The Florida Senate

The bill provides the water management districts (WMDs) with guidance concerning minimum flows and levels (MFLs), water reservations, recovery or prevention strategies, and multi-district projects by:

·     requiring proposed water reservations and waterbodies that may be affected by water withdrawals in an adjacent water management district to be identified on a district’s annual MFL priority list and schedule;

·     directing the WMDs to provide technical information and staff support to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) when the department proposes adoption of a reservation, MFL, or recovery or prevention strategy by rule;

·     requiring the WMDs to apply any reservation, MFL, or recovery or prevention strategy adopted by the DEP to the applicable waterbody without having to adopt its own district rules;

·     authorizing the WMDs to enter into interagency agreements designating a single district to conduct or fund non-regulatory water management activities or projects that cross district boundaries;

·     providing for joint regional water supply planning between WMDs and affected regional water supply authorities; and

·     excluding WMD cooperative funding programs from rulemaking requirements.

If approved by the Governor, these provisions take effect July 1, 2013.