Florida Senate - 2009                             CS for SB 2322
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Military Affairs and Domestic Security; and
       Senators Gaetz and Peaden
       
       
       
       583-03505A-09                                         20092322c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to military base closures; creating s.
    3         288.984, F.S.; establishing the Florida Council on
    4         Military Base and Mission Support; providing the
    5         council’s mission; providing for membership; providing
    6         for terms of appointment; providing for reappointment
    7         of members; providing for election of a council chair
    8         and vice chair; providing for members to be reimbursed
    9         for expenses; requiring Enterprise Florida, Inc., to
   10         provide administrative support; providing for council
   11         workgroups and the tasks of the workgroups; providing
   12         an annual report to the Legislature and Governor;
   13         providing an effective date.
   14  
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 288.984, Florida Statutes, is created to
   18  read:
   19         288.984Florida Council on Military Base and Mission
   20  Support.—The Florida Council on Military Base and Mission
   21  Support is established. The council shall provide oversight and
   22  direction for initiatives, claims, and actions taken on behalf
   23  of the state, its agencies, and political subdivisions under
   24  this part.
   25         (1)MISSION.-The mission of the council is to:
   26         (a)Support and strengthen all United States Department of
   27  Defense missions and bases located in the State of Florida.
   28         (b)Know the capabilities of all state military
   29  installations in order to understand and be supportive of future
   30  military growth opportunities in Florida.
   31         (c)Support local community efforts relating to the
   32  realignment and closure of a military base by acting as a
   33  liaison between the local communities and the Legislature.
   34         (2)MEMBERSHIP.—
   35         (a)The council shall be composed of nine members of which
   36  the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
   37  Representatives, and the Governor shall each appoint three
   38  members.
   39         1.The appointments of the President of the Senate shall
   40  include one member of the Senate, one community representative
   41  from a community-based defense support organization, and one
   42  member who is a retired military general or flag-rank officer
   43  residing in this state or an executive officer of a defense
   44  contracting firm doing significant business in this state.
   45         2.The appointments of the Speaker of the House of
   46  Representatives shall include one member of the House of
   47  Representatives, one community representative from a community
   48  based defense support organization, and one member who is a
   49  retired military general or flag-rank officer residing in this
   50  state or an executive officer of a defense contracting firm
   51  doing significant business in this state.
   52         3.The appointments of the Governor shall include the
   53  director or designee of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
   54  Economic Development, the vice chairperson or designee of
   55  Enterprise Florida, Inc., and one discretionary appointment.
   56         (b)Each of the legislative members shall be appointed to a
   57  term of 2 years, commencing July 1 of each odd-numbered year.
   58  Each of the other members shall be appointed to a term of 4
   59  years, commencing July 1 in the year of appointment. A vacancy
   60  shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the
   61  same manner as the initial appointment. All members of the
   62  council are eligible for reappointment.
   63         (c)Members of the council shall elect a chair and vice
   64  chair to terms of 2 years, and the chair and vice chair may
   65  succeed themselves.
   66         (d)The members of the council shall serve without
   67  compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement from the
   68  appointing legislative chamber or the Executive Office of the
   69  Governor, as appropriate, for expenses in accordance with s.
   70  112.061.
   71         (e)Enterprise Florida, Inc., shall provide administrative
   72  support to the council.
   73         (3)WORKGROUPS.—The council shall establish the following
   74  workgroups:
   75         (a)The Intrastate Activities Workgroup.—The task of the
   76  workgroup is to:
   77         1.Collect information about and become familiar with the
   78  concerns and activities of local communities in enhancing and
   79  supporting their respective military bases.
   80         2.Conduct an analysis of the strengths of each military
   81  base and share that evaluation with the council and the affected
   82  community.
   83         3.In partnership with the Florida Defense Alliance and
   84  local communities, conduct ongoing analysis of current and
   85  proposed changes to Department of Defense mission and military
   86  force structure and alignment.
   87         4.Collect effective methods and practices used by local
   88  communities to address the issue of military base support and
   89  enhancement and disseminate such best practices among affected
   90  communities.
   91         5.Ensure that affected communities and stakeholders are
   92  informed of and invited to assist and support state-level
   93  efforts to affect statewide coordination of information
   94  gathering, strategy development, and best-practice sharing.
   95         6.Educate the Legislature on the importance of supporting
   96  legislation relating to the state’s military bases.
   97         (b)The Federal Activities Workgroup.—The task of the
   98  workgroup is to ensure that the council has a presence at the
   99  Pentagon and has ongoing dialogue with key Department of Defense
  100  officials concerning the state’s military bases.
  101         (c)The Competitive Advantages Workgroup.—The task of the
  102  workgroup is to research and collect best practices and
  103  strategies throughout the country with respect to other military
  104  communities in order to leverage this state’s competitive
  105  advantage.
  106         (d)The Public Communications Workgroup.—The task of the
  107  workgroup is to increase public awareness of federal base
  108  realignment and closure activities and public investment in
  109  preserving the state’s military bases.
  110         (4)REPORT.—The council shall prepare and submit an annual
  111  report to the Legislature and Governor summarizing the current
  112  status of the state’s military bases, the council’s activities,
  113  and any recommendations for legislative or executive action.
  114         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.