Florida Senate - 2020 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1878
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
02/03/2020 .
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The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (Bradley)
recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 373.477, Florida Statutes, is created to
6 read:
7 373.477 Everglades restoration and protection of water
8 resources.—For fiscal year 2020-2021, and annually thereafter, a
9 minimum of $625 million shall be appropriated as provided in
10 this section for the purposes of Everglades restoration and the
11 protection of water resources in this state. The funding must be
12 used for a science-based process to identify projects that are
13 needed to achieve such restoration and protection.
14 (1) For fiscal year 2020-2021, and annually thereafter, a
15 minimum of $625 million shall be appropriated in the following
16 distributions as delineated in the 2020-2021 General
17 Appropriations Act:
18 (a) A minimum of $236 million for Everglades projects in
19 accordance with the provisions of s. 375.041(3)(b)1.
20 (b) The sum of $64 million in accordance with s.
21 375.041(3)(b)4., for the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir
22 project.
23 (c) The sum of $50 million for springs restoration in
24 accordance with s. 375.041(3)(b)2.
25 (d) A minimum of $40 million for alternative water supplies
26 or water conservation.
27 (e) A minimum of $25 million as delineated in the 2020-2021
28 General Appropriations Act for projects within the watersheds of
29 the St. Johns River, the Suwannee River, and the Apalachicola
30 River.
31 (f) A minimum of $10 million for the Florida Resilient
32 Coastline Initiative.
33 (g) A minimum of $50 million to the South Florida Water
34 Management District for the design, engineering, and
35 construction of aquifer storage and recovery wells.
36 (h) A minimum of $4 million as delineated in the 2020-2021
37 General Appropriations Act for red tide research.
38 (2) Any remaining balance after the distributions indicated
39 in subsection (1) shall be allocated to fund any of the
40 following:
41 (a) Targeted water quality improvements.
42 (b) Alternative water supplies or water conservation.
43 (c) Water quality enhancements and accountability,
44 innovative technologies, and harmful algal bloom prevention and
45 mitigation.
46 (d) Land acquisition or easement acquisition, including,
47 but not limited to, lands or easements purchased pursuant to the
48 Florida Forever program or the Rural and Family Lands Protection
49 Program.
50 (e) Coral reef protection and restoration.
51 (f) Projects within the watersheds of the Indian River
52 Lagoon.
53 (3) This section is repealed on June 30, 2023, unless
54 reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
55 Legislature.
56 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
57 375.041, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
58 375.041 Land Acquisition Trust Fund.—
59 (3) Funds distributed into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund
60 pursuant to s. 201.15 shall be applied:
61 (b) Of the funds remaining after the payments required
62 under paragraph (a), but before funds may be appropriated,
63 pledged, or dedicated for other uses:
64 1. A minimum of $236 million the lesser of 25 percent or
65 $200 million shall be appropriated annually for Everglades
66 projects that implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
67 Plan as set forth in s. 373.470, including the Central
68 Everglades Planning Project subject to Congressional
69 authorization; the Long-Term Plan as defined in s. 373.4592(2);
70 and the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program as
71 set forth in s. 373.4595. From these funds, $32 million shall be
72 distributed each fiscal year through the 2023-2024 fiscal year
73 to the South Florida Water Management District for the Long-Term
74 Plan as defined in s. 373.4592(2). After deducting the $32
75 million distributed under this subparagraph, from the funds
76 remaining, a minimum of the lesser of 76.5 percent or $100
77 million shall be appropriated each fiscal year through the 2025
78 2026 fiscal year for the planning, design, engineering, and
79 construction of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as
80 set forth in s. 373.470, including the Central Everglades
81 Planning Project, the Everglades Agricultural Area Storage
82 Reservoir Project, the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Project, the C
83 43 West Basin Storage Reservoir Project, the Indian River
84 Lagoon-South Project, the Western Everglades Restoration
85 Project, and the Picayune Strand Restoration Project. The
86 Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida
87 Water Management District shall give preference to those
88 Everglades restoration projects that reduce harmful discharges
89 of water from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee
90 estuaries in a timely manner. For the purpose of performing the
91 calculation provided in this subparagraph, the amount of debt
92 service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) for bonds issued after
93 July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under paragraph (b)
94 shall be added to the amount remaining after the payments
95 required under paragraph (a). The amount of the distribution
96 calculated shall then be reduced by an amount equal to the debt
97 service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds issued after
98 July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under this
99 subparagraph.
100 2. A minimum of the lesser of 7.6 percent or $50 million
101 shall be appropriated annually for spring restoration,
102 protection, and management projects. For the purpose of
103 performing the calculation provided in this subparagraph, the
104 amount of debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) for bonds
105 issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under
106 paragraph (b) shall be added to the amount remaining after the
107 payments required under paragraph (a). The amount of the
108 distribution calculated shall then be reduced by an amount equal
109 to the debt service paid pursuant to paragraph (a) on bonds
110 issued after July 1, 2016, for the purposes set forth under this
111 subparagraph.
112 3. The sum of $5 million shall be appropriated annually
113 each fiscal year through the 2025-2026 fiscal year to the St.
114 Johns River Water Management District for projects dedicated to
115 the restoration of Lake Apopka. This distribution shall be
116 reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to
117 paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2016, for the
118 purposes set forth in this subparagraph.
119 4. The sum of $64 million is appropriated and shall be
120 transferred to the Everglades Trust Fund for the 2018-2019
121 fiscal year, and each fiscal year thereafter, for the EAA
122 reservoir project pursuant to s. 373.4598. Any funds remaining
123 in any fiscal year shall be made available only for Phase II of
124 the C-51 reservoir project or projects identified in
125 subparagraph 1. and must be used in accordance with laws
126 relating to such projects. Any funds made available for such
127 purposes in a fiscal year are in addition to the amount
128 appropriated under subparagraph 1. This distribution shall be
129 reduced by an amount equal to the debt service paid pursuant to
130 paragraph (a) on bonds issued after July 1, 2017, for the
131 purposes set forth in this subparagraph.
132 5. Notwithstanding subparagraph 3., for the 2019-2020
133 fiscal year, funds shall be appropriated as provided in the
134 General Appropriations Act. This subparagraph expires July 1,
135 2020.
136 Section 3. The amendment made to s. 375.041(3)(b), Florida
137 Statutes, by this act expires June 30, 2023, and the text of
138 that paragraph shall revert to that in existence on June 30,
139 2020, except that any amendments to such text enacted other than
140 by this act shall be preserved and continue to operate to the
141 extent that such amendments are not dependent upon the portions
142 of text which expire pursuant to this section.
143 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.
144
145 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
146 And the title is amended as follows:
147 Delete everything before the enacting clause
148 and insert:
149 A bill to be entitled
150 An act relating to environmental protection; creating
151 s. 373.477, F.S.; requiring a minimum annual
152 appropriation for Everglades restoration and the
153 protection of water resources in this state beginning
154 in a specified fiscal year; specifying requirements
155 for the allocation of such funding; providing for
156 future repeal of the appropriation unless reviewed and
157 saved from repeal through reenactment by the
158 Legislature; amending s. 375.041, F.S.; revising the
159 minimum annual appropriation for certain
160 appropriations from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund;
161 providing that such revisions expire on a specified
162 date; providing an effective date.