Florida Senate - 2020 CS for SB 1514
By the Committee on Agriculture; and Senator Albritton
575-03475-20 20201514c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Department of Agriculture and
3 Consumer Services; amending s. 193.461, F.S.;
4 specifying a methodology for the assessment of certain
5 buildings and structures located on agricultural
6 lands; amending s. 316.520, F.S.; revising application
7 of agricultural load securing requirements; amending
8 s. 570.441, F.S.; extending the scheduled expiration
9 for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
10 Services’ use of funds from the Pest Control Trust
11 Fund for certain duties of the department; amending s.
12 590.02, F.S.; directing the Florida Forest Service to
13 develop a training curriculum for wildland
14 firefighters; providing requirements for such
15 training; amending s. 633.408, F.S.; providing
16 wildland firefighter training and certification for
17 certain firefighters and volunteer firefighters;
18 providing legislative findings; requiring the
19 Department of Environmental Protection, in
20 coordination with the Department of Agriculture and
21 Consumer Services and other entities, to develop a
22 study to estimate the benefits of renewable natural
23 gas in this state; requiring a report to the Governor
24 and the Legislature; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section
29 193.461, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
30 193.461 Agricultural lands; classification and assessment;
31 mandated eradication or quarantine program; natural disasters.—
32 (6)(c)1. For purposes of the income methodology approach to
33 assessment of property used for agricultural purposes,
34 irrigation systems, including pumps and motors, physically
35 attached to the land shall be considered a part of the average
36 yields per acre and shall have no separately assessable
37 contributory value.
38 2. Litter containment structures located on producing
39 poultry farms and animal waste nutrient containment structures
40 located on producing dairy farms shall be assessed by the
41 methodology described in subparagraph 1.
42 3. Structures or improvements used in horticultural
43 production for frost or freeze protection, which are consistent
44 with the interim measures or best management practices adopted
45 by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant
46 to s. 570.93 or s. 403.067(7)(c), shall be assessed by the
47 methodology described in subparagraph 1.
48 4. Screened enclosed structures used in horticultural
49 production for protection from pests and diseases or to comply
50 with state or federal eradication or compliance agreements shall
51 be assessed by the methodology described in subparagraph 1.
52 5. Any building or structure located on land that is
53 classified as agricultural and which is used in and in
54 furtherance of the agricultural purpose of the land, including,
55 but not limited to, buildings or structures used for production,
56 packaging, processing, or storage, shall be assessed by the
57 methodology described in subparagraph 1.
58 Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 316.520, Florida
59 Statutes, is amended to read:
60 316.520 Loads on vehicles.—
61 (4) The provision of subsection (2) requiring covering and
62 securing the load with a close-fitting tarpaulin or other
63 appropriate cover does not apply to vehicles carrying
64 agricultural products locally from a harvest site or to or from
65 a farm on roads where the posted speed limit is 65 miles per
66 hour or less and the distance driven on public roads is less
67 than 20 miles.
68 Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 570.441, Florida
69 Statutes, is amended to read
70 570.441 Pest Control Trust Fund.—
71 (4) In addition to the uses authorized under subsection
72 (2), moneys collected or received by the department under
73 chapter 482 may be used to carry out the provisions of s.
74 570.44. This subsection expires June 30, 2024 2020.
75 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 590.02, Florida
76 Statutes, is amended to read
77 590.02 Florida Forest Service; powers, authority, and
78 duties; liability; building structures; Withlacoochee Training
79 Center.—
80 (1) The Florida Forest Service has the following powers,
81 authority, and duties to:
82 (a) Enforce the provisions of this chapter;
83 (b) Prevent, detect, and suppress wildfires wherever they
84 may occur on public or private land in this state and do all
85 things necessary in the exercise of such powers, authority, and
86 duties;
87 (c) Provide firefighting crews, who shall be under the
88 control and direction of the Florida Forest Service and its
89 designated agents;
90 (d) Appoint center managers, forest area supervisors,
91 forestry program administrators, a forest protection bureau
92 chief, a forest protection assistant bureau chief, a field
93 operations bureau chief, deputy chiefs of field operations,
94 district managers, forest operations administrators, senior
95 forest rangers, investigators, forest rangers, firefighter
96 rotorcraft pilots, and other employees who may, at the Florida
97 Forest Service’s discretion, be certified as forestry
98 firefighters pursuant to s. 633.408(8). Other law
99 notwithstanding, center managers, district managers, forest
100 protection assistant bureau chief, and deputy chiefs of field
101 operations have Selected Exempt Service status in the state
102 personnel designation;
103 (e) Develop a training curriculum for wildland forestry
104 firefighters which must contain a minimum of 40 hours of
105 structural firefighter training, a minimum of 40 hours of
106 emergency medical training, the basic volunteer structural fire
107 training course approved by the Florida State Fire College of
108 the Division of State Fire Marshal and a minimum of 376 250
109 hours of wildfire training;
110 (f) Pay the cost of the initial commercial driver license
111 examination fee for those employees whose position requires them
112 to operate equipment requiring a license. This paragraph is
113 intended to be an authorization to the department to pay such
114 costs, not an obligation;
115 (g) Provide fire management services and emergency response
116 assistance and set and charge reasonable fees for performance of
117 those services. Moneys collected from such fees shall be
118 deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund of the Florida Forest
119 Service;
120 (h) Require all state, regional, and local government
121 agencies operating aircraft in the vicinity of an ongoing
122 wildfire to operate in compliance with the applicable state
123 Wildfire Aviation Plan;
124 (i) Authorize broadcast burning, prescribed burning, pile
125 burning, and land clearing debris burning to carry out the
126 duties of this chapter and the rules adopted thereunder; and
127 (j) Make rules to accomplish the purposes of this chapter.
128 Section 5. Subsection (8) of section 633.408, Florida
129 Statutes, is amended to read:
130 633.408 Firefighter and volunteer firefighter training and
131 certification.—
132 (8)(a) Pursuant to s. 590.02(1)(e), the division shall
133 establish a structural fire training program of not less than 40
134 206 hours. The division shall issue to a person satisfactorily
135 complying with this training program and who has successfully
136 passed an examination as prescribed by the division and who has
137 met the requirements of s. 590.02(1)(e), a Wildland Firefighter
138 Forestry Certificate of Compliance.
139 (b) An individual who holds a current and valid Wildland
140 Firefighter Forestry Certificate of Compliance is entitled to
141 the same rights, privileges, and benefits provided for by law as
142 a firefighter.
143 Section 6. Renewable natural gas study.—
144 (1) The Department of Environmental Protection, in
145 coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
146 Services, the Florida chapter of the National Waste and
147 Recycling Association, and the Florida Natural Gas Association,
148 shall develop a study to estimate the potential benefits of
149 renewable natural gas in this state. The study must consider all
150 of the following:
151 (a) The use of renewable natural gas resources to generate
152 energy and fuel and the benefits for local communities, the
153 economy, and the environment.
154 (b) The ability of renewable natural gas to create new
155 revenue streams for local governments, agricultural producers,
156 and other producers of waste.
157 (c) The potential for renewable natural gas to contribute
158 to energy security by providing the gas grid enhanced diversity
159 of supply.
160 (2) The Department of Environmental Protection shall submit
161 a report of the results of the study to the Governor, the
162 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
163 Representatives upon completion of such study.
164 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.