Florida Senate - 2021                                     SB 524
       
       
        
       By Senator Hooper
       
       
       
       
       
       16-00650-21                                            2021524__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Fish and Wildlife Conservation
    3         Commission trust funds; amending s. 379.205, F.S.;
    4         revising the sources of funds that may be used for
    5         specified purposes for the Florida Panther Research
    6         and Management Trust Fund; authorizing the funds to be
    7         used for commission administrative costs; amending ss.
    8         379.208 and 379.209, F.S.; authorizing the commission
    9         to invest and reinvest funds and the interest thereof
   10         of the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund and
   11         the Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund, respectively;
   12         amending s. 379.211, F.S.; authorizing the commission
   13         to invest and reinvest funds and the interest thereof
   14         of the State Game Trust Fund; deleting a provision
   15         limiting the use of such funds; amending s. 379.213,
   16         F.S.; authorizing the commission to invest and
   17         reinvest funds and the interest thereof of the Save
   18         the Manatee Trust Fund; amending s. 320.08058, F.S.;
   19         revising the authorized uses for funds of the Save the
   20         Manatee Trust Fund collected from sales of the manatee
   21         license plates to include administrative costs;
   22         revising the use of such funds for the marketing of
   23         the license plates; amending s. 379.214, F.S.;
   24         authorizing the commission to invest and reinvest the
   25         funds and the interest thereof of the Invasive Plant
   26         Control Trust Fund; authorizing such funds to be used
   27         for commission administrative costs; providing an
   28         effective date.
   29          
   30  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   31  
   32         Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 379.205, Florida
   33  Statutes, is amended to read:
   34         379.205 Florida Panther Research and Management Trust
   35  Fund.—
   36         (2) The commission shall spend money from the fund and all
   37  interest derived from its investments and reinvestments shall be
   38  spent only for the following purposes:
   39         (a) To manage and protect existing Florida panther
   40  populations by increasing panther food sources where food is a
   41  limiting factor, determining conflicts between public use and
   42  panther survival, maintaining sufficient genetic variability in
   43  existing populations, and undertaking management and enforcement
   44  activities that protect panther habitat.
   45         (b) To educate the public concerning the value of the
   46  panther and the necessity for panther management.
   47         (c) To reestablish Florida panthers into areas of suitable
   48  habitat, where feasible, by assessing the necessity of a captive
   49  breeding program for purposes of reintroduction of the panthers
   50  into the suitable habitat; selecting potential sites for
   51  reintroduction and investigating associated human sociological
   52  aspects; and assessing the potential for panther habitat
   53  acquisition.
   54         (d) For Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
   55  administrative costs and for the promotion to promote and
   56  marketing of market the Florida panther license plate as
   57  authorized under s. 320.08058.
   58         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 379.208, Florida
   59  Statutes, is amended to read:
   60         379.208 Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund;
   61  purposes.—
   62         (1) The Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund within the
   63  Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shall serve as a
   64  broad-based depository for funds from various marine-related and
   65  boating-related activities. The commission may invest and
   66  reinvest the funds and the interest thereof of the trust fund
   67  and shall administer the trust fund be administered by the
   68  commission for the purposes of:
   69         (a) Funding for marine research.
   70         (b) Funding for fishery enhancement, including, but not
   71  limited to, fishery statistics development, artificial reefs,
   72  and fish hatcheries.
   73         (c) Funding for marine law enforcement.
   74         (d) Funding for administration of licensing programs for
   75  recreational fishing, saltwater products sales, and related
   76  information and education activities.
   77         (e) Funding for the operations of the Fish and Wildlife
   78  Conservation Commission.
   79         (f) Funding for titling and registration of vessels.
   80         (g) Funding for marine turtle protection, research, and
   81  recovery activities from revenues that are specifically credited
   82  to the trust fund for these purposes.
   83         (h) Funding activities for rehabilitation of oyster
   84  harvesting areas from which special oyster surcharge fees are
   85  collected, including relaying and transplanting live oysters.
   86         (i) Funding for boating research, boating-related programs
   87  and activities, and for law enforcement on state waters.
   88         (j) Funding for the stone crab trap reduction program under
   89  s. 379.365, the blue crab effort management program under s.
   90  379.366, the spiny lobster trap certificate program under s.
   91  379.3671, and the trap retrieval program under s. 379.2424.
   92         Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
   93  379.209, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   94         379.209 Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund.—
   95         (2)(a) There is established within the Fish and Wildlife
   96  Conservation Commission the Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund. The
   97  fund shall be credited with moneys collected pursuant to ss.
   98  319.32(3) and 320.02(8). Additional funds may be provided from
   99  legislative appropriations and by donations from interested
  100  individuals and organizations. The commission may invest and
  101  reinvest the funds and the interest thereof of the Nongame
  102  Wildlife Trust Fund. The commission shall designate an
  103  identifiable unit to administer the trust fund.
  104         Section 4. Section 379.211, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  105  read:
  106         379.211 State Game Trust Fund.—The funds resulting from the
  107  operation of the commission and from the administration of the
  108  laws and regulations pertaining to birds, game, fur-bearing
  109  animals, freshwater fish, reptiles, and amphibians, together
  110  with any other funds specifically provided for such purposes
  111  shall constitute the State Game Trust Fund and shall be used by
  112  the commission as it shall deem fit, including the investment
  113  and reinvestment of the funds and the interest thereof, for the
  114  purpose of in carrying out this section. The provisions hereof
  115  and for no other purposes, except that annual use fees deposited
  116  into the trust fund from the sale of the Largemouth Bass license
  117  plate may be expended for the purposes provided under s.
  118  320.08058(17). The commission may not obligate itself beyond the
  119  current resources of the State Game Trust Fund unless
  120  specifically so authorized by the Legislature.
  121         Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 379.213, Florida
  122  Statutes, is amended to read:
  123         379.213 Save the Manatee Trust Fund.—
  124         (2) The commission may invest and reinvest the funds and
  125  the interest thereof of the Save the Manatee Trust Fund. Funds
  126  to be credited to and uses of the trust fund shall be
  127  administered in accordance with the provisions of ss. 320.08058,
  128  328.66, 328.72, 328.74, 328.76, and 379.2431. The Fish and
  129  Wildlife Conservation Commission may receive donations for
  130  deposit into the Save the Manatee Trust Fund.
  131         Section 6. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of
  132  section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  133         320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
  134         (1) MANATEE LICENSE PLATES.—
  135         (b) The manatee license plate annual use fee must be
  136  deposited into the Save the Manatee Trust Fund, created within
  137  the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and may shall be
  138  used only for commission administrative costs and the purposes
  139  specified in s. 379.2431(4).
  140         (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), up to 10 percent of the
  141  annual use fee deposited in the Save the Manatee Trust Fund from
  142  the sale of the manatee license plate may be used to promote and
  143  market the license plate issued by the Department of Highway
  144  Safety and Motor Vehicles after June 30, 2007.
  145         Section 7. Subsection (2) of section 379.214, Florida
  146  Statutes, is amended to read:
  147         379.214 Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund.—
  148         (2) The commission may invest and reinvest the funds and
  149  the interest thereof of the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund.
  150  Funds to be credited to and uses of the trust fund shall be
  151  administered in accordance with the provisions of ss. 206.606,
  152  328.76, 369.20, 369.22, 369.252, and 379.502 and may also be
  153  used for commission administrative costs.
  154         Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.