Florida Senate - 2022                             CS for SB 1940
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; and
       Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       592-02540-22                                          20221940c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to statewide flooding and sea-level
    3         rise resilience; creating s. 14.2031, F.S.;
    4         establishing the Statewide Office of Resilience within
    5         the Executive Office of the Governor; providing for
    6         the appointment of a Chief Resilience Officer;
    7         creating s. 339.157, F.S.; requiring the Department of
    8         Transportation to develop a resilience action plan for
    9         the State Highway System; providing the goals and
   10         required components of the plan; requiring the
   11         department to submit the plan to the Governor and the
   12         Legislature by a specified date; requiring the plan to
   13         be updated every 3 years; providing requirements for
   14         the updated plan; amending s. 380.093, F.S.; defining
   15         terms; revising the projects the Department of
   16         Environmental Protection may fund within the Resilient
   17         Florida Grant Program; revising vulnerability
   18         assessment requirements for noncoastal communities;
   19         extending the dates by which the department must
   20         complete a comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability
   21         and sea-level rise data set and assessment; requiring
   22         the data set to be developed in coordination with the
   23         Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation;
   24         requiring eligible projects submitted to the
   25         department to be ranked and included in the Statewide
   26         Flood and Sea-Level Rise Resilience Plan; revising the
   27         entities authorized to submit proposed projects by
   28         specified dates for the plan; amending s. 380.0933,
   29         F.S.; requiring the Florida Flood Hub for Applied
   30         Research and Innovation to provide tidal and storm
   31         surge flooding data to counties and municipalities for
   32         vulnerability assessments; amending s. 472.0366, F.S.;
   33         revising the effective date of a requirement that a
   34         surveyor and mapper submit a copy of completed
   35         elevation certificates to the Division of Emergency
   36         Management; requiring the surveyor and mapper to
   37         submit a digital copy of a completed elevation
   38         certificate to the division; providing an effective
   39         date.
   40          
   41  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   42  
   43         Section 1. Section 14.2031, Florida Statutes, is created to
   44  read:
   45         14.2031Statewide Office of Resilience.—The Statewide
   46  Office of Resilience is established within the Executive Office
   47  of the Governor. The office shall be headed by a Chief
   48  Resilience Officer, who is appointed by and serves at the
   49  pleasure of the Governor.
   50         Section 2. Section 339.157, Florida Statutes, is created to
   51  read:
   52         339.157Resilience action plan.—
   53         (1)The department shall develop a resilience action plan
   54  for the State Highway System based on current conditions and
   55  forecasted future events. The goals of the action plan are to do
   56  all of the following:
   57         (a)Recommend strategies to enhance infrastructure and the
   58  operational resilience of the State Highway System which may be
   59  incorporated into the transportation asset management plan.
   60         (b)Recommend design changes for retrofitting existing and
   61  constructing new state highway facilities.
   62         (c)Enhance partnerships for collaboration to address
   63  multijurisdictional resilience needs.
   64         (2)The resilience action plan must include all of the
   65  following components:
   66         (a)An assessment of the State Highway System to identify
   67  roadway facilities and drainage outfalls that may be subject to
   68  vulnerabilities associated with tidal, rainfall, the combination
   69  of tidal and rainfall, and storm surge flooding, including
   70  future projections of sea-level rise, using existing data for
   71  current and forecasted future events. As part of the assessment,
   72  the department shall do all of the following using the most up
   73  to-date National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
   74  precipitation frequency and sea-level rise data:
   75         1.Synthesize historical and current infrastructure
   76  resilience issues statewide.
   77         2.Evaluate alternatives for retrofitting existing systems
   78  and infrastructure.
   79         3.Develop prioritization criteria for resilience project
   80  identification.
   81         4.Develop a prioritized resilience needs project list, in
   82  addition to existing projects within the work program, with the
   83  associated costs and timeline.
   84         5.Develop a statewide database identifying and documenting
   85  those assets vulnerable to current and future flooding. The
   86  department shall develop a cost estimate and schedule to enhance
   87  existing data to include site-specific details and existing
   88  criteria to improve the needs prioritization.
   89         (b)A systemic review of the department’s policies,
   90  procedures, manuals, tools, and guidance documents to identify
   91  revisions that will facilitate cost-effective improvements to
   92  address existing and future State Highway System infrastructure
   93  vulnerabilities associated with flooding and sea-level rise.
   94         (c)Provision of technical assistance to local agencies and
   95  modal partners on resilience issues related to the State Highway
   96  System and the deployment of local and regional solutions.
   97         (3)By June 20, 2023, the department shall submit the
   98  resilience action plan to the Governor, the President of the
   99  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Every
  100  third year on June 30 thereafter, the department shall submit a
  101  status report reviewing updates to the action plan and the
  102  associated implementation activities.
  103         Section 3. Section 380.093, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  104  read:
  105         380.093 Resilient Florida Grant Program; comprehensive
  106  statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea level rise data
  107  set and assessment; Statewide Flooding and Sea-Level Sea Level
  108  Rise Resilience Plan; regional resilience entities.—
  109         (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—
  110         (a) The Legislature recognizes that this the state is
  111  particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts from flooding
  112  resulting from increases in frequency and duration of rainfall
  113  events, storm surge from more frequent and severe weather
  114  systems, and sea-level sea level rise. Such adverse impacts pose
  115  economic, social, environmental, and public health and safety
  116  challenges to this the state. To most effectively address these
  117  challenges, funding should be allocated in a manner that
  118  prioritizes addressing the most significant risks.
  119         (b) The Legislature further recognizes that the adverse
  120  impacts of flooding and sea-level sea level rise affect coastal
  121  and inland communities all across the state. Consequently, a
  122  coordinated approach is necessary to maximize the benefit of
  123  efforts to address such impacts and to improve the state’s
  124  resilience to flooding and sea-level sea level rise.
  125         (c) The Legislature further recognizes that to effectively
  126  and efficiently address and prepare for the adverse impacts of
  127  flooding and sea-level sea level rise in this the state, it is
  128  necessary to conduct a comprehensive statewide assessment of the
  129  specific risks posed to this the state by flooding and sea-level
  130  sea level rise and develop a statewide coordinated approach to
  131  addressing such risks.
  132         (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
  133         (a) “Critical asset” includes:
  134         1. Transportation assets and evacuation routes, including
  135  airports, bridges, bus terminals, ports, major roadways,
  136  marinas, rail facilities, and railroad bridges.
  137         2. Critical infrastructure, including wastewater treatment
  138  facilities and lift stations, stormwater treatment facilities
  139  and pump stations, drinking water facilities, water utility
  140  conveyance systems, electric production and supply facilities,
  141  solid and hazardous waste facilities, military installations,
  142  communications facilities, and disaster debris management sites.
  143         3. Critical community and emergency facilities, including
  144  schools, colleges, universities, community centers, correctional
  145  facilities, disaster recovery centers, emergency medical service
  146  facilities, emergency operation centers, fire stations, health
  147  care facilities, hospitals, law enforcement facilities, local
  148  government facilities, logistical staging areas, affordable
  149  public housing, risk shelter inventory, and state government
  150  facilities.
  151         4. Natural, cultural, and historical resources, including
  152  conservation lands, parks, shorelines, surface waters, wetlands,
  153  and historical and cultural assets.
  154         (b) “Department” means the Department of Environmental
  155  Protection.
  156         (c)“Preconstruction activities” means activities
  157  associated with a project which occur before construction
  158  begins, including, but not limited to, design of the project,
  159  permitting for the project, surveys, site development,
  160  solicitation, public hearings, local code amendments,
  161  establishing local funding sources, and easement acquisition.
  162         (d)“Regionally significant assets” means critical assets
  163  that support the needs of communities spanning multiple
  164  geopolitical jurisdictions, including, but not limited to,
  165  regional medical centers, emergency operations centers, regional
  166  utilities, major transportation hubs and corridors, airports,
  167  and seaports.
  168         (3) RESILIENT FLORIDA GRANT PROGRAM.—
  169         (a) The Resilient Florida Grant Program is established
  170  within the department.
  171         (b) Subject to appropriation, the department may provide
  172  grants to a county or municipality to fund:
  173         1. The costs of community resilience planning and necessary
  174  data collection for such planning, including comprehensive plan
  175  amendments and necessary corresponding analyses that address the
  176  requirements of s. 163.3178(2)(f).;
  177         2. Vulnerability assessments that identify or address risks
  178  of inland or coastal flooding and sea-level sea level rise.;
  179         3. The development of projects, plans, and policies that
  180  allow communities to prepare for threats from flooding and sea
  181  level sea level rise.; and
  182         4.Preconstruction activities for projects to be submitted
  183  for inclusion in the Statewide Flooding and Sea-Level Rise
  184  Resilience Plan which are located in a municipality that has a
  185  population of 10,000 or fewer or a county that has a population
  186  of 50,000 or fewer, according to the most recent April 1
  187  population estimates posted on the Office of Economic and
  188  Demographic Research’s website projects to adapt critical assets
  189  to the effects of flooding and sea level rise.
  190         (c) A vulnerability assessment conducted pursuant to
  191  paragraph (b) must encompass the entire county or municipality;
  192  include all critical assets owned or maintained by the grant
  193  applicant; and use the most recent publicly available Digital
  194  Elevation Model and generally accepted analysis and modeling
  195  techniques. An assessment may encompass a smaller geographic
  196  area or include only a portion of the critical assets owned or
  197  maintained by the grant applicant with appropriate rationale and
  198  upon approval by the department. Locally collected elevation
  199  data may also be included as part of the assessment as long as
  200  it is submitted to the department pursuant to this paragraph.
  201         1. The assessment must include an analysis of the
  202  vulnerability of and risks to critical assets, including
  203  regionally significant assets, owned or managed by the county or
  204  municipality.
  205         2. Upon completion of a vulnerability assessment, the
  206  county or municipality shall submit to the department the
  207  following:
  208         a. A report detailing the findings of the assessment.
  209         b. All electronic mapping data used to illustrate flooding
  210  and sea-level sea level rise impacts identified in the
  211  assessment. When submitting such data, the county or
  212  municipality shall include:
  213         (I) Geospatial data in an electronic file format suitable
  214  for input to the department’s mapping tool.
  215         (II) Geographic information system data that has been
  216  projected into the appropriate Florida State Plane Coordinate
  217  System and that is suitable for the department’s mapping tool.
  218  The county or municipality must also submit metadata using
  219  standards prescribed by the department.
  220         c. A list of critical assets, including regionally
  221  significant assets, that are impacted by flooding and sea-level
  222  sea level rise.
  223         (d) A vulnerability assessment conducted pursuant to
  224  paragraph (b) must include all of the following, if applicable:
  225         1. Peril of flood comprehensive plan amendments that
  226  address the requirements of s. 163.3178(2)(f), if the county or
  227  municipality is subject to such requirements and has not
  228  complied with such requirements as determined by the Department
  229  of Economic Opportunity.
  230         2. The depth of:
  231         a. Tidal flooding, including future high tide flooding,
  232  which must use thresholds published and provided by the
  233  department. To the extent practicable, the analysis should also
  234  geographically display the number of tidal flood days expected
  235  for each scenario and planning horizon.
  236         b. Current and future storm surge flooding using publicly
  237  available National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or
  238  Federal Emergency Management Agency storm surge data. The
  239  initial storm surge event used must equal or exceed the current
  240  100-year flood event. Higher frequency storm events may be
  241  analyzed to understand the exposure of a critical asset.
  242         c. To the extent practicable, rainfall-induced flooding
  243  using spatiotemporal analysis or existing hydrologic and
  244  hydraulic modeling results. Future boundary conditions should be
  245  modified to consider sea-level sea level rise and high tide
  246  conditions. Vulnerability assessments for noncoastal communities
  247  must include the depth of rainfall-induced flooding for a 100
  248  year storm and a 500-year storm, as defined by the applicable
  249  water management district or, if necessary, the appropriate
  250  federal agency. Projections of future rainfall conditions should
  251  be utilized, if available.
  252         d. To the extent practicable, compound flooding or the
  253  combination of tidal, storm surge, and rainfall-induced
  254  flooding.
  255         3. The following scenarios and standards:
  256         a. All analyses in the North American Vertical Datum of
  257  1988.
  258         b. At least two local sea-level sea level rise scenarios,
  259  which must include the 2017 National Oceanic and Atmospheric
  260  Administration intermediate-low and intermediate-high sea-level
  261  sea level rise projections.
  262         c. At least two planning horizons that include planning
  263  horizons for the years 2040 and 2070.
  264         d. Local sea-level sea level data that has been
  265  interpolated between the two closest National Oceanic and
  266  Atmospheric Administration tide gauges. Local sea-level sea
  267  level data may be taken from one such gauge if the gauge has a
  268  higher mean sea level. Data taken from an alternate tide gauge
  269  may be used with appropriate rationale and department approval,
  270  as long as it is publicly available or submitted to the
  271  department pursuant to paragraph (b).
  272         (4) COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE FLOOD VULNERABILITY AND SEA
  273  LEVEL SEA LEVEL RISE DATA SET AND ASSESSMENT.—
  274         (a) By July 1, 2023 2022, the department shall complete the
  275  development of a comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability and
  276  sea-level sea level rise data set sufficient to conduct a
  277  comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea
  278  level rise assessment. In developing the data set, the
  279  department, in coordination with the Florida Flood Hub for
  280  Applied Research and Innovation, shall compile, analyze, and
  281  incorporate, as appropriate, information related to
  282  vulnerability assessments submitted to the department pursuant
  283  to subsection (3) or any previously completed assessments that
  284  meet the requirements of subsection (3).
  285         1. The Chief Science Officer shall, in coordination with
  286  necessary experts and resources, develop statewide sea-level sea
  287  level rise projections that incorporate temporal and spatial
  288  variability, to the extent practicable, for inclusion in the
  289  data set. This subparagraph does not supersede regionally
  290  adopted projections.
  291         2. The data set must include information necessary to
  292  determine the risks to inland and coastal communities,
  293  including, but not limited to, elevation, tidal levels, and
  294  precipitation.
  295         (b) By July 1, 2024 2023, the department shall complete a
  296  comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea
  297  level rise assessment that identifies inland and coastal
  298  infrastructure, geographic areas, and communities in this the
  299  state that are vulnerable to flooding and sea-level sea level
  300  rise and the associated risks.
  301         1. The department shall use the comprehensive statewide
  302  flood vulnerability and sea-level sea level rise data set to
  303  conduct the assessment.
  304         2. The assessment must incorporate local and regional
  305  analyses of vulnerabilities and risks, including, as
  306  appropriate, local mitigation strategies and postdisaster
  307  redevelopment plans.
  308         3. The assessment must include an inventory of critical
  309  assets, including regionally significant assets, that are
  310  essential for critical government and business functions,
  311  national security, public health and safety, the economy, flood
  312  and storm protection, water quality management, and wildlife
  313  habitat management, and must identify and analyze the
  314  vulnerability of and risks to such critical assets. When
  315  identifying critical assets for inclusion in the assessment, the
  316  department shall also take into consideration the critical
  317  assets identified by local governments and submitted to the
  318  department pursuant to subsection (3).
  319         (c) The department shall update the comprehensive statewide
  320  flood vulnerability and sea-level sea level rise data set and
  321  assessment every 5 years. The department may update the data set
  322  and assessment more frequently if it determines that updates are
  323  necessary to maintain the validity of the data set and
  324  assessment.
  325         (5) STATEWIDE FLOODING AND SEA-LEVEL SEA LEVEL RISE
  326  RESILIENCE PLAN.—
  327         (a) By December 1, 2021, and each December 1 thereafter,
  328  the department shall develop a Statewide Flooding and Sea-Level
  329  Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan on a 3-year planning horizon and
  330  submit it to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
  331  Speaker of the House of Representatives. The plan must consist
  332  of ranked projects that address risks of flooding and sea-level
  333  sea level rise to coastal and inland communities in the state.
  334  All eligible projects submitted to the department under this
  335  section must be ranked and included in the plan. Each plan must
  336  include a detailed narrative overview describing how the plan
  337  was developed, including a description of the methodology used
  338  by the department to determine project eligibility, a
  339  description of the methodology used to rank projects, the
  340  specific scoring system used, the project proposal application
  341  form, a copy of each submitted project proposal application form
  342  with projects separated by “eligible” and “not eligible,” the
  343  total number of project proposals received and deemed eligible,
  344  the total funding requested, and the total funding requested for
  345  eligible projects.
  346         (b) The plan submitted by December 1, 2021, before the
  347  comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea
  348  level rise assessment is completed, will be a preliminary plan
  349  that includes projects that address addresses risks of flooding
  350  and sea-level sea level rise identified in available local
  351  government vulnerability assessments and projects submitted by
  352  water management districts which mitigate the risks of flooding
  353  or sea-level rise on water supplies or water resources of the
  354  state. The plan submitted by December 1, 2022, and the plan
  355  submitted by December 1, 2023, will be updates an update to the
  356  preliminary plan. The plan submitted by December 1, 2024 2023,
  357  and each plan submitted by December 1 thereafter, must shall
  358  address risks of flooding and sea-level sea level rise
  359  identified in the comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability
  360  and sea-level sea level rise assessment.
  361         (c) Each plan submitted by the department pursuant to this
  362  subsection must include the following information for each
  363  recommended project:
  364         1. A description of the project.
  365         2. The location of the project.
  366         3. An estimate of how long the project will take to
  367  complete.
  368         4. An estimate of the cost of the project.
  369         5. The cost-share percentage available for the project.
  370         6. A summary of the priority score assigned to the project.
  371         7. The project sponsor.
  372         (d)1. By September 1, 2021, and each September 1
  373  thereafter, the following entities counties and municipalities
  374  may submit to the department a list of proposed projects that
  375  address risks of flooding or sea-level sea level rise identified
  376  in vulnerability assessments that meet the requirements of
  377  subsection (3):.
  378         a.Counties.
  379         b.Municipalities.
  380         c.Special districts, as defined in s. 189.012, which are
  381  responsible for the operation and maintenance of an airport or a
  382  seaport facility.
  383  
  384  For the plans submitted by December 1, 2021; December 1, 2022;
  385  and December 1, 2023, such entities may submit projects
  386  identified in existing vulnerability assessments which do not
  387  comply with subsection (3). A regional resilience entity may
  388  also submit such proposed projects to the department pursuant to
  389  this subparagraph on behalf of one or more member counties or
  390  municipalities.
  391         2. By September 1, 2021, and each September 1 thereafter,
  392  the following entities each water management district and flood
  393  control district may submit to the department a list of any
  394  proposed projects that mitigate the risks of flooding or sea
  395  level sea level rise on water supplies or water resources of
  396  this the state and a corresponding evaluation of each project:.
  397         a.Water management districts.
  398         b.Drainage districts.
  399         c.Erosion control districts.
  400         d.Flood control districts.
  401         e.Regional water supply authorities.
  402         3. Each project submitted to the department pursuant to
  403  this paragraph by a county, municipality, regional resilience
  404  entity, water management district, or flood control district for
  405  consideration by the department for inclusion in the plan must
  406  include:
  407         a. A description of the project.
  408         b. The location of the project.
  409         c. An estimate of how long the project will take to
  410  complete.
  411         d. An estimate of the cost of the project.
  412         e. The cost-share percentage available for the project.
  413         f. The project sponsor.
  414         (e) Each project included in the plan must have a minimum
  415  50 percent cost share unless the project assists or is within a
  416  financially disadvantaged small community. For purposes of this
  417  section, the term “financially disadvantaged small community”
  418  means:
  419         1. A municipality that has a population of 10,000 or fewer,
  420  according to the most recent April 1 population estimates posted
  421  on the Office of Economic and Demographic Research’s website,
  422  and a per capita annual income that is less than the state’s per
  423  capita annual income as shown in the most recent release from
  424  the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of
  425  Commerce that includes both measurements; or
  426         2. A county that has a population of 50,000 or fewer,
  427  according to the most recent April 1 population estimates posted
  428  on the Office of Economic and Demographic Research’s website,
  429  and a per capita annual income that is less than the state’s per
  430  capita annual income as shown in the most recent release from
  431  the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of
  432  Commerce that includes both measurements.
  433         (f) To be eligible for inclusion in the plan, a project
  434  must have been submitted by a county, municipality, regional
  435  resilience entity, water management district, or flood control
  436  district pursuant to paragraph (d) or must have been identified
  437  in the comprehensive statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level
  438  sea level rise assessment, as applicable.
  439         (g) Expenses ineligible for inclusion in the plan include,
  440  but are not limited to, expenses associated with:
  441         1. Aesthetic vegetation.
  442         2. Recreational structures such as piers, docks, and
  443  boardwalks.
  444         3. Water quality components of stormwater and wastewater
  445  management systems, except for expenses to mitigate water
  446  quality impacts caused by the project or expenses related to
  447  water quality which are necessary to obtain a permit for the
  448  project.
  449         4. Maintenance and repair of over-walks.
  450         5. Park activities and facilities, except expenses to
  451  control flooding or erosion.
  452         6. Navigation construction, operation, and maintenance
  453  activities.
  454         7. Projects that provide only recreational benefits.
  455         (h) The department shall implement a scoring system for
  456  assessing each project eligible for inclusion in the plan
  457  pursuant to this subsection. The scoring system must include the
  458  following tiers and associated criteria:
  459         1. Tier 1 must account for 40 percent of the total score
  460  and consist of all of the following criteria:
  461         a. The degree to which the project addresses the risks
  462  posed by flooding and sea-level sea level rise identified in the
  463  local government vulnerability assessments or the comprehensive
  464  statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea level rise
  465  assessment, as applicable.
  466         b. The degree to which the project addresses risks to
  467  regionally significant assets.
  468         c. The degree to which the project reduces risks to areas
  469  with an overall higher percentage of vulnerable critical assets.
  470         d. The degree to which the project contributes to existing
  471  flooding mitigation projects that reduce upland damage costs by
  472  incorporating new or enhanced structures or restoration and
  473  revegetation projects.
  474         2. Tier 2 must account for 30 percent of the total score
  475  and consist of all of the following criteria:
  476         a. The degree to which flooding and erosion currently
  477  affect the condition of the project area.
  478         b. The overall readiness of the project to proceed in a
  479  timely manner, considering the project’s readiness for the
  480  construction phase of development, the status of required
  481  permits, the status of any needed easement acquisition, and the
  482  availability of local funding sources.
  483         c. The environmental habitat enhancement or inclusion of
  484  nature-based options for resilience, with priority given to
  485  state or federal critical habitat areas for threatened or
  486  endangered species.
  487         d. The cost-effectiveness of the project.
  488         3. Tier 3 must account for 20 percent of the total score
  489  and consist of all of the following criteria:
  490         a. The availability of local, state, and federal matching
  491  funds, considering the status of the funding award, and federal
  492  authorization, if applicable.
  493         b. Previous state commitment and involvement in the
  494  project, considering previously funded phases, the total amount
  495  of previous state funding, and previous partial appropriations
  496  for the proposed project.
  497         c. The exceedance of the flood-resistant construction
  498  requirements of the Florida Building Code and applicable flood
  499  plain management regulations.
  500         4. Tier 4 must account for 10 percent of the total score
  501  and consist of all of the following criteria:
  502         a. The proposed innovative technologies designed to reduce
  503  project costs and provide regional collaboration.
  504         b. The extent to which the project assists financially
  505  disadvantaged communities.
  506         (i) The total amount of funding proposed for each year of
  507  the plan may not be less than exceed $100 million. Upon review
  508  and subject to appropriation, the Legislature shall approve
  509  funding for the projects as specified in the plan. Multiyear
  510  projects that receive funding for the first year of the project
  511  must be included in subsequent plans and funded until the
  512  project is complete, provided that the project sponsor has
  513  complied with all contractual obligations and funds are
  514  available.
  515         (j) The department shall initiate rulemaking by August 1,
  516  2021, to implement this section.
  517         (6) REGIONAL RESILIENCE ENTITIES.—Subject to specific
  518  legislative appropriation, the department may provide funding
  519  for the following purposes to regional entities that are
  520  established by general purpose local governments and whose
  521  responsibilities include planning for the resilience needs of
  522  communities and coordinating intergovernmental solutions to
  523  mitigate adverse impacts of flooding and sea-level sea level
  524  rise:
  525         (a) Providing technical assistance to counties and
  526  municipalities.
  527         (b) Coordinating multijurisdictional vulnerability
  528  assessments.
  529         (c) Developing project proposals to be submitted for
  530  inclusion in the Statewide Flooding and Sea-Level Sea Level Rise
  531  Resilience Plan.
  532         Section 4. Section 380.0933, Florida Statutes, is amended
  533  to read:
  534         380.0933 Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and
  535  Innovation.—
  536         (1) The Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and
  537  Innovation is established within the University of South Florida
  538  College of Marine Science to coordinate efforts between the
  539  academic and research institutions of the state. The University
  540  of South Florida College of Marine Science or its successor
  541  entity will serve as the lead institution and engage other
  542  academic and research institutions, private partners, and
  543  financial sponsors to coordinate efforts to support applied
  544  research and innovation to address the flooding and sea-level
  545  sea level rise challenges of this the state.
  546         (2) The hub shall, at a minimum:
  547         (a) Organize existing data needs for a comprehensive
  548  statewide flood vulnerability and sea-level sea level rise
  549  analysis and perform a gap analysis to determine data needs.
  550         (b) Develop statewide open source hydrologic models for
  551  physically based flood frequency estimation and real-time
  552  forecasting of floods, including hydraulic models of floodplain
  553  inundation mapping, real-time compound and tidal flooding
  554  forecasts, future groundwater elevation conditions, and economic
  555  damage and loss estimates.
  556         (c) Coordinate research funds from the state, the federal
  557  government, or other funding sources for related hub activities
  558  across all participating entities.
  559         (d) Establish community-based programs to improve flood
  560  monitoring and prediction along major waterways, including
  561  intracoastal waterways and coastlines, of this the state and to
  562  support ongoing flood research.
  563         (e) Coordinate with agencies, including, but not limited
  564  to, the Department of Environmental Protection and water
  565  management districts.
  566         (f) Share its resources and expertise.
  567         (g) Assist in the development of training and in the
  568  development of a workforce in this the state that is
  569  knowledgeable about flood and sea-level sea level rise research,
  570  prediction, and adaptation and mitigation strategies.
  571         (h) Develop opportunities to partner with other flood and
  572  sea-level sea level rise research and innovation leaders for
  573  sharing technology or research.
  574         (i) Conduct the activities under this subsection in
  575  cooperation with various local, state, and federal government
  576  entities as well as other flood and sea-level sea level rise
  577  research centers.
  578         (3) The hub must provide tidal and storm surge flooding
  579  data to counties and municipalities for vulnerability
  580  assessments that are conducted pursuant to s. 380.093(3). The
  581  hub must provide rainfall-induced and compound flooding data
  582  sets; however, more localized data or modeling may be used.
  583         (4) The hub shall employ an executive director.
  584         (5)(4) By July 1, 2022, and each July 1 thereafter, the hub
  585  shall provide an annual comprehensive report to the Governor,
  586  the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  587  Representatives that outlines its clearly defined goals and its
  588  efforts and progress on reaching such goals.
  589         Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 472.0366, Florida
  590  Statutes, is amended to read:
  591         472.0366 Elevation certificates; requirements for surveyors
  592  and mappers.—
  593         (2) Beginning January 1, 2023 2017, a surveyor and mapper
  594  shall, within 30 days after completion, submit to the division a
  595  digital copy of each elevation certificate that he or she
  596  completes as outlined on the division’s website. The copy must
  597  be unaltered, except that the surveyor and mapper may redact the
  598  name of the property owner. The copy need not be signed and
  599  sealed when submitted to the division; however, an original
  600  signed and sealed copy must be retained in the surveyor and
  601  mapper’s records as prescribed by rule of the board.
  602         Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.