Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1020
       
       
        
       By Senator Wright
       
       
       
       
       
       8-00597-23                                            20231020__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to monuments; creating s. 265.009,
    3         F.S.; providing legislative intent; establishing the
    4         Florida Space Exploration Monument; providing for
    5         administration of the monument by the Department of
    6         Management Services; providing for the creation of a
    7         design contest and selection committee; requiring the
    8         department to develop a plan for the design,
    9         placement, and cost of the monument; requiring the
   10         plan to be submitted to the Governor and the
   11         Legislature by a specified date; amending s. 265.111,
   12         F.S.; requiring the department to limit participation
   13         in design competitions for monuments on the Capitol
   14         Complex or at other state-owned buildings to sculptors
   15         and artists who are domiciled in this state; providing
   16         an effective date.
   17  
   18         WHEREAS, Florida’s history with space exploration can be
   19  traced back to 1865, when Jules Verne envisioned the state as
   20  the launch site of the “Columbiad” cannon in his popular novel
   21  From the Earth to the Moon, and
   22         WHEREAS, in 1950, a rocket known as “Bumper 8” became the
   23  first rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, and
   24         WHEREAS, in 1969, the National Aeronautics and Space
   25  Administration (NASA) and the crew of Apollo 11 undertook the
   26  first mission that would land humans on the surface of the moon
   27  after launching from the John F. Kennedy Space Center located on
   28  Merritt Island on Florida’s east coast, and
   29         WHEREAS, Florida continues to be home to the Cape Canaveral
   30  Spaceport, consisting of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center and
   31  the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and
   32         WHEREAS, the state maintains a robust commercial aerospace
   33  industry and highly trained workforce that have contributed
   34  technical and scientific knowledge that has allowed Florida to
   35  continue to serve as the launch pad of the United States’
   36  achievements in space, and
   37         WHEREAS, the establishment of the Florida Space Exploration
   38  Monument would not only commemorate the past achievements and
   39  contributions of individuals who have made this state a leader
   40  in space exploration, but would also serve in the future to
   41  inspire individuals to help maintain this state’s role as such,
   42  NOW, THEREFORE,
   43  
   44  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   45  
   46         Section 1. Section 265.009, Florida Statutes, is created to
   47  read:
   48         265.009Florida Space Exploration Monument.—
   49         (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to recognize the
   50  importance of the role of this state, and its past, current, and
   51  future contributions, in space exploration; to honor this
   52  state’s residents for their role in humanity’s most daring
   53  journey of space exploration; and to honor the contribution of
   54  all individuals and their families who have gone unrecognized
   55  for their impact on the United States’ achievements in space.
   56         (2) There is established the Florida Space Exploration
   57  Monument.
   58         (a) The monument is administered by the Department of
   59  Management Services.
   60         (b) The department, in consultation with Space Florida,
   61  shall establish a contest for individuals who wish to submit a
   62  design for the monument. The department and Space Florida shall
   63  appoint a selection committee to choose the design of the
   64  monument.
   65         (c) The department shall develop a plan for the design,
   66  placement, and cost of the monument. The plan must include the
   67  designation of an appropriate public area for the monument on
   68  the premises of the Capitol Complex as defined in s. 281.01, not
   69  including the State Capital Circle Office Complex. The
   70  department shall consider the recommendations of the Florida
   71  Historical Commission as required pursuant to ss. 265.111 and
   72  267.0612(9) and shall coordinate with the Division of Historical
   73  Resources of the Department of State in developing the plan. The
   74  plan must also include the dates for the design contest and the
   75  timeframe for the selection committee to review and select a
   76  design. The department shall submit the plan to the Governor,
   77  the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   78  Representatives by July 1, 2024.
   79         Section 2. Subsection (4) is added to section 265.111,
   80  Florida Statutes, to read:
   81         265.111 Capitol Complex; monuments.—
   82         (4) The Department of Management Services shall limit
   83  participation in any competitions between sculptors or artists
   84  for the design of a monument on the Capitol Complex, or at any
   85  other state buildings where a similar competition is being
   86  conducted, to sculptors and artists who are domiciled in this
   87  state.
   88         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.