Florida Senate - 2016                             CS for SB 1544
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
       Domestic Security; and Senators Clemens, Bullard, and Soto
       
       583-02863-16                                          20161544c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to natural hazards; creating s.
    3         252.3655, F.S.; creating an interagency workgroup to
    4         share information, coordinate ongoing efforts, and
    5         collaborate on initiatives relating to natural
    6         hazards; defining the term “natural hazards”;
    7         requiring certain agencies to designate liaisons to
    8         the workgroup; designating the director of the
    9         Division of Emergency Management or his or her
   10         designee as the liaison to and coordinator of the
   11         workgroup; specifying duties and responsibilities of
   12         each liaison and the workgroup; requiring the division
   13         to prepare an annual report; specifying report
   14         requirements; requiring each agency liaison to ensure
   15         that the report is posted on his or her agency’s
   16         website; requiring the workgroup to submit the report
   17         to the Governor and the Legislature; providing an
   18         effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 252.3655, Florida Statutes, is created
   23  to read:
   24         252.3655 Natural hazards interagency workgroup.—
   25         (1)(a) An interagency workgroup is created for the purpose
   26  of sharing information on the current and potential impacts of
   27  natural hazards throughout the state, coordinating the ongoing
   28  efforts of state agencies in addressing the impacts of natural
   29  hazards, and collaborating on statewide initiatives to address
   30  the impacts of natural hazards. As used in this section, the
   31  term “natural hazards” includes, but is not limited to, extreme
   32  heat, drought, wildfire, sea-level change, high tides, storm
   33  surge, saltwater intrusion, stormwater runoff, flash floods,
   34  inland flooding, and coastal flooding.
   35         (b) Each agency within the executive branch of state
   36  government, each water management district, and the Florida
   37  Public Service Commission shall select from within such agency a
   38  person to be designated as the agency liaison to the workgroup.
   39         (c) The director of the Division of Emergency Management or
   40  his or her designee shall serve as the liaison to and
   41  coordinator of the workgroup.
   42         (d) Each liaison shall provide information from his or her
   43  respective agency on the current and potential impacts of
   44  natural hazards to his or her agency, agency resources available
   45  to mitigate against natural hazards, and efforts made by the
   46  agency to address the impacts of natural hazards.
   47         (e) The workgroup shall meet in person or by teleconference
   48  on a quarterly basis to share information, leverage agency
   49  resources, coordinate ongoing efforts, and provide information
   50  for inclusion in the annual progress report submitted pursuant
   51  to subsection (2).
   52         (2)(a) On behalf of the workgroup, the Division of
   53  Emergency Management shall prepare an annual progress report on
   54  the implementation of the state’s hazard mitigation plan,
   55  developed and submitted in accordance with 42 U.S.C. s. 5165 and
   56  any implementing regulations, as it relates to natural hazards.
   57  At a minimum, the annual progress report must:
   58         1. Assess the relevance, level, and significance of current
   59  agency efforts to address the impacts of natural hazards; and
   60         2. Strategize and prioritize ongoing efforts to address the
   61  impacts of natural hazards.
   62         (b) Each liaison is responsible for ensuring that the
   63  workgroup’s annual progress report is posted on his or her
   64  agency’s website.
   65         (c) By January 1, 2018, and each year thereafter, the
   66  workgroup shall submit the annual progress report to the
   67  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
   68  House of Representatives.
   69         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.