CS for CS for SB 538 First Engrossed
2020538e1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to emergency management; creating s.
3 252.381, F.S.; providing that certain informational
4 meetings or calls coordinated by a federal, state, or
5 local emergency management agency related to any
6 federal, state, or local response to a declared
7 disaster are not considered public meetings if certain
8 conditions are met; providing for construction;
9 creating s. 252.351, F.S.; defining the term “office”;
10 requiring the State Watch Office within the Division
11 of Emergency Management to create a list of reportable
12 incidents; requiring a political subdivision to report
13 incidents contained on the list to the office;
14 authorizing the office to establish guidelines a
15 political subdivision must follow to report an
16 incident; requiring the office to annually provide the
17 list of reportable incidents to each political
18 subdivision; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 252.381, Florida Statutes, is created to
23 read:
24 252.381 Informational meetings or calls.—Any informational
25 meeting, conference call, or video call coordinated by a
26 federal, state, or local emergency management agency and related
27 to any federal, state, or local response to a declared disaster
28 is not a public meeting requiring public notice when two or more
29 members of a county or municipality governing body that
30 exercises local emergency management powers attend such an
31 informational meeting or a call occurring within 14 days of the
32 date that the declaration is issued by either the Governor or
33 the Federal Government; provided, however, that such governing
34 body members may not discuss or undertake any official action
35 except as otherwise authorized by law. Nothing in this section
36 is intended to prohibit making a meeting described in this
37 section open to the public.
38 Section 2. Section 252.351, Florida Statutes, is created to
39 read:
40 252.351 Mandatory reporting of certain incidents by
41 political subdivisions.—
42 (1) For purposes of this section, the term “office” means
43 the State Watch Office established within the division pursuant
44 to s. 14.2016.
45 (2) The office, to aid in its mission of serving as a
46 clearinghouse for emergency-related information across all
47 levels of government, shall create and maintain a list of
48 reportable incidents. The list must include, but is not limited
49 to, the following events:
50 (a) Major fires, including wildfires, commercial or
51 multiunit residential fires, and industrial fires.
52 (b) Search and rescue operations, including structure
53 collapse or urban search and rescue response.
54 (c) Bomb threats or threats to inflict harm on a large
55 number of people or significant infrastructure, a suspicious
56 device, or device detonation.
57 (d) Natural hazards and severe weather, including
58 earthquakes, landslides, or ground subsidence or sinkholes.
59 (e) Public health and population protective actions,
60 including public health hazards, evacuation orders, or emergency
61 shelter openings.
62 (f) Animal or agricultural events, including suspected or
63 confirmed animal disease, suspected or confirmed agricultural
64 disease, crop failure, or food supply contamination.
65 (g) Environmental concerns, including an incident of
66 reportable pollution release as required in s. 403.077(2).
67 (h) Nuclear power plant events, including events in process
68 or that have occurred that indicate a potential degradation of
69 the level of safety of the plant or that indicate a security
70 threat to facility protection.
71 (i) Major transportation events, including aircraft or
72 airport incidents, passenger or commercial railroad incidents,
73 major road or bridge closures, or marine incidents involving a
74 blocked navigable channel of a major waterway.
75 (j) Major utility or infrastructure events, including dam
76 failure or overtopping, drinking water facility breach, or major
77 utility outages or disruptions involving transmission lines or
78 substations.
79 (k) Military events, when information regarding such
80 activity is provided to a political subdivision.
81 (3) As soon as practicable following its initial response
82 to an incident, a political subdivision shall provide
83 notification to the office that an incident specified on the
84 list of reportable incidents has occurred within its
85 geographical boundaries. The office may establish guidelines
86 specifying the method and format a political subdivision must
87 use when reporting an incident.
88 (4) Beginning December 1, 2020, and by December 1 every
89 year thereafter, the office must provide the list of reportable
90 incidents to each political subdivision.
91 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.