| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to inland navigation districts; amending |
| 3 | s. 258.40, F.S.; providing that the right-of-way and |
| 4 | channel of the Intracoastal Waterway and other designated |
| 5 | public navigation channels are excluded from certain |
| 6 | provisions relating to aquatic preserves; amending s. |
| 7 | 374.975, F.S.; authorizing inland navigation districts to |
| 8 | use state-owned submerged lands for the purposes of |
| 9 | construction, maintenance, and operation of certain |
| 10 | waterways; amending s. 374.976, F.S.; authorizing inland |
| 11 | navigation districts to aid and cooperate with certain |
| 12 | nonmember counties for certain activities relating to |
| 13 | waterways; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 258.40, Florida |
| 18 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 19 | 258.40 Scope of preserves.-- |
| 20 | (2) Any publicly owned and maintained navigation channel |
| 21 | or other public works project authorized by the United States |
| 22 | Congress designed to improve or maintain commerce and |
| 23 | navigation, including the right-of-way and channel of the |
| 24 | Intracoastal Waterway and any other public navigation channel |
| 25 | designated by the inland navigation districts, shall be deemed |
| 26 | excluded from the aquatic preserves established under this act. |
| 27 | Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 374.975, Florida |
| 28 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 29 | 374.975 Inland navigation districts; legislative intent.-- |
| 30 | (1) The Legislature hereby recognizes the continuing need |
| 31 | for inland navigation districts to undertake programs necessary |
| 32 | to accomplish the purposes of construction, maintenance, and |
| 33 | operation of Florida's inland waterways pursuant to s. 107 of |
| 34 | the federal River and Harbor Act of 1960 (33 U.S.C. s. 577). The |
| 35 | inland navigation districts are authorized to use state-owned |
| 36 | submerged lands for the purposes of construction, maintenance, |
| 37 | and operation of this state's inland waterways, including the |
| 38 | right-of-way and channel of the Intracoastal Waterway and any |
| 39 | other public navigation channel designated by the district. |
| 40 | Section 3. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section |
| 41 | 374.976, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 42 | 374.976 Authority to address impacts of waterway |
| 43 | development projects.-- |
| 44 | (1) Each inland navigation district is empowered and |
| 45 | authorized to undertake programs intended to alleviate the |
| 46 | problems associated with its waterway or waterways, including, |
| 47 | but not limited to, the following: |
| 48 | (c) The district is authorized to aid and cooperate with |
| 49 | the Federal Government, state, member counties, nonmember |
| 50 | counties that contain any part of the Intracoastal Waterway |
| 51 | within their boundaries, and local governments within the |
| 52 | district in planning and carrying out public navigation, local |
| 53 | and regional anchorage management, beach renourishment, public |
| 54 | recreation, inlet management, environmental education, and |
| 55 | boating safety projects, directly related to the waterways. The |
| 56 | district is also authorized to enter into cooperative agreements |
| 57 | with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, state, and |
| 58 | member counties, and to covenant in any such cooperative |
| 59 | agreement to pay part of the costs of acquisition, planning, |
| 60 | development, construction, reconstruction, extension, |
| 61 | improvement, operation, and maintenance of such projects. |
| 62 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |