Florida Senate - 2012                                    SB 1858
       
       
       
       By Senator Altman
       
       
       
       
       24-00943-12                                           20121858__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to water storage and water quality
    3         improvements; creating s. 373.4591, F.S.; requiring a
    4         specified determination as a condition of an agreement
    5         for water storage and water quality improvements on
    6         private agricultural lands in the Lake Okeechobee
    7         watershed; providing a methodology for such
    8         determination; providing for regulation of such lands
    9         after expiration of the agreement; providing an
   10         effective date.
   11  
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 373.4591, Florida Statutes, is created
   15  to read:
   16         373.4591 Improvements on private agricultural lands in the
   17  Lake Okeechobee watershed.—The Legislature encourages public
   18  private partnerships to accomplish water storage and water
   19  quality improvements on private agricultural lands in the Lake
   20  Okeechobee watershed. When agreements are entered into to
   21  establish such partnerships, a baseline condition determining
   22  the extent of wetlands and other surface waters on the property
   23  shall be established and documented in the agreement before
   24  improvements are constructed. The determination for the baseline
   25  condition shall be conducted using the methods set forth in the
   26  rules adopted pursuant to s. 373.421. The baseline condition
   27  documented in the agreement shall be considered the extent of
   28  wetlands and other surface waters on the property for the
   29  purpose of regulation under this chapter after the expiration of
   30  the agreement.
   31         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.