Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 198
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       39-00398-22                                            2022198__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to seagrass mitigation banks; amending
    3         s. 253.03, F.S.; authorizing the Board of Trustees of
    4         the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to establish
    5         seagrass mitigation banks under certain conditions;
    6         providing construction; providing an effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Subsection (17) is added to section 253.03,
   11  Florida Statutes, to read:
   12         253.03 Board of trustees to administer state lands; lands
   13  enumerated.—
   14         (17) The board of trustees may establish seagrass
   15  mitigation banks under s. 373.4136 to ensure the preservation
   16  and regeneration of seagrass, as defined in s. 253.04(3)(a), and
   17  to offset the unavoidable impacts of projects when seagrass
   18  mitigation banks meet the public interest criteria under this
   19  chapter and chapter 258. This subsection does not prohibit
   20  mitigation for impacts to seagrass or other habitats on
   21  sovereignty or nonsovereignty submerged lands, upon approval of
   22  the board of trustees.
   23         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.