Florida Senate - 2025 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 462
Ì869842DÎ869842
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: WD .
04/09/2025 .
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The Committee on Fiscal Policy (DiCeglie) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 115 - 1175
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 218.3215, Florida Statutes, is created
6 to read:
7 218.3215 County transportation project data.—
8 (1) Each county shall annually provide to the Department of
9 Transportation all of the following information, by county
10 fiscal year, for surtax revenues received pursuant to s.
11 212.055(1):
12 (a) Total proceeds from the surtax received by the county.
13 (b) The amount allocated by the county to road and bridge
14 projects. The Department of Transportation shall define broad
15 categories, such as widening, repair and rehabilitation, or
16 sidewalks, for reporting this information. This information must
17 be reported as a total by category and by revenue source by
18 category.
19 (c) The total expenditure on road and bridge projects by
20 category.
21 (d) The unexpended balances of funds allocated to road and
22 bridge projects by category.
23 (e) A list of current road and bridge projects, including
24 the project cost, location, and scope.
25 (f) The amount allocated by the county to all other
26 permissible uses of the proceeds from the surtax, excluding road
27 and bridge projects.
28 (2) The Department of Transportation shall adopt a uniform
29 method, including the format, for counties to report the
30 information. The Department of Transportation shall compile the
31 information into a report, which must be published on the
32 Department of Transportation’s website.
33 Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 316.183, Florida
34 Statutes, is amended to read:
35 316.183 Unlawful speed.—
36 (2) On all streets or highways, the maximum speed limits
37 for all vehicles must be 30 miles per hour in business or
38 residence districts, and 55 miles per hour at any time at all
39 other locations. However, with respect to a residence district,
40 a county or municipality may set a maximum speed limit of 20 or
41 25 miles per hour on local streets and highways after an
42 investigation determines that such a limit is reasonable. It is
43 not necessary to conduct a separate investigation for each
44 residence district. The Department of Transportation shall
45 determine the safe and advisable minimum speed limit on all
46 highways that comprise a part of the National System of
47 Interstate and Defense Highways and have at least not fewer than
48 four lanes is 40 miles per hour, except that when the posted
49 speed limit is 70 miles per hour, the minimum speed limit is 50
50 miles per hour.
51 Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 316.187, Florida
52 Statutes, is amended to read:
53 316.187 Establishment of state speed zones.—
54 (2)(a) The maximum allowable speed limit on limited access
55 highways is 75 70 miles per hour.
56 (b) The maximum allowable speed limit on any other highway
57 that which is outside an urban area of 5,000 or more persons and
58 that which has at least four lanes divided by a median strip is
59 70 65 miles per hour.
60 (c) The Department of Transportation is authorized to set
61 such maximum and minimum speed limits for travel over other
62 roadways under its authority as it deems safe and advisable, not
63 to exceed as a maximum limit 65 60 miles per hour.
64 Section 4. Subsections (4), (5), (7), and (8) of section
65 332.004, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
66 332.004 Definitions of terms used in ss. 332.003-332.007.
67 As used in ss. 332.003-332.007, the term:
68 (4) “Airport or aviation development project” or
69 “development project” means any activity associated with the
70 design, construction, purchase, improvement, or repair of a
71 public-use airport or portion thereof, including, but not
72 limited to: the purchase of equipment; the acquisition of land,
73 including land required as a condition of a federal, state, or
74 local permit or agreement for environmental mitigation; off
75 airport noise mitigation projects; the removal, lowering,
76 relocation, marking, and lighting of airport hazards; the
77 installation of navigation aids used by aircraft in landing at
78 or taking off from a public-use public airport; the installation
79 of safety equipment required by rule or regulation for
80 certification of the airport under s. 612 of the Federal
81 Aviation Act of 1958, and amendments thereto; and the
82 improvement of access to the airport by road or rail system
83 which is on airport property and which is consistent, to the
84 maximum extent feasible, with the approved local government
85 comprehensive plan of the units of local government in which the
86 airport is located.
87 (5) “Airport or aviation discretionary capacity improvement
88 projects” or “discretionary capacity improvement projects” means
89 capacity improvements which are consistent, to the maximum
90 extent feasible, with the approved local government
91 comprehensive plans of the units of local government in which
92 the public-use airport is located, and which enhance
93 intercontinental capacity at airports which:
94 (a) Are international airports with United States Bureau of
95 Customs and Border Protection;
96 (b) Had one or more regularly scheduled intercontinental
97 flights during the previous calendar year or have an agreement
98 in writing for installation of one or more regularly scheduled
99 intercontinental flights upon the commitment of funds for
100 stipulated airport capital improvements; and
101 (c) Have available or planned public ground transportation
102 between the airport and other major transportation facilities.
103 (7) “Eligible agency” means a political subdivision of the
104 state or an authority, or a public-private partnership through a
105 lease or an agreement under s. 255.065 with a political
106 subdivision of the state or an authority, which owns or seeks to
107 develop a public-use airport.
108 (8) “Federal aid” means funds made available from the
109 Federal Government for the accomplishment of public-use airport
110 or aviation development projects.
111 Section 5. Subsections (4) and (8) of section 332.006,
112 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
113 332.006 Duties and responsibilities of the Department of
114 Transportation.—The Department of Transportation shall, within
115 the resources provided pursuant to chapter 216:
116 (4) Upon request, provide financial and technical
117 assistance to public agencies that own which operate public-use
118 airports by making department personnel and department-owned
119 facilities and equipment available on a cost-reimbursement basis
120 to such agencies for special needs of limited duration. The
121 requirement relating to reimbursement of personnel costs may be
122 waived by the department in those cases in which the assistance
123 provided by its personnel was of a limited nature or duration.
124 (8) Encourage the maximum allocation of federal funds to
125 local public-use airport projects in this state.
126 Section 6. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (4),
127 subsection (6), paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (7), and
128 subsections (8) and (10) of section 332.007, Florida Statutes,
129 are amended, and subsection (11) is added to that section, to
130 read:
131 332.007 Administration and financing of aviation and
132 airport programs and projects; state plan.—
133 (4)(a) The annual legislative budget request for aviation
134 and airport development projects shall be based on the funding
135 required for development projects in the aviation and airport
136 work program. The department shall provide priority funding in
137 support of the planning, design, and construction of proposed
138 projects by local sponsors of public-use airports, with special
139 emphasis on projects for runways and taxiways, including the
140 painting and marking of runways and taxiways, lighting, other
141 related airside activities, and airport access transportation
142 facility projects on airport property.
143 (c) No single airport shall secure airport or aviation
144 development project funds in excess of 25 percent of the total
145 airport or aviation development project funds available in any
146 given budget year. However, any public-use airport which
147 receives discretionary capacity improvement project funds in a
148 given fiscal year shall not receive greater than 10 percent of
149 total aviation and airport development project funds
150 appropriated in that fiscal year.
151 (6) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, the
152 department may participate in the capital cost of eligible
153 public-use public airport and aviation development projects in
154 accordance with the following rates, unless otherwise provided
155 in the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill
156 implementing the General Appropriations Act:
157 (a) The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion
158 of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal
159 Government, except that the department may initially fund up to
160 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new airport or
161 for the expansion of an existing airport which is owned and
162 operated by a municipality, a county, or an authority, and shall
163 be reimbursed to the normal statutory project share when federal
164 funds become available or within 10 years after the date of
165 acquisition, whichever is earlier. Due to federal budgeting
166 constraints, the department may also initially fund the federal
167 portion of eligible project costs subject to:
168 1. The department receiving adequate assurance from the
169 Federal Government or local sponsor that this amount will be
170 reimbursed to the department; and
171 2. The department having adequate funds in the work program
172 to fund the project.
173
174 Such projects must be contained in the Federal Government’s
175 Airport Capital Improvement Program, and the Federal Government
176 must fund, or have funded, the first year of the project.
177 (b) The department may retroactively reimburse cities,
178 counties, or airport authorities up to 50 percent of the
179 nonfederal share for land acquisition when such land is needed
180 for airport safety, expansion, tall structure control, clear
181 zone protection, or noise impact reduction. No land purchased
182 prior to July 1, 1990, or purchased prior to executing the
183 required department agreements shall be eligible for
184 reimbursement.
185 (c) When federal funds are not available, the department
186 may fund up to 80 percent of master planning and eligible
187 aviation development projects at public-use publicly owned,
188 publicly operated airports. If federal funds are available, the
189 department may fund up to 80 percent of the nonfederal share of
190 such projects. Such funding is limited to general aviation
191 airports, or commercial service airports that have fewer than
192 100,000 passenger boardings per year as determined by the
193 Federal Aviation Administration.
194 (d) The department is authorized to fund up to 100 percent
195 of the cost of an eligible project that is statewide in scope or
196 that involves more than one county where no other governmental
197 entity or appropriate jurisdiction exists.
198 (7) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds in
199 addition to aviation fuel tax revenues, the department may
200 participate in the capital cost of eligible public airport and
201 aviation discretionary capacity improvement projects. The annual
202 legislative budget request shall be based on the funding
203 required for discretionary capacity improvement projects in the
204 aviation and airport work program.
205 (a) The department shall provide priority funding in
206 support of:
207 1. Land acquisition which provides additional capacity at
208 the qualifying international airport or at that airport’s
209 supplemental air carrier airport.
210 2. Runway and taxiway projects that add capacity or are
211 necessary to accommodate technological changes in the aviation
212 industry.
213 3. Public-use airport access transportation projects that
214 improve direct airport access and are approved by the airport
215 sponsor.
216 4. International terminal projects that increase
217 international gate capacity.
218 (d) The department may fund up to 50 percent of the portion
219 of eligible project costs which are not funded by the Federal
220 Government except that the department may initially fund up to
221 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition for a new public-use
222 airport or for the expansion of an existing public-use airport
223 which is owned and operated by a municipality, a county, or an
224 authority, and shall be reimbursed to the normal statutory
225 project share when federal funds become available or within 10
226 years after the date of acquisition, whichever is earlier.
227 (8) The department may also fund eligible projects
228 performed by not-for-profit organizations that represent a
229 majority of public airports in this state. Eligible projects may
230 include activities associated with aviation master planning,
231 professional education, safety and security planning, enhancing
232 economic development and efficiency at airports in this state,
233 or other planning efforts to improve the viability of public-use
234 airports in this state.
235 (10) Subject to the availability of appropriated funds, and
236 unless otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act or
237 the substantive bill implementing the General Appropriations
238 Act, the department may fund up to 100 percent of eligible
239 project costs of all of the following at a public-use publicly
240 owned, publicly operated airport located in a rural community as
241 defined in s. 288.0656 which does not have any scheduled
242 commercial service:
243 (a) The capital cost of runway and taxiway projects that
244 add capacity. Such projects must be prioritized based on the
245 amount of available nonstate matching funds.
246 (b) Economic development transportation projects pursuant
247 to s. 339.2821.
248
249 Any remaining funds must be allocated for projects specified in
250 subsection (6).
251 (11) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a
252 municipality, a county, or an authority that owns a public-use
253 airport may participate in the Federal Aviation Administration
254 Airport Investment Partnership Program under federal law by
255 contracting with a private partner to operate the airport under
256 lease or agreement. Subject to the availability of appropriated
257 funds from aviation fuel tax revenues, the department may
258 provide for improvements under this section to a municipality, a
259 county, or an authority that has a private partner under the
260 Airport Investment Partnership Program for the capital cost of a
261 discretionary improvement project at a public-use airport.
262 Section 7. Subsections (6) and (35) of section 334.044,
263 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
264 334.044 Powers and duties of the department.—The department
265 shall have the following general powers and duties:
266 (6) To acquire, by the exercise of the power of eminent
267 domain as provided by law, all property or property rights,
268 whether public or private, which it may determine are necessary
269 to the performance of its duties and the execution of its
270 powers, including, but not limited to, in advance to preserve a
271 corridor for future proposed improvements.
272 (35) To expend funds for provide a construction workforce
273 development program, in consultation with affected stakeholders,
274 for delivery of projects designated in the department’s work
275 program. The department may annually expend up to $5 million
276 from the State Transportation Trust Fund for fiscal years 2025
277 2026 through 2029-2030 in grants to state colleges and school
278 districts, with priority given to state colleges and school
279 districts in counties that are rural communities as defined in
280 s. 288.0656(2), for the purchase of equipment simulators with
281 authentic original equipment manufacturer controls and a
282 companion curriculum, for the purchase of instructional aids for
283 use in conjunction with the equipment simulators, and to support
284 offering an elective course in heavy civil construction which
285 must, at a minimum, provide the student with an Occupational
286 Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification and a
287 fill equipment simulator certification.
288 Section 8. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 334.065,
289 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
290 334.065 Center for Urban Transportation Research.—
291 (1) There is established within at the University of South
292 Florida the Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research, to
293 be administered by the Board of Governors of the State
294 University System. The responsibilities of the center include,
295 but are not limited to, conducting and facilitating research on
296 issues related to urban transportation problems in this state
297 and serving as an information exchange and depository for the
298 most current information pertaining to urban transportation and
299 related issues.
300 (3) An advisory board shall be created to periodically and
301 objectively review and advise the center concerning its research
302 program. Except for projects mandated by law, state-funded base
303 projects shall not be undertaken without approval of the
304 advisory board. The membership of the board shall be composed
305 consist of nine experts in transportation-related areas, as
306 follows:
307 (a) A member appointed by the President of the Senate.
308 (b) A member appointed by the Speaker of the House of
309 Representatives.
310 (c) The Secretary of Transportation, or his or her
311 designee.
312 (d) The Secretary of Commerce, or his or her designee.
313 including the secretaries of the Department of Transportation,
314 the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department
315 of Commerce, or their designees, and
316 (e) A member of the Florida Transportation Commission.
317 (f) Four members nominated The nomination of the remaining
318 members of the board shall be made to the President of the
319 University of South Florida by the College of Engineering at the
320 University of South Florida and approved by the university’s
321 president, and The appointment of these members must be reviewed
322 and approved by the Florida Transportation Commission and
323 confirmed by the Board of Governors.
324 Section 9. Section 334.63, Florida Statutes, is created to
325 read:
326 334.63 Project concept studies and project development and
327 environment studies.—
328 (1) Project concept studies and project development and
329 environment studies for capacity improvement projects on limited
330 access facilities must include the evaluation of alternatives
331 that provide transportation capacity using elevated roadway
332 above existing lanes.
333 (2) Project development and environment studies for new
334 alignment projects and capacity improvement projects must be
335 completed to the maximum extent possible within 18 months after
336 the date of commencement.
337 Section 10. Subsection (4), paragraph (b) of subsection
338 (7), and subsection (15) of section 337.11, Florida Statutes,
339 are amended to read:
340 337.11 Contracting authority of department; bids; emergency
341 repairs, supplemental agreements, and change orders; combined
342 design and construction contracts; progress payments; records;
343 requirements of vehicle registration.—
344 (4)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), the department
345 may award the proposed construction and maintenance work to the
346 lowest responsible bidder, or in the instance of a time-plus
347 money contract, the lowest evaluated responsible bidder, or it
348 may reject all bids and proceed to rebid the work in accordance
349 with subsection (2) or otherwise perform the work.
350 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the
351 department intends to reject all bids on any project after
352 announcing, but before posting official notice of, such intent,
353 the department must provide to the lowest responsive,
354 responsible bidder the opportunity to negotiate the scope of
355 work with a corresponding reduction in price, as provided in the
356 bid, to provide a reduced bid without filing a protest or
357 posting a bond under paragraph (5)(a). Upon reaching a decision
358 regarding the lowest bidder’s reduced bid, the department must
359 post notice of final agency action to either reject all bids or
360 accept the reduced bid.
361 (c) This subsection does not prohibit the filing of a
362 protest by any bidder or alter the deadlines provided in s.
363 120.57.
364 (d) Notwithstanding the requirements of ss. 120.57(3)(c)
365 and 287.057(25), upon receipt of a formal written protest that
366 is timely filed, the department may continue the process
367 provided in this subsection but may not take final agency action
368 as to the lowest bidder except as part of the department’s final
369 agency action in the protest or upon dismissal of the protest by
370 the protesting party.
371 (7)
372 (b) If the department determines that it is in the best
373 interests of the public, the department may combine the design
374 and construction phases of a project fully funded in the work
375 program into a single contract and select the design-build firm
376 in the early stages of a project to ensure that the design-build
377 firm is part of the collaboration and development of the design
378 as part of a step-by-step progression through construction. Such
379 a contract is referred to as a phased design-build contract. For
380 phased design-build contracts, selection and award must include
381 a two-phase process. For phase one, the department shall
382 competitively award the contract to a design-build firm based
383 upon qualifications, provided that the department receives at
384 least three statements of qualifications from qualified design
385 build firms. If during phase one the department elects to enter
386 into contracts with more than one design-build firm based upon
387 qualifications, the department must competitively select a
388 single design-build firm to perform the work associated with
389 phase two. For phase two, the design-build firm may self-perform
390 portions of the work and shall competitively bid construction
391 trade subcontractor packages and, based upon these bids,
392 negotiate with the department a fixed firm price or guaranteed
393 maximum price that meets the project budget and scope as
394 advertised in the request for qualifications.
395 (15) Each contract let by the department for performance of
396 bridge construction or maintenance over navigable waters must
397 contain a provision requiring marine general liability
398 insurance, in an amount to be determined by the department,
399 which covers third-party personal injury and property damage
400 caused by vessels used by the contractor in the performance of
401 the work. For a contract let by the department on or after July
402 1, 2025, such insurance must include protection and indemnity
403 coverage, which may be covered by endorsement on the marine
404 general liability insurance policy or may be a separate policy.
405 Section 11. Subsections (1), (2), and (8) of section
406 337.14, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
407 337.14 Application for qualification; certificate of
408 qualification; restrictions; request for hearing.—
409 (1) Any contractor desiring to bid for the performance of
410 any construction contract in excess of $250,000 which the
411 department proposes to let must first be certified by the
412 department as qualified pursuant to this section and rules of
413 the department. The rules of the department must address the
414 qualification of contractors to bid on construction contracts in
415 excess of $250,000 and must include requirements with respect to
416 the equipment, past record, experience, financial resources, and
417 organizational personnel of the applying contractor which are
418 necessary to perform the specific class of work for which the
419 contractor seeks certification. Any contractor who desires to
420 bid on contracts in excess of $50 million and who is not
421 qualified and in good standing with the department as of January
422 1, 2019, must first be certified by the department as qualified
423 and must have satisfactorily completed two projects, each in
424 excess of $15 million, for the department or for any other state
425 department of transportation. The department may limit the
426 dollar amount of any contract upon which a contractor is
427 qualified to bid or the aggregate total dollar volume of
428 contracts such contractor is allowed to have under contract at
429 any one time. Each applying contractor seeking qualification to
430 bid on construction contracts in excess of $250,000 shall
431 furnish the department a statement under oath, on such forms as
432 the department may prescribe, setting forth detailed information
433 as required on the application. Each application for
434 certification must be accompanied by audited, certified
435 financial statements prepared in accordance with generally
436 accepted accounting principles and auditing standards by a
437 certified public accountant licensed in this state or another
438 state. The audited, certified financial statements must be for
439 the applying contractor and must have been prepared within the
440 immediately preceding 12 months. The department may not consider
441 any financial information of the parent entity of the applying
442 contractor, if any. The department may not certify as qualified
443 any applying contractor who fails to submit the audited,
444 certified financial statements required by this subsection. If
445 the application or the annual financial statement shows the
446 financial condition of the applying contractor more than 4
447 months before the date on which the application is received by
448 the department, the applicant must also submit interim audited,
449 certified financial statements prepared in accordance with
450 generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards
451 by a certified public accountant licensed in this state or
452 another state. The interim financial statements must cover the
453 period from the end date of the annual statement and must show
454 the financial condition of the applying contractor no more than
455 4 months before the date that the interim financial statements
456 are received by the department. However, upon the request of the
457 applying contractor, an application and accompanying annual or
458 interim financial statement received by the department within 15
459 days after either 4-month period under this subsection shall be
460 considered timely. An applying contractor desiring to bid
461 exclusively for the performance of construction contracts with
462 proposed budget estimates of less than $2 million may submit
463 reviewed annual or reviewed interim financial statements
464 prepared by a certified public accountant. The information
465 required by this subsection is confidential and exempt from s.
466 119.07(1). The department shall act upon the application for
467 qualification within 30 days after the department determines
468 that the application is complete. The department may waive the
469 requirements of this subsection for push-button projects having
470 a contract price of $1 million or less, or for nonpush-button
471 projects having a contract price of $500,000 or less, if the
472 department determines that the project is of a noncritical
473 nature and the waiver will not endanger public health, safety,
474 or property.
475 (2) Certification is shall be necessary in order to bid on
476 a road, bridge, or public transportation construction contract
477 of more than $250,000. However, the successful bidder on any
478 construction contract must furnish a contract bond before prior
479 to the award of the contract. The department may waive the
480 requirement for all or a portion of a contract bond for
481 contracts of $250,000 $150,000 or less under s. 337.18(1).
482 (8) This section does not apply to maintenance contracts.
483 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a contractor seeking
484 to bid on a maintenance contract in which the majority of the
485 work includes repair and replacement of safety appurtenances,
486 including, but not limited to, guardrails, attenuators, traffic
487 signals, and striping, must possess the prescribed
488 qualifications, equipment, record, and experience to perform
489 such repair and replacement.
490 Section 12. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 337.185,
491 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
492 337.185 State Arbitration Board.—
493 (4) The contractor may submit a claim greater than $250,000
494 up to $2 $1 million per contract or, upon agreement of the
495 parties, greater than up to $2 million per contract to be
496 arbitrated by the board. An award issued by the board pursuant
497 to this subsection is final if a request for a trial de novo is
498 not filed within the time provided by Rule 1.830, Florida Rules
499 of Civil Procedure. At the trial de novo, the court may not
500 admit evidence that there has been an arbitration proceeding,
501 the nature or amount of the award, or any other matter
502 concerning the conduct of the arbitration proceeding, except
503 that testimony given in connection with at an arbitration
504 hearing may be used for any purpose otherwise permitted by the
505 Florida Evidence Code. If a request for trial de novo is not
506 filed within the time provided, the award issued by the board is
507 final and enforceable by a court of law.
508 (5) An arbitration request may not be made to the board
509 before final acceptance but must be made to the board within 820
510 days after final acceptance. An arbitration request related to a
511 warranty notice provided by the department must be made to the
512 board within 360 days after such notice or 820 days after final
513 acceptance, whichever is later.
514 Section 13. Present subsection (10) of section 339.175,
515 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), a new
516 subsection (10) is added to that section, and subsection (1),
517 paragraph (a) of subsection (2), paragraphs (b), (i), and (j) of
518 subsection (6), and paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (7) of
519 that section are amended, to read:
520 339.175 Metropolitan planning organization.—
521 (1) PURPOSE.—It is the intent of the Legislature to
522 encourage and promote the safe and efficient management,
523 operation, and development of multimodal surface transportation
524 systems that will serve the mobility needs of people and freight
525 and foster economic growth and development within and through
526 urbanized areas of this state in accordance with the
527 department’s mission statement while minimizing transportation
528 related fuel consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas
529 emissions through metropolitan transportation planning processes
530 identified in this section. To accomplish these objectives,
531 metropolitan planning organizations, referred to in this section
532 as M.P.O.’s, shall develop, in cooperation with the state and
533 public transit operators, transportation plans and programs for
534 metropolitan areas. The plans and programs for each metropolitan
535 area must provide for the development and integrated management
536 and operation of transportation systems and facilities,
537 including pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation
538 facilities that will function as an intermodal transportation
539 system for the metropolitan area, based upon the prevailing
540 principles provided in s. 334.046(1). The process for developing
541 such plans and programs shall provide for consideration of all
542 modes of transportation and shall be continuing, cooperative,
543 and comprehensive, to the degree appropriate, based on the
544 complexity of the transportation problems to be addressed. To
545 ensure that the process is integrated with the statewide
546 planning process, M.P.O.’s shall develop plans and programs that
547 identify transportation facilities that should function as an
548 integrated metropolitan transportation system, giving emphasis
549 to facilities that serve important national, state, and regional
550 transportation functions. For the purposes of this section,
551 those facilities include the facilities on the Strategic
552 Intermodal System designated under s. 339.63 and facilities for
553 which projects have been identified pursuant to s. 339.2819(4).
554 (2) DESIGNATION.—
555 (a)1. An M.P.O. shall be designated for each urbanized area
556 of the state; however, this does not require that an individual
557 M.P.O. be designated for each such area. Such designation shall
558 be accomplished by agreement between the Governor and units of
559 general-purpose local government representing at least 75
560 percent of the population of the urbanized area; however, the
561 unit of general-purpose local government that represents the
562 central city or cities within the M.P.O. jurisdiction, as
563 defined by the United States Bureau of the Census, must be a
564 party to such agreement.
565 2. To the extent possible, only one M.P.O. shall be
566 designated for each urbanized area or group of contiguous
567 urbanized areas. More than one M.P.O. may be designated within
568 an existing urbanized area only if the Governor and the existing
569 M.P.O. determine that the size and complexity of the existing
570 urbanized area makes the designation of more than one M.P.O. for
571 the area appropriate. After July 1, 2025, no additional M.P.O.’s
572 may be designated in this state except in urbanized areas, as
573 defined by the United States Census Bureau, where the urbanized
574 area boundary is not contiguous to an urbanized area designated
575 before the 2020 census, in which case each M.P.O. designated for
576 the area must:
577 a. Consult with every other M.P.O. designated for the
578 urbanized area and the state to coordinate plans and
579 transportation improvement programs.
580 b. Ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, the
581 consistency of data used in the planning process, including data
582 used in forecasting travel demand within the urbanized area.
583
584 Each M.P.O. required under this section must be fully operative
585 no later than 6 months following its designation.
586 (6) POWERS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The powers,
587 privileges, and authority of an M.P.O. are those specified in
588 this section or incorporated in an interlocal agreement
589 authorized under s. 163.01. Each M.P.O. shall perform all acts
590 required by federal or state laws or rules, now and subsequently
591 applicable, which are necessary to qualify for federal aid. It
592 is the intent of this section that each M.P.O. be involved in
593 the planning and programming of transportation facilities,
594 including, but not limited to, airports, intercity and high
595 speed rail lines, seaports, and intermodal facilities, to the
596 extent permitted by state or federal law. An M.P.O. may not
597 perform project production or delivery for capital improvement
598 projects on the State Highway System.
599 (b) In developing the long-range transportation plan and
600 the transportation improvement program required under paragraph
601 (a), each M.P.O. shall provide for consideration of projects and
602 strategies that will:
603 1. Support the economic vitality of the contiguous
604 urbanized metropolitan area, especially by enabling global
605 competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency.
606 2. Increase the safety and security of the transportation
607 system for motorized and nonmotorized users.
608 3. Increase the accessibility and mobility options
609 available to people and for freight.
610 4. Protect and enhance the environment, conserve natural
611 resources promote energy conservation, and improve quality of
612 life.
613 5. Enhance the integration and connectivity of the
614 transportation system, across and between modes and contiguous
615 urbanized metropolitan areas, for people and freight.
616 6. Promote efficient system management and operation.
617 7. Emphasize the preservation of the existing
618 transportation system.
619 8. Improve the resilience of transportation infrastructure.
620 9. Reduce traffic and congestion.
621 (i) By December 31, 2023, the M.P.O.’s serving
622 Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties must submit a
623 feasibility report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
624 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives exploring the
625 benefits, costs, and process of consolidation into a single
626 M.P.O. serving the contiguous urbanized area, the goal of which
627 would be to:
628 1. Coordinate transportation projects deemed to be
629 regionally significant.
630 2. Review the impact of regionally significant land use
631 decisions on the region.
632 3. Review all proposed regionally significant
633 transportation projects in the transportation improvement
634 programs.
635 (i)1.(j)1. To more fully accomplish the purposes for which
636 M.P.O.’s have been mandated, the department shall, at least
637 annually, convene M.P.O.’s of similar size, based on the size of
638 population served, for the purpose of exchanging best practices.
639 M.P.O.’s may shall develop committees or working groups as
640 needed to accomplish such purpose. At the discretion of the
641 department, training for new M.P.O. governing board members
642 shall be provided by the department, by an entity pursuant to a
643 contract with the department, by the Florida Center for Urban
644 Transportation Research, or by the Implementing Solutions from
645 Transportation Research and Evaluation of Emerging Technologies
646 (I-STREET) living lab coordination mechanisms with one another
647 to expand and improve transportation within the state. The
648 appropriate method of coordination between M.P.O.’s shall vary
649 depending upon the project involved and given local and regional
650 needs. Consequently, it is appropriate to set forth a flexible
651 methodology that can be used by M.P.O.’s to coordinate with
652 other M.P.O.’s and appropriate political subdivisions as
653 circumstances demand.
654 2. Any M.P.O. may join with any other M.P.O. or any
655 individual political subdivision to coordinate activities or to
656 achieve any federal or state transportation planning or
657 development goals or purposes consistent with federal or state
658 law. When an M.P.O. determines that it is appropriate to join
659 with another M.P.O. or any political subdivision to coordinate
660 activities, the M.P.O. or political subdivision shall enter into
661 an interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.01, which, at a
662 minimum, creates a separate legal or administrative entity to
663 coordinate the transportation planning or development activities
664 required to achieve the goal or purpose; provides the purpose
665 for which the entity is created; provides the duration of the
666 agreement and the entity and specifies how the agreement may be
667 terminated, modified, or rescinded; describes the precise
668 organization of the entity, including who has voting rights on
669 the governing board, whether alternative voting members are
670 provided for, how voting members are appointed, and what the
671 relative voting strength is for each constituent M.P.O. or
672 political subdivision; provides the manner in which the parties
673 to the agreement will provide for the financial support of the
674 entity and payment of costs and expenses of the entity; provides
675 the manner in which funds may be paid to and disbursed from the
676 entity; and provides how members of the entity will resolve
677 disagreements regarding interpretation of the interlocal
678 agreement or disputes relating to the operation of the entity.
679 Such interlocal agreement shall become effective upon its
680 recordation in the official public records of each county in
681 which a member of the entity created by the interlocal agreement
682 has a voting member. Multiple M.P.O.’s may merge, combine, or
683 otherwise join together as a single M.P.O.
684 (7) LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN.—Each M.P.O. must
685 develop a long-range transportation plan that addresses at least
686 a 20-year planning horizon. The plan must include both long
687 range and short-range strategies and must comply with all other
688 state and federal requirements. The prevailing principles to be
689 considered in the long-range transportation plan are: preserving
690 the existing transportation infrastructure; enhancing Florida’s
691 economic competitiveness; and improving travel choices to ensure
692 mobility. The long-range transportation plan must be consistent,
693 to the maximum extent feasible, with future land use elements
694 and the goals, objectives, and policies of the approved local
695 government comprehensive plans of the units of local government
696 located within the jurisdiction of the M.P.O. Each M.P.O. is
697 encouraged to consider strategies that integrate transportation
698 and land use planning to provide for sustainable development and
699 reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The approved long-range
700 transportation plan must be considered by local governments in
701 the development of the transportation elements in local
702 government comprehensive plans and any amendments thereto. The
703 long-range transportation plan must, at a minimum:
704 (b) Include a financial plan that demonstrates how the plan
705 can be implemented, indicating resources from public and private
706 sources which are reasonably expected to be available to carry
707 out the plan, and recommends any additional financing strategies
708 for needed projects and programs. The financial plan may
709 include, for illustrative purposes, additional projects that
710 would be included in the adopted long-range transportation plan
711 if reasonable additional resources beyond those identified in
712 the financial plan were available. For the purpose of developing
713 the long-range transportation plan, the M.P.O. and the
714 department shall cooperatively develop estimates of funds that
715 will be available to support the plan implementation. Innovative
716 financing techniques may be used to fund needed projects and
717 programs. Such techniques may include the assessment of tolls,
718 public-private partnerships, the use of value capture financing,
719 or the use of value pricing. Multiple M.P.O.’s within a
720 contiguous urbanized area must ensure, to the maximum extent
721 possible, the consistency of data used in the planning process.
722 (d) Indicate, as appropriate, proposed transportation
723 enhancement activities, including, but not limited to,
724 pedestrian and bicycle facilities, trails or facilities that are
725 regionally significant or critical linkages for the Florida
726 Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network, scenic easements,
727 landscaping, integration of advanced air mobility, and
728 integration of autonomous and electric vehicles, electric
729 bicycles, and motorized scooters used for freight, commuter, or
730 micromobility purposes historic preservation, mitigation of
731 water pollution due to highway runoff, and control of outdoor
732 advertising.
733
734 In the development of its long-range transportation plan, each
735 M.P.O. must provide the public, affected public agencies,
736 representatives of transportation agency employees, freight
737 shippers, providers of freight transportation services, private
738 providers of transportation, representatives of users of public
739 transit, and other interested parties with a reasonable
740 opportunity to comment on the long-range transportation plan.
741 The long-range transportation plan must be approved by the
742 M.P.O.
743 (10) AGREEMENTS; ACCOUNTABILITY.—
744 (a) Each M.P.O. may execute a written agreement with the
745 department, which shall be reviewed, and updated as necessary,
746 every 5 years, which clearly establishes the cooperative
747 relationship essential to accomplish the transportation planning
748 requirements of state and federal law. Roles, responsibilities,
749 and expectations for accomplishing consistency with federal and
750 state requirements and priorities must be set forth in the
751 agreement. In addition, the agreement must set forth the
752 M.P.O.’s responsibility, in collaboration with the department,
753 to identify, prioritize, and present to the department a
754 complete list of multimodal transportation projects consistent
755 with the needs of the metropolitan planning area. It is the
756 department’s responsibility to program projects in the state
757 transportation improvement program.
758 (b) The department must establish, in collaboration with
759 each M.P.O., quality performance metrics, such as safety,
760 infrastructure condition, congestion relief, and mobility. Each
761 M.P.O. must, as part of its long-range transportation plan, in
762 direct coordination with the department, develop targets for
763 each performance measure within the metropolitan planning area
764 boundary. The performance targets must support efficient and
765 safe movement of people and goods both within the metropolitan
766 planning area and between regions. Each M.P.O. must report
767 progress toward establishing performance targets for each
768 measure annually in its transportation improvement plan. The
769 department shall evaluate and post on its website whether each
770 M.P.O. has made significant progress toward its target for the
771 applicable reporting period.
772 Section 14. Subsection (4) of section 339.65, Florida
773 Statutes, is amended to read:
774 339.65 Strategic Intermodal System highway corridors.—
775 (4) The department shall develop and maintain a plan of
776 Strategic Intermodal System highway corridor projects that are
777 anticipated to be let to contract for construction within a time
778 period of at least 20 years. The department shall prioritize
779 projects affecting gaps in a corridor so that the corridor
780 becomes contiguous in its functional characteristics across the
781 corridor. The plan must shall also identify when segments of the
782 corridor will meet the standards and criteria developed pursuant
783 to subsection (5).
784 Section 15. Section 339.85, Florida Statutes, is created to
785 read:
786 339.85 Next-generation traffic signal modernization
787 program.—
788 (1) The department shall implement a next-generation
789 traffic signal modernization program. The program must consist
790 of retrofitting existing traffic signals and controllers and
791 providing a communication system for remote operations and
792 management of such signals on the State Highway System and other
793 road systems. Signal upgrades must be prioritized based on
794 average annual daily traffic and the impact of adding to an
795 existing interconnected system.
796 (2) The program must consist of an advanced traffic
797 management platform that uses radar-camera fusion to deliver
798 accurate detection in all weather conditions, offering fully
799 integrated stop bar and advance detection alongside dilemma zone
800 and pedestrian protection. In addition to supporting time-of-day
801 signal timing plans, the program must provide real-time traffic
802 optimization to improve traffic flow and enhance safety. The
803 program must comply with leading cybersecurity standards, such
804 as SOC 2 and ISO 27001, ensuring robust data protection.
805 (3) Beginning in the 2025-2026 fiscal year and annually
806 thereafter for 5 years, $10 million shall be allocated from the
807 State Transportation Trust Fund to the program. Fifty percent of
808 such funds must be used for roads that are not a part of the
809 State Highway System through the use of grants that require a 50
810 percent funding match.
811 Section 16. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
812 348.0304, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
813 348.0304 Greater Miami Expressway Agency.—
814 (3)(a) The governing body of the agency shall consist of
815 nine voting members. Except for the district secretary of the
816 department, each member must be a permanent resident of a county
817 served by the agency and may not hold, or have held in the
818 previous 2 years, elected or appointed office in such county,
819 except that this paragraph does not apply to any initial
820 appointment under paragraph (b) or to any member who previously
821 served on the governing body of the former Greater Miami
822 Expressway Agency. Each member may only serve two terms of 4
823 years each, except that there is no restriction on the term of
824 the department’s district secretary. Four members, each of whom
825 must be a permanent resident of Miami-Dade County, shall be
826 appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate
827 at the next regular session of the Legislature. Refusal or
828 failure of the Senate to confirm an appointment shall create a
829 vacancy. Appointments made by the Governor and board of county
830 commissioners of Miami-Dade County shall reflect the state’s
831 interests in the transportation sector and represent the intent,
832 duties, and purpose of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency, and
833 have at least 3 years of professional experience in one or more
834 of the following areas: finance; land use planning; tolling
835 industry; or transportation engineering. Two members, who must
836 be residents of an unincorporated portion of the geographic area
837 described in subsection (1) and residing within 15 miles of an
838 area with the highest amount of agency toll road roads, shall be
839 appointed by the board of county commissioners of Miami-Dade
840 County. Two members, who must be residents of incorporated
841 municipalities within a county served by the agency, shall be
842 appointed by the metropolitan planning organization for a county
843 served by the agency. The district secretary of the department
844 serving in the district that contains Miami-Dade County shall
845 serve as an ex officio voting member of the governing body.
846
847 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
848 And the title is amended as follows:
849 Delete lines 2 - 101
850 and insert:
851 An act relating to transportation; creating s.
852 218.3215, F.S.; requiring each county to provide
853 certain information to the Department of
854 Transportation; requiring the department to adopt a
855 uniform method for counties to report such
856 information; requiring the department to compile the
857 information into a report and publish the report on
858 its website; amending s. 316.183, F.S.; requiring the
859 department to determine the safe and advisable minimum
860 speed limit on certain highways; amending s. 316.187,
861 F.S.; revising the maximum allowable speed limit on
862 certain highways and roadways; amending s. 332.004,
863 F.S.; revising definitions; amending s. 332.006, F.S.;
864 revising duties and responsibilities of the department
865 relating to airports; amending s. 332.007, F.S.;
866 revising provisions relating to the administration and
867 financing of certain aviation and airport programs and
868 projects; authorizing certain airports to participate
869 in a specified federal program in a certain manner;
870 authorizing the department to provide for improvements
871 to certain entities for the capital cost of a
872 discretionary improvement project at a public-use
873 airport, subject to the availability of certain funds;
874 amending s. 334.044, F.S.; authorizing the department
875 to acquire property or property rights in advance to
876 preserve a corridor for future proposed improvements;
877 authorizing the department to expend from the State
878 Transportation Trust Fund a certain amount of grant
879 funds annually to state colleges and school districts
880 for certain construction workforce development
881 programs; requiring that priority be given to certain
882 colleges and school districts; amending s. 334.065,
883 F.S.; deleting a provision specifying that the Florida
884 Center for Urban Transportation Research shall be
885 administered by the Board of Governors of the State
886 University System; deleting a provision prohibiting
887 the undertaking of certain projects without the
888 approval of the Center for Urban Transportation
889 Research advisory board; revising membership of such
890 advisory board; creating s. 334.63, F.S.; providing
891 requirements for certain project concept studies and
892 project development and environment studies; amending
893 s. 337.11, F.S.; revising the bidding and award
894 process for contracts for road construction and
895 maintenance projects; revising the circumstances in
896 which the department must competitively award a phased
897 design-build contract for phase one; requiring the
898 department to select a single design-build firm to
899 perform the work associated with phase two under
900 certain circumstances; authorizing a design-build firm
901 to self-perform portions of work under a contract;
902 requiring that contracts let by the department on or
903 after a certain date for bridge construction or
904 maintenance over navigable waters include protection
905 and indemnity coverage; amending s. 337.14, F.S.;
906 authorizing the department to waive contractor
907 certification requirements for certain projects;
908 revising the threshold value of contracts for which
909 the department may waive a contract bond requirement;
910 requiring that a contractor seeking to bid on certain
911 maintenance contracts possess certain qualifications;
912 amending s. 337.185, F.S.; increasing the limits of
913 claims per contract which a contractor may submit to
914 the State Arbitration Board; revising the period in
915 which an arbitration request may be made for a claim
916 related to a warranty notice; amending s. 339.175,
917 F.S.; revising legislative intent; revising
918 requirements for the designation of additional
919 metropolitan planning organizations (M.P.O.’s);
920 revising projects and strategies to be considered in
921 developing an M.P.O.’s long-range transportation plan
922 and transportation improvement program; deleting
923 obsolete provisions; requiring the department to
924 convene M.P.O.’s of similar size to exchange best
925 practices at least annually; authorizing M.P.O.’s to
926 develop committees or working groups; requiring
927 training for new M.P.O. governing board members to be
928 provided by the department or another specified
929 entity; deleting provisions relating to M.P.O.
930 coordination mechanisms; including public-private
931 partnerships in authorized financing techniques;
932 revising proposed transportation enhancement
933 activities that must be indicated by the long-range
934 transportation plan; authorizing each M.P.O. to
935 execute a written agreement with the department
936 regarding state and federal transportation planning
937 requirements; requiring the department, in
938 collaboration with M.P.O.’s, to establish certain
939 quality performance metrics and develop certain
940 performance targets; requiring the department to
941 evaluate and post on its website whether each M.P.O.
942 has made significant progress toward such targets;
943 amending s. 339.65, F.S.; requiring the department to
944 prioritize certain Strategic Intermodal System highway
945 corridor projects; creating s. 339.85, F.S.; requiring
946 the department to implement a next-generation traffic
947 signal modernization program; providing program
948 requirements; requiring the allocation of funds from
949 the State Transportation Trust Fund to the program;
950 requiring that a certain percentage of such funds be
951 used for certain roads through the use of matching
952 grants; amending s. 348.0304, F.S.; revising
953 membership of the governing body of the Greater Miami
954 Expressway Agency; reenacting s.