Florida Senate - 2018 SB 1620
By Senator Book
32-00260A-18 20181620__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Water Infrastructure
3 Needs Solutions Task Force; creating the task force
4 within the legislative branch; providing legislative
5 findings and the purpose of the task force; specifying
6 membership of the task force; establishing the manner
7 of appointments and the terms of membership;
8 specifying requirements for meetings of the task
9 force; requiring the task force to submit a report to
10 the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date;
11 specifying that the task force is dissolved and
12 discharged of further duties upon submission of such
13 report; providing for staffing; specifying public
14 records and public meetings requirements applicable to
15 the task force; authorizing reimbursement for per diem
16 and travel expenses; providing for expiration;
17 providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Florida Water Infrastructure Needs Solutions
22 Task Force.—The Florida Water Infrastructure Needs Solutions
23 Task Force is created within the legislative branch of state
24 government.
25 (1) FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.—
26 (a) Conservative projections show that the state will
27 require an investment of more than $48 billion over the next 20
28 years to address issues with water supply, wastewater treatment
29 and disposal, stormwater management, water quality protection,
30 and environmental restoration of the Everglades and other
31 critical water resources, such as rivers, springs, lakes, bays,
32 and estuaries. The challenges related to these issues exceed the
33 individual fiscal capacities of the state, water management
34 districts, local governments, and special districts. While there
35 have been significant strides toward identifying the regional
36 water needs of this state, a strategy has yet to be developed to
37 finance the implementation of plans to address most of these
38 issues.
39 (b) The purpose of the task force is to evaluate funding
40 mechanisms and strategies currently being used locally,
41 regionally, nationally, and globally to ensure abundant and
42 clean water for future generations, and to recommend those
43 funding mechanisms and strategies that would provide the
44 greatest opportunity to ensure abundant and clean water for
45 future generations of the residents of this state.
46 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The task force is comprised of the
47 following members:
48 (a) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President of
49 the Senate. This member shall serve as co-chair of the task
50 force.
51 (b) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed
52 by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This member
53 shall serve as co-chair of the task force.
54 (c) The Chief Financial Officer or his or her designee.
55 (d) Two members of the agricultural community, as selected
56 by the Commissioner of Agriculture.
57 (e) One representative from the Department of Agriculture
58 and Consumer Services, appointed by the Commissioner of
59 Agriculture.
60 (f) One representative from the Fish and Wildlife
61 Conservation Commission, appointed by the executive director of
62 the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
63 (g) One representative from the Department of Environmental
64 Protection, appointed by the Secretary of Environmental
65 Protection.
66 (h) One individual representing all of the state’s water
67 management districts, appointed by the Secretary of
68 Environmental Protection.
69 (i) One representative from each of the following
70 organizations, as selected by such organization:
71 1. The Florida Opportunity Fund.
72 2. The Florida League of Cities.
73 3. The Florida Association of Counties.
74 4. The Associated Industries of Florida’s H2O Coalition.
75 5. The Florida Water Environment Association.
76 6. The Florida Stormwater Association.
77 7. The Florida Section of the American Water Works
78 Association.
79 8. The 1000 Friends of Florida.
80 9. The Florida Water Advocates.
81 (3) TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP.—Appointments to the task force
82 shall be made within 30 days after the effective date of this
83 act. All members shall serve for the duration of the task force.
84 Any vacancy shall be filled by the original appointing authority
85 for the remainder of the duration of the task force.
86 (4) MEETINGS.—Meetings of the task force shall be held upon
87 the call of the co-chairs, and the task force shall hold its
88 first meeting by October 1, 2018. The task force shall hold a
89 minimum of three meetings. A majority of the membership of the
90 task force constitutes a quorum.
91 (5) REPORT.—The task force shall submit a report of its
92 findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor, the
93 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
94 Representatives by December 1, 2019. Upon submission of the
95 report, the task force is dissolved and discharged of further
96 duties.
97 (6) STAFFING.—The President of the Senate and the Speaker
98 of the House of Representatives shall appoint an executive
99 director for the task force and are authorized to assign
100 legislative staff to provide support for the task force.
101 (7) PUBLIC RECORDS AND PUBLIC MEETINGS.—The task force is
102 subject to policies governing public records disclosure
103 prescribed in the joint rules of the Senate and the House of
104 Representatives. All meetings of the task force must be open to
105 the public, and regularly scheduled meetings must be publicly
106 noticed at least 5 days before the date of the meeting. The task
107 force shall maintain records of its meetings.
108 (8) PER DIEM AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Task force members shall
109 serve without compensation but are entitled to receive
110 reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses as provided in s.
111 112.061, Florida Statutes.
112 (9) EXPIRATION.—This section expires January 1, 2020.
113 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.