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SB 2506 — Natural Resources
by Appropriations Committee
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Appropriations Committee (AP)
SB 2506, relating to Natural Resources, provides conforming changes necessary to implement the Senate’s General Appropriations Act for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
The bill amends s. 17.71, F.S., to remove the requirement that revenue sharing payments received by the state under the gaming compact be distributed to the trust fund.
The bill amends s. 253.0251, F.S., to require that all applications for full fee simple acquisition projects identify, within their acquisition plans, why the project requires a full fee simple interest to achieve public policy goals, together with the reasons full title is determined to be necessary.
The bill amends s. 259.032, F.S., to include water control districts existing pursuant to ch. 298, F.S., to those governmental entities that may contract with state agencies for land management activities.
The bill amends s. 259.037(7), F.S., to modify the requirements of the land management report that the Land Management Uniform Accounting Council is required to submit.
The bill amends s. 259.1055(6), F.S., relating to the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to enter into voluntarily agreements for environmental services to manage land, to remove the cross reference to s. 380.095, F.S.
The bill repeals s. 260.0145, F.S., relating to the Local Trail Management Grant Program and amends s. 373.026, F.S., to conform a cross reference.
The bill amends s. 373.1501, F.S., to provide a legislative declaration that acquiring land for water storage north of Lake Okeechobee is in the public interest, for a public purpose, and necessary for the public health and welfare and further provides that any acquisition of real property for a reservoir project constitutes a public purpose for which it is in the public interest to expend public funds. The amendment directs that any land necessary for implementing a reservoir project may only be acquired in accordance with law relating to acquisition of real property by a district and laws relating to eminent domain.
The bill amends s. 380.093, F.S., to require as a Tier 1 criteria within the scoring system used by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to rank projects in the Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience plan the degree to which the project reduces the flood risk and, thereby, increases credits awards to a community participating in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System.
The bill repeals s. 380.095, F.S., relating to the distribution of gaming compact revenues.
The bill amends s. 403.0673, F.S., to require the DEP to dedicate at least twenty-five percent of the funds to projects within a rural area of opportunity for the water quality improvement grant program. The amendment further requires the DEP to announce grant awards by November 1 of each fiscal year.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
Vote: Senate 29-5; House 91-13