Florida Senate - 2012                              CS for SB 560
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation;
       and Senator Dean
       
       
       
       592-01541-12                                           2012560c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to water management districts;
    3         amending s. 373.046, F.S.; authorizing a district to
    4         designate another single affected district to conduct
    5         resource management responsibilities under an
    6         interagency agreement; requiring that the district
    7         providing funding assistance for an activity, study,
    8         or project receive some or all of the benefits;
    9         amending s. 373.223, F.S.; requiring districts to
   10         apply specific reservations, minimum flows and levels,
   11         and recovery and prevention strategies in determining
   12         certain effects of proposed consumptive uses of water;
   13         providing an exception; providing requirements for the
   14         challenge of specified rules; providing for
   15         applicability; amending s. 373.605, F.S.; authorizing
   16         a district to provide group health insurance for the
   17         employees of another district; removing obsolete
   18         provisions; amending s. 373.709, F.S., relating to
   19         regional water supply planning; removing a reference
   20         to the Southwest Florida Water Management District;
   21         requiring a regional water supply authority and the
   22         applicable water management district to jointly
   23         develop the water supply component of the regional
   24         water supply plan; amending s. 373.171, F.S.;
   25         exempting cooperative funding programs from certain
   26         rulemaking requirements; providing an effective date.
   27  
   28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         Section 1. Subsection (7) is added to section 373.046,
   31  Florida Statutes, to read:
   32         373.046 Interagency agreements.—
   33         (7) If the geographic area of a resource management
   34  activity, study, or project crosses water management district
   35  boundaries, the affected districts may designate a single
   36  affected district to conduct all or part of the applicable
   37  resource management responsibilities under this chapter, with
   38  the exception of those regulatory responsibilities that are
   39  subject to subsection (6). If funding assistance is provided to
   40  a resource management activity, study, or project, the district
   41  providing the funding must ensure that some or all the benefits
   42  accrue to the funding district. This subsection may not impair
   43  any interagency agreement in effect on July 1, 2012.
   44         Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 373.223,
   45  Florida Statutes, to read:
   46         373.223 Conditions for a permit.—
   47         (6) In determining the effect of a proposed consumptive use
   48  of water on the water resources of an adjoining district, the
   49  governing board shall apply, without adopting by rule, the
   50  reservations, minimum flows and levels, and recovery or
   51  prevention strategies adopted by rule after July 1, 2012, by the
   52  adjoining district. The governing board may not authorize a
   53  consumptive use of water which violates any reservation adopted
   54  pursuant to subsection (4) or any minimum flow or level adopted
   55  pursuant to ss. 373.042 and 373.0421 after July 1, 2012, unless
   56  such permit is issued in accordance with the recovery or
   57  prevention strategy adopted by rule by the adjoining district.
   58  The district may grant a variance from the recovery or
   59  prevention strategy if the applicant identifies an alternative
   60  strategy to assist with the recovery of or the prevention of
   61  harm to a water body. Any rule applied pursuant to this
   62  subsection which is challenged under s. 120.56 or s. 120.569
   63  shall be defended by the district that adopted the rule. This
   64  subsection does not apply to and may not be considered for any
   65  permit issued before July 1, 2012, including a review of a
   66  compliance report submitted pursuant to s. 373.236, or a permit
   67  modification requested by the permittee unless the permittee
   68  requests an increase in permitted quantities or a transfer of
   69  permitted quantities to a new or existing source.
   70         Section 3. Section 373.605, Florida Statues, is amended to
   71  read:
   72         373.605 Group insurance for water management districts.—
   73         (1) The governing board of a any water management district
   74  may is hereby authorized and empowered to provide group
   75  insurance for its employees in the same manner and with the same
   76  provisions and limitations authorized for other public employees
   77  by ss. 112.08, 112.09, 112.10, 112.11, and 112.14.
   78         (2) The governing board of a water management district may
   79  provide group insurance for its employees and the employees of
   80  another water management district in the same manner and with
   81  the same provisions and limitations authorized for other public
   82  employees by ss. 112.08, 112.09, 112.10, 112.11, and 112.14.
   83         (2) Any and all insurance agreements in effect as of
   84  October 1, 1974, which conform to the provisions of this section
   85  are hereby ratified.
   86         Section 4. Subsection (3) of section 373.709, Florida
   87  Statutes, is amended to read:
   88         373.709 Regional water supply planning.—
   89         (3) The water supply development component of a regional
   90  water supply plan which deals with or affects public utilities
   91  and public water supply for those areas served by a regional
   92  water supply authority and its member governments within the
   93  boundary of the Southwest Florida Water Management District
   94  shall be developed jointly by the authority and the applicable
   95  water management district. In areas not served by regional water
   96  supply authorities, or other multijurisdictional water supply
   97  entities, and where opportunities exist to meet water supply
   98  needs more efficiently through multijurisdictional projects
   99  identified pursuant to paragraph (2)(a), water management
  100  districts are directed to assist in developing
  101  multijurisdictional approaches to water supply project
  102  development jointly with affected water utilities, special
  103  districts, and local governments.
  104         Section 5. Subsection (5) is added to section 373.171,
  105  Florida Statutes, to read:
  106         373.171 Rules.—
  107         (5) Cooperative funding programs are not subject to the
  108  rulemaking requirements of chapter 120. However, any portion of
  109  an approved program which affects the substantial interests of a
  110  party is subject to s. 120.569.
  111         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.