The Florida Senate

The department is given the responsibility, authority, and power to develop and execute a comprehensive multipurpose outdoor recreation plan for this state with the cooperation of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Transportation, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Commission on Tourism, and the water management districts.

The purpose of the plan is to document recreational supply and demand, describe current recreational opportunities, estimate the need for additional recreational opportunities, and propose means for meeting identified needs. The plan shall describe statewide recreational needs, opportunities, and potential opportunities.

The outdoor recreation plan shall be kept current through continual reevaluation and revision. Each agency named in subsection (1) must submit data to the Department of Environmental Protection periodically, upon request, relative to recreational opportunities supplied by that agency, potential recreational opportunities which could be provided by the agency, and any other relevant recreational statistics that the agency may possess. The agencies shall meet periodically at the request of the Department of Environmental Protection to discuss recreational issues.

The Department of Environmental Protection may contract with the Government of the United States, or any agency or instrumentality thereof; or with the state or any county, municipality, district authority, or political subdivision; or with any private corporation, partnership, association, or person providing for or relating to the development of outdoor recreation or conservation in accomplishing the purposes of this act. The department may receive and accept from any federal agency, state agency, or other public body grants or loans for or in aid of the purposes of this act; and the department may receive and accept aid, contributions, or loans from any other source of money, property, labor, or other things of value to be held, used, and applied only for the purpose for which such aid, grants, or loans were made. Without limiting or modifying any of the powers and authority of the department, but specifically as an addition thereto, the department is expressly authorized to participate in the land and water conservation fund program, established by and pursuant to Pub. L. No. 88-578, as it may be amended from time to time.