Florida Senate - 2026 SB 546
By Senator Mayfield
19-00386C-26 2026546__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to conservation lands; amending s.
3 253.0341, F.S.; requiring the Division of State Lands
4 to publish certain information on its website before
5 the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement
6 Trust Fund meets to review the proposed sale of
7 conservation lands; amending s. 253.42, F.S.;
8 requiring that certain parcels proposed for exchange
9 be appraised in accordance with certain criteria;
10 deleting provisions requiring the division to submit
11 certain requests to the Acquisition and Restoration
12 Council for review; deleting provisions requiring the
13 division to provide certain recommendations to the
14 board; requiring the division to publish certain
15 information on its website before the council meets to
16 review a proposed land exchange; requiring the
17 division to submit certain requests to the council for
18 review and requiring the council to provide
19 recommendations to the division in certain
20 circumstances; requiring the division to provide
21 certain recommendations to the board of trustees in
22 certain circumstances; making a technical change;
23 amending s. 373.089, F.S.; requiring the governing
24 board of a water management district to publish
25 certain information on its website before meeting to
26 review the proposed sale or exchange of certain lands;
27 amending s. 215.196, F.S.; conforming a cross
28 reference; providing an effective date.
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
32 Section 1. Present subsections (8) through (19) of section
33 253.0341, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (9)
34 through (20), respectively, and a new subsection (8) is added to
35 that section, to read:
36 253.0341 Surplus of state-owned lands.—
37 (8) At least 30 days before the board of trustees meets to
38 review the proposed sale of conservation lands, the Division of
39 State Lands must publish the following information on its
40 website:
41 (a) The parcels of state-owned land for sale; and
42 (b) A statement explaining why the lands are no longer
43 needed for conservation purposes, for consideration by the board
44 of trustees.
45 Section 2. Present paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of
46 subsection (4) of section 253.42, Florida Statutes, are
47 redesignated as paragraphs (d), (e), and (f), respectively, new
48 paragraphs (b) and (c) are added to that subsection, and
49 paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended, to read:
50 253.42 Board of trustees may exchange lands.—This section
51 applies to all lands owned by, vested in, or titled in the name
52 of the board of trustees whether the lands were acquired by the
53 state as a purchase, or through gift, donation, or any other
54 conveyance for which no consideration was paid.
55 (4)(a) A person who owns land contiguous to state-owned
56 land titled to the board of trustees may submit a request to the
57 Division of State Lands to exchange all or a portion of the
58 privately owned land for all or a portion of the state-owned
59 land, whereby the state retains a permanent conservation
60 easement over all or a portion of the exchanged state-owned land
61 and a permanent conservation easement over all or a portion of
62 the exchanged privately owned land. State-owned land exchanged
63 pursuant to this subsection must shall be contiguous to the
64 privately owned land upon which the state retains a permanent
65 conservation easement. Each parcel proposed for exchange
66 pursuant to this subsection must have at least one appraisal
67 that follows the appraisal criteria, techniques, and methods
68 adopted by the board of trustees pursuant to s. 253.025(8)(e) If
69 the division elects to proceed with a request, the division must
70 submit the request to the Acquisition and Restoration Council
71 for review and the council must provide recommendations to the
72 division. If the division elects to forward a request to the
73 board of trustees, the division must provide its recommendations
74 and the recommendations of the council to the board. This
75 subsection does not apply to state-owned sovereign submerged
76 land.
77 (b) At least 30 days before the Acquisition and Restoration
78 Council meets to review the proposed land exchange of
79 conservation lands, the Division of State Lands shall publish
80 the following information on its website:
81 1. The parcels of state-owned lands proposed for exchange;
82 2. The privately owned parcels of land proposed for
83 exchange;
84 3. The portions of the lands identified in subparagraphs 1.
85 and 2. which will be preserved in a permanent conservation
86 easement;
87 4. A statement from the division explaining how the
88 exchange will result in a conservation benefit to the state; and
89 5. Any recommendations from the division and the council
90 related to the request.
91 (c) If the Division of State Lands elects to proceed with a
92 request, the division must submit the request to the council for
93 review, and the council must provide recommendations to the
94 division. If the division elects to forward a request to the
95 board of trustees, the division must provide its recommendations
96 and the recommendations of the council to the board.
97 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section
98 373.089, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
99 373.089 Sale or exchange of lands, or interests or rights
100 in lands.—The governing board of the district may sell lands, or
101 interests or rights in lands, to which the district has acquired
102 title or to which it may hereafter acquire title in the
103 following manner:
104 (6) Any lands the title to which is vested in the governing
105 board of a water management district may be surplused pursuant
106 to the procedures set forth in this section and s. 373.056 and
107 the following:
108 (a) For those lands designated as acquired for conservation
109 purposes, the governing board shall make a determination that
110 the lands are no longer needed for conservation purposes and may
111 dispose of them by a two-thirds vote. At least 30 days before
112 the governing board meets to review the proposed sale or
113 exchange of such lands, the governing board shall publish the
114 following information on its website, as applicable:
115 1. The parcels of district-owned lands for sale or proposed
116 for exchange;
117 2. The parcels of privately owned lands proposed for
118 exchange;
119 3. The portions of the lands identified in subparagraphs 1.
120 and 2. which will be preserved in a permanent conservation
121 easement; and
122 4. A statement from the district explaining why the lands
123 are no longer needed for conservation purposes.
124
125 If the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund
126 declines to accept title to the lands offered under this
127 section, the land may be disposed of by the district under the
128 provisions of this section.
129 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 215.196, Florida
130 Statutes, is amended to read:
131 215.196 Architects Incidental Trust Fund; creation;
132 assessment.—
133 (1) There is created the Architects Incidental Trust Fund
134 for the purpose of:
135 (a) Collecting all funds received through the sale of
136 surplus state-owned office buildings, as defined in s. 255.248,
137 and the nonconservation lands associated with such buildings;
138 (b) Diverting funds referenced in s. 253.0341(15)(b) s.
139 253.0341(14)(b); and
140 (c) Providing sufficient funds for the operation of the
141 facilities development activities of the Department of
142 Management Services.
143 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.