| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the hurricane impacts on specific |
| 3 | agricultural programs; providing legislative findings with |
| 4 | respect to the impact of the hurricanes and tropical storm |
| 5 | of 2004 on the department's citrus canker eradication and |
| 6 | tree compensation programs, the spread of an infestation |
| 7 | of soybean rust, and the Caribbean fruit fly certification |
| 8 | program; requiring the department to provide a report on |
| 9 | citrus canker eradication to the Governor and the |
| 10 | Legislature; providing appropriations; requiring the |
| 11 | department to maximize available federal funds for certain |
| 12 | programs; requiring the Executive Office of the Governor |
| 13 | to provide prior notice to the Legislative Budget |
| 14 | Commission on allocations from lump-sum appropriations to |
| 15 | appropriations categories; providing an effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds that the citrus |
| 20 | canker eradication and tree compensation programs, soybean |
| 21 | crops, and the Caribbean fruit fly certification program were |
| 22 | affected by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan and by |
| 23 | Tropical Storm Bonnie, which struck the state during 2004. In |
| 24 | order to stop the further spread of citrus canker disease and |
| 25 | soybean rust, additional work activities are necessary |
| 26 | throughout the citrus and soybean growing regions of the state. |
| 27 | (2) The Legislature finds that storms of great strength |
| 28 | can spread the fungal spores of soybean rust over long |
| 29 | distances, that soybean rust was spread into Northwest Florida |
| 30 | from South America by Hurricane Ivan, and that soybean rust is |
| 31 | one of the most serious diseases affecting soybeans, with |
| 32 | control costs estimated at $21 per acre. The Legislature further |
| 33 | finds that surveys and diagnostic assessments are needed in |
| 34 | order to determine the extent of this infestation. |
| 35 | (3) The Legislature finds that there is a projected |
| 36 | shortfall of revenues in the Plant Industry Trust Fund |
| 37 | designated for the purpose of funding the Caribbean fruit fly |
| 38 | certification program, which allows citrus groves in the state |
| 39 | to be certified as free of the Caribbean fruit fly so that fruit |
| 40 | may be shipped to foreign and domestic markets, such as Japan, |
| 41 | China, and Europe and California and Texas. The Legislature |
| 42 | further finds that personnel must continue to conduct activities |
| 43 | needed to meet the requirements of the state's trading partners |
| 44 | and that the acres remaining in the certification program are |
| 45 | not concentrated in one area of the state. |
| 46 | Section 2. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer |
| 47 | Services shall provide a report by February 11, 2005, describing |
| 48 | the progress made to date on the eradication of citrus canker. |
| 49 | The report must include the number of trees cut, the number of |
| 50 | trees for which compensation was paid, the number of Shade |
| 51 | Florida vouchers distributed, the amount of state and federal |
| 52 | funds spent, and the funding impacts for the 2005-2006 fiscal |
| 53 | year budget. The report must be submitted to the Governor, the |
| 54 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 55 | Representatives. |
| 56 | Section 3. (1) For the 2004-2005 fiscal year, $7.1 |
| 57 | million is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund and $6 |
| 58 | million is appropriated from the Contracts and Grants Trust Fund |
| 59 | to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in lump |
| 60 | sum to implement activities associated with citrus canker |
| 61 | eradication, tree compensation, soybean rust control, and |
| 62 | Caribbean fruit fly certification which were adversely affected |
| 63 | by the 2004 hurricanes and tropical storm. |
| 64 | (2) In planning the expenditure of funds appropriated, the |
| 65 | Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall maximize |
| 66 | available federal funds for citrus canker eradication and tree |
| 67 | compensation. |
| 68 | Section 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 216.177, |
| 69 | Florida Statutes, requiring a 14-day notice for interim budget |
| 70 | actions, and pursuant to s. 216.351, Florida Statutes, the |
| 71 | Executive Office of the Governor shall provide notice of the |
| 72 | allocation of the lump-sum appropriations authorized by this act |
| 73 | into traditional appropriation categories to the chair and vice |
| 74 | chair of the Legislative Budget Commission at least 3 working |
| 75 | days prior to the effective date of such allocation. |
| 76 | Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |