Florida Senate - 2012                                     SB 560
       
       
       
       By Senator Dean
       
       
       
       
       3-00436B-12                                            2012560__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to water management districts;
    3         amending s. 373.046, F.S.; authorizing districts to
    4         enter into interagency agreements for resource
    5         management activities under specified conditions;
    6         providing applicability; amending s. 373.223, F.S.;
    7         requiring districts to apply specified reservations,
    8         minimum flows and levels, and recovery and prevention
    9         strategies in determining certain effects of proposed
   10         consumptive uses of water; prohibiting districts from
   11         authorizing certain consumptive uses of water;
   12         providing an exception; providing requirements for the
   13         challenge of specified rules; amending s. 373.605,
   14         F.S.; authorizing a district to provide a group health
   15         insurance program for its employees and the employees
   16         of another district; removing obsolete provisions;
   17         providing an effective date.
   18  
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Subsection (7) is added to section 373.046,
   22  Florida Statutes, to read:
   23         373.046 Interagency agreements.—
   24         (7) If the geographic area of a resource management
   25  activity, study, or project crosses water management district
   26  boundaries, the affected districts may designate a single
   27  affected district to conduct all or part of the applicable
   28  resource management responsibilities under this chapter, not
   29  including those regulatory responsibilities that are subject to
   30  subsection(6). If funding assistance is provided to a resource
   31  management activity, study, or project, the district providing
   32  the funding must ensure that some or all the benefits accrue to
   33  the funding district.
   34         Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 373.223,
   35  Florida Statutes, to read:
   36         373.223 Conditions for a permit.—
   37         (6) In determining the effect of a proposed consumptive use
   38  of water on the water resources of an adjoining district, the
   39  governing board shall apply, without adopting by rule, the
   40  reservations, minimum flows and levels, and recovery or
   41  prevention strategies adopted by the adjoining district. The
   42  governing board may not authorize a consumptive use of water
   43  which violates any reservation adopted pursuant to subsection
   44  (4) or any minimum flow or level adopted pursuant to ss. 373.042
   45  and 373.0421, except as provided for in an adopted recovery or
   46  prevention strategy. Any rule applied pursuant to this
   47  subsection which is challenged under s. 120.56 or s. 120.569
   48  shall be defended by the district that adopted the rule.
   49         Section 3. Section 373.605, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   50  read:
   51         373.605 Group insurance for water management districts.—
   52         (1) The governing board of a any water management district
   53  may is hereby authorized and empowered to provide group health
   54  insurance for its employees in the same manner and with the same
   55  provisions and limitations authorized for other public employees
   56  by ss. 112.08, 112.09, 112.10, 112.11, and 112.14.
   57         (2) The governing board of a water management district may
   58  provide a group health insurance program for its employees and
   59  the employees of another water management district in the same
   60  manner and with the same provisions and limitations authorized
   61  for other public employees by ss. 112.08, 112.09, 112.10,
   62  112.11, and 112.14.
   63         (2) Any and all insurance agreements in effect as of
   64  October 1, 1974, which conform to the provisions of this section
   65  are hereby ratified.
   66         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.