Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1756
       
       
        
       By Senator Pizzo
       
       
       
       
       
       37-00871-24                                           20241756__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to blue economy evaluation; amending
    3         s. 403.928, F.S.; requiring the Office of Economic and
    4         Demographic Research, beginning on a specified date,
    5         to biennially include an evaluation of the state’s
    6         blue economy in its annual assessment; providing
    7         evaluation requirements; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Present subsections (5) and (6) of section
   12  403.928, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (6)
   13  and (7), respectively, and a new subsection (5) is added to that
   14  section, to read:
   15         403.928 Assessment of water resources and conservation
   16  lands.—The Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall
   17  conduct an annual assessment of Florida’s water resources and
   18  conservation lands.
   19         (5) BLUE ECONOMY.—Beginning with the assessment due on
   20  January 1, 2025, and biennially thereafter, the Office of
   21  Economic and Demographic Research shall include in the
   22  assessment an evaluation of the state’s blue economy. The
   23  evaluation must include the following:
   24         (a) Historical and current contributions of maritime
   25  industries to the state’s economy, including, but not limited
   26  to:
   27         1. Shipyards, marinas, marine terminals, piers, fishing,
   28  aquaculture, seafood processing, commercial diving, and marine
   29  transportation.
   30         2. Floating and amphibious housing.
   31         3. Tourism.
   32         4. Outdoor recreational activities, including, but not
   33  limited to, boating and other sectors dependent on such
   34  activities.
   35         (b) Identification and discussion of any growing, emerging,
   36  or new blue economy industries.
   37         (c) Appropriate economic comparisons to other states with
   38  maritime industries.
   39         (d) Beginning January 1, 2026, an analysis of the
   40  contributions of the blue economy to the state, including, but
   41  not limited to, economic benefits as defined in s. 288.005.
   42         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.