchase or through perpetual, less-than-fee
91 interest purchase, for the purpose of buffering a military
92 installation against encroachment.
93 (c) Funds appropriated to this program may be used to
94 address emergent needs relating to mission sustainment,
95 encroachment reduction or prevention, and base retention. All
96 funds appropriated for the purposes of this program are eligible
97 to be used for matching of federal funds. The department shall
98 coordinate and implement this program.
99 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.