Senate Bill sb7052pb

    Florida Senate - 2005   (PROPOSED COMMITTEE BILL)     SPB 7052

    FOR CONSIDERATION By the Committee on Transportation





    596-1055-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Department of

  3         Transportation; amending s. 20.23, F.S.;

  4         requiring that, to the extent feasible, the

  5         boundaries of the department's districts

  6         conform to the strategic planning regions

  7         established in the state's strategic plan for

  8         economic development; requiring periodic review

  9         and adjustment of the district boundaries;

10         deleting provisions specifying the location of

11         district headquarters and duties of the

12         district director for the Fort Myers Urban

13         Office; providing an effective date.

14  

15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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17         Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 20.23, Florida

18  Statutes, is amended to read:

19         20.23  Department of Transportation.--There is created

20  a Department of Transportation which shall be a decentralized

21  agency.

22         (4)(a)  The operations of the department shall be

23  organized into seven districts, each headed by a district

24  secretary and a turnpike enterprise, headed by an executive

25  director. The district secretaries and the turnpike executive

26  director shall be registered professional engineers in

27  accordance with the provisions of chapter 471 or, in lieu of

28  professional engineer registration, a district secretary or

29  turnpike executive director may hold an advanced degree in an

30  appropriate related discipline, such as a Master of Business

31  Administration. To the maximum extent feasible and by June 30,

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005   (PROPOSED COMMITTEE BILL)     SPB 7052
    596-1055-05




 1  2006, the district boundaries shall be consistent with the

 2  strategic planning regions established in the state's

 3  strategic plan for economic development developed under s.

 4  288.905. The district boundaries shall be reviewed, and

 5  adjusted as necessary, every 10 years, taking into

 6  consideration the economic diversity of the state and its

 7  regions and the associated industrial clusters and

 8  transportation needs of each respective region. The

 9  headquarters of the districts shall be located in Polk,

10  Columbia, Washington, Broward, Volusia, Dade, and Hillsborough

11  Counties. The headquarters of the turnpike enterprise shall be

12  located in Orange County. In order to provide for efficient

13  operations and to expedite the decisionmaking process, the

14  department shall provide for maximum decentralization to the

15  districts.

16         (b)  Each district secretary may appoint up to three

17  district directors or, until July 1, 2005, each district

18  secretary may appoint up to four district directors. These

19  positions are exempt from part II of chapter 110.

20         (c)  Within each district, offices shall be established

21  for managing major functional responsibilities of the

22  department. The heads of these offices shall be exempt from

23  part II of chapter 110.

24         (d)  The district director for the Fort Myers Urban

25  Office of the Department of Transportation is responsible for

26  developing the 5-year Transportation Plan for Charlotte,

27  Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. The Fort

28  Myers Urban Office also is responsible for providing policy,

29  direction, local government coordination, and planning for

30  those counties.

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005   (PROPOSED COMMITTEE BILL)     SPB 7052
    596-1055-05




 1         (d)(e)1.  The responsibility for the turnpike system

 2  shall be delegated by the secretary to the executive director

 3  of the turnpike enterprise, who shall serve at the pleasure of

 4  the secretary. The executive director shall report directly to

 5  the secretary, and the turnpike enterprise shall operate

 6  pursuant to ss. 338.22-338.241.

 7         2.  To facilitate the most efficient and effective

 8  management of the turnpike enterprise, including the use of

 9  best business practices employed by the private sector, the

10  turnpike enterprise, except as provided in s. 287.055, shall

11  be exempt from departmental policies, procedures, and

12  standards, subject to the secretary having the authority to

13  apply any such policies, procedures, and standards to the

14  turnpike enterprise from time to time as deemed appropriate.

15         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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18                          SENATE SUMMARY

19    Requires that the district boundaries of the Department
      of Transportation conform to the strategic planning
20    regions established in the state's strategic plan for
      economic development. Requires that the boundaries be
21    reviewed and adjusted every 10 years. Deletes obsolete
      provisions.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.