| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Northeast Florida regional |
| 3 | transportation; creating the Northeast Florida Regional |
| 4 | Transportation Study Commission; providing for membership |
| 5 | and organization; providing for reimbursement of expenses; |
| 6 | providing for removal and suspension of commission |
| 7 | members; providing for staff of the Jacksonville |
| 8 | Transportation Authority to act as staff to the |
| 9 | commission; providing for funding of staff and facilities; |
| 10 | providing for committees within the commission; providing |
| 11 | for commission meetings; providing for the commission to |
| 12 | make available to the public its meeting minutes, reports, |
| 13 | and recommendations and publish its reports and |
| 14 | recommendations electronically; directing the authority to |
| 15 | make its Internet site available for such purposes; |
| 16 | requiring the commission to submit reports to the Governor |
| 17 | and the Legislature; providing that a county's membership |
| 18 | in the commission and participation of a county's |
| 19 | appointees does not constitute consent of the county to |
| 20 | inclusion within the jurisdiction of a regional |
| 21 | transportation authority; providing for expiration of the |
| 22 | act and termination of the commission; providing an |
| 23 | effective date. |
| 24 |
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| 25 | WHEREAS, pursuant to House Bill 1213, 2009, the Department |
| 26 | of Transportation directed the Jacksonville Transportation |
| 27 | Authority to prepare a report to recommend to the Legislature |
| 28 | the framework for a regional transportation authority for the |
| 29 | northeast region of the state comprised of Baker, Clay, Duval, |
| 30 | Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, the report was completed and received by the |
| 32 | Legislature on February 1, 2010, and |
| 33 | WHEREAS, based upon the recommendations of the report, it |
| 34 | is necessary and appropriate to create a study commission to |
| 35 | continue the work commenced, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 36 |
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| 37 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 38 |
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| 39 | Section 1. Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Study |
| 40 | Commission.- |
| 41 | (1) There is created the Northeast Florida Regional |
| 42 | Transportation Study Commission, which shall be composed of 20 |
| 43 | members designated and to be appointed as follows: |
| 44 | (a) Two citizens of Baker County appointed by the Board of |
| 45 | County Commissioners of Baker County. |
| 46 | (b) Two citizens of Clay County appointed by the Board of |
| 47 | County Commissioners of Clay County. |
| 48 | (c) Four citizens of Duval County appointed by the City |
| 49 | Council of the City of Jacksonville. |
| 50 | (d) Two citizens of Flagler County appointed by the Board |
| 51 | of County Commissioners of Flagler County. |
| 52 | (e) Two citizens of Nassau County appointed by the Board |
| 53 | of County Commissioners of Nassau County. |
| 54 | (f) Two citizens of Putnam County appointed by the Board |
| 55 | of County Commissioners of Putnam County. |
| 56 | (g) Two citizens of St. Johns County appointed by the |
| 57 | Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County. |
| 58 | (h) The chair of the Jacksonville Transportation |
| 59 | Authority, who shall serve as chair of the commission. |
| 60 | (i) The Department of Transportation's district secretary |
| 61 | serving in district II, who shall be a nonvoting member of the |
| 62 | commission. |
| 63 | (j) The chair of the Northeast Florida Regional Council, |
| 64 | who shall be a nonvoting member of the commission. |
| 65 | (k) The chair of the North Florida Transportation Planning |
| 66 | Organization, who shall be a nonvoting member of the commission. |
| 67 | (2)(a) Members shall serve until the work of the |
| 68 | commission is completed and the commission is terminated, except |
| 69 | that persons serving under paragraphs (1)(h)-(k) shall cease |
| 70 | membership if they no longer serve in the position indicated in |
| 71 | paragraphs (1)(h)-(k) and shall be replaced by the person |
| 72 | replacing them in such position. |
| 73 | (b) Members of the commission shall serve without |
| 74 | compensation but shall be reimbursed for all necessary expenses |
| 75 | in the performance of their duties, including travel expenses, |
| 76 | in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 77 | (c) A county commission, or the city council in the case |
| 78 | of Duval County, may remove or suspend a member appointed by it |
| 79 | for cause, including, but not limited to, failure to attend two |
| 80 | or more meetings of the commission during any 9-month period. |
| 81 | (3) The staff of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority |
| 82 | shall act as staff to the commission and, subject to the |
| 83 | appropriation of funding by the board of the Jacksonville |
| 84 | Transportation Authority and such other funds as the commission |
| 85 | may receive, shall supply such information, assistance, and |
| 86 | facilities as are deemed necessary for the commission to carry |
| 87 | out its duties under this act. |
| 88 | (4) The commission shall have such committees with such |
| 89 | membership, duties, and other matters as the chair shall |
| 90 | determine. Members of such committees need not be members of the |
| 91 | commission and may include persons from airport authorities, |
| 92 | port authorities, rail or other transportation industries, and |
| 93 | others. All committees shall report to the commission at each |
| 94 | commission meeting and shall present their final reports for |
| 95 | consideration by the commission in accordance with the direction |
| 96 | of the chair. |
| 97 | (5)(a) The commission shall meet at the times and |
| 98 | locations as the chair shall determine. There shall be regular |
| 99 | monthly meetings, to the extent reasonably convenient, that are |
| 100 | held in one or more central locations; however, at least one |
| 101 | meeting must be held in each of the counties throughout the |
| 102 | region. Each meeting must include provision for public comments. |
| 103 | (b) The commission shall make available to the public its |
| 104 | meeting minutes, reports, and recommendations upon request and, |
| 105 | to the extent feasible, shall publish its reports and |
| 106 | recommendations electronically. The Jacksonville Transportation |
| 107 | Authority shall make its Internet website available to the |
| 108 | commission for such purposes. |
| 109 | (6) By December 31, 2012, the commission shall prepare and |
| 110 | submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the |
| 111 | Speaker of the House of Representatives a report detailing its |
| 112 | findings and making specific legislative recommendations, |
| 113 | including a regional transportation elements plan, the defining |
| 114 | characteristics of transportation elements of regional |
| 115 | significance, and an implementation plan for undertaking a |
| 116 | regional transportation elements plan, and which may include the |
| 117 | establishment of the regional transportation authority, draft |
| 118 | legislation consistent with this act, and any other |
| 119 | recommendations it deems appropriate. |
| 120 | (7) A county's membership in the commission, and the |
| 121 | participation of a county's appointees in the work of the |
| 122 | commission, is not intended to constitute the consent of the |
| 123 | county to inclusion within the jurisdiction of a regional |
| 124 | transportation authority. |
| 125 | (8) This act shall expire and the commission shall |
| 126 | terminate upon delivery of the final report required in |
| 127 | subsection (6). |
| 128 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |