Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 608
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-00556B-24                                           2024608__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to dredging and beach restoration
    3         projects; amending s. 403.816, F.S.; directing the
    4         Department of Environmental Protection to require
    5         that, as a condition of permits issued for certain
    6         dredging and beach restoration projects, any adverse
    7         impact analysis conducted for the activity meet
    8         certain requirements; requiring a local government to
    9         provide notice of its intent to conduct an analysis to
   10         certain adjacent local governments; providing
   11         applicability; providing a specified fine for
   12         violations; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Present subsection (3) of section 403.816,
   17  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (4), and a new
   18  subsection (3) is added to that section, to read:
   19         403.816 Permits for maintenance dredging of deepwater ports
   20  and beach restoration projects.—
   21         (3) As a condition of a permit issued for a project
   22  pursuant to this section, the department shall require that any
   23  analysis to determine the adverse impacts of the activity on the
   24  natural habitat be conducted by an independent contractor
   25  selected by the local government and in a manner prescribed by
   26  the department. The independent contractor conducting the
   27  analysis may not be associated with any project of the
   28  contractor performing the activity for the local government for
   29  a period of 1 year before the commencement of the analysis or
   30  for a period of 1 year after the completion of the analysis. The
   31  local government shall provide written notice of its intent to
   32  have an analysis conducted to adjacent local governments that
   33  may be impacted by the activity. However, this subsection does
   34  not apply to any deepwater port maintenance dredging currently
   35  permitted or maintained by the United States Army Corps of
   36  Engineers. A violation of this subsection is punishable by a
   37  fine of 10 percent of the total project cost or an amount
   38  determined by the department or the United States Army Corps of
   39  Engineers, whichever is greater.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.