Florida Senate - 2022 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 2508, 1st Eng.
Ì760174'Î760174
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
.
.
.
Floor: AD/CR . Floor: AD
03/14/2022 12:12 PM . 03/14/2022 12:54 PM
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
The Conference Committee on SB 2508, 1st Eng. recommended the
following:
1 Senate Conference Committee Amendment (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Delete everything after the enacting clause
5 and insert:
6 Section 1. Effective upon this act becoming a law,
7 paragraph (b) of subsection (8) of section 373.026, Florida
8 Statutes, is amended to read:
9 373.026 General powers and duties of the department.—The
10 department, or its successor agency, shall be responsible for
11 the administration of this chapter at the state level. However,
12 it is the policy of the state that, to the greatest extent
13 possible, the department may enter into interagency or
14 interlocal agreements with any other state agency, any water
15 management district, or any local government conducting programs
16 related to or materially affecting the water resources of the
17 state. All such agreements shall be subject to the provisions of
18 s. 373.046. In addition to its other powers and duties, the
19 department shall, to the greatest extent possible:
20 (8)
21 (b) To ensure to the greatest extent possible that project
22 components will go forward as planned, the department shall
23 collaborate with the South Florida Water Management District in
24 implementing the comprehensive plan as defined in s.
25 373.470(2)(b), the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan as
26 defined in s. 373.4595(2), and the River Watershed Protection
27 Plans as defined in s. 373.4595(2). Before any project component
28 is submitted to Congress for authorization or receives an
29 appropriation of state funds, the department must approve, or
30 approve with amendments, each project component within 60 days
31 following formal submittal of the project component to the
32 department. Prior to the release of state funds for the
33 implementation of the comprehensive plan, department approval
34 shall be based upon a determination of the South Florida Water
35 Management District’s compliance with s. 373.1501(5) and (7).
36 Additionally, each budget amendment requesting the release of
37 state funds for the implementation of a project component or a
38 water control plan or regulation schedule required for the
39 operation of the project shall be contingent on the submission
40 of the certification required in s. 373.1501(7). Nothing in this
41 paragraph shall constitute a final agency action challengeable
42 under chapter 120. Once a project component is approved, the
43 South Florida Water Management District shall provide to the
44 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
45 Representatives a schedule for implementing the project
46 component, the estimated total cost of the project component,
47 any existing federal or nonfederal credits, the estimated
48 remaining federal and nonfederal share of costs, and an estimate
49 of the amount of state funds that will be needed to implement
50 the project component. All requests for an appropriation of
51 state funds needed to implement the project component shall be
52 submitted to the department, and such requests shall be included
53 in the department’s annual request to the Governor. Prior to the
54 release of state funds for the implementation of the Lake
55 Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan or the River Watershed
56 Protection Plans, on an annual basis, the South Florida Water
57 Management District shall prepare an annual work plan as part of
58 the consolidated annual report required in s. 373.036(7). Upon a
59 determination by the secretary of the annual work plan’s
60 consistency with the goals and objectives of ss. 373.1501(7) and
61 373.4595 s. 373.4595, the secretary may approve the release of
62 state funds. Any modifications to the annual work plan shall be
63 submitted to the secretary for review and approval.
64 Notwithstanding the requirements of this paragraph, the release
65 of state funds for the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir
66 project, the Lake Okeechobee Watershed project, the C-43 West
67 Basin Reservoir Storage project, and the Indian River Lagoon
68 South project is authorized.
69 Section 2. Effective upon becoming a law, paragraph (a) of
70 subsection (7) of section 373.036, Florida Statutes, is amended
71 to read:
72 373.036 Florida water plan; district water management
73 plans.—
74 (7) CONSOLIDATED WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT.—
75 (a) By March 1, annually, each water management district
76 shall prepare and submit to the Office of Economic and
77 Demographic Research, the department, the Governor, the
78 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
79 Representatives a consolidated water management district annual
80 report on the management of water resources. In addition, copies
81 must be provided by the water management districts to the chairs
82 of all legislative committees having substantive or fiscal
83 jurisdiction over the districts and the governing board of each
84 county in the district having jurisdiction or deriving any funds
85 for operations of the district. Copies of the consolidated
86 annual report must be made available to the public, either in
87 printed or electronic format. Any modifications to the annual
88 work plan shall be submitted to the secretary for review and
89 approval. Such approval does not constitute a final agency
90 action challengeable under chapter 120.
91 Section 3. Effective upon this act becoming a law,
92 subsection (7) of section 373.1501, Florida Statutes, is
93 amended, subsections (10) and (11) are added to that section,
94 and subsection (4) of that section is reenacted, to read:
95 373.1501 South Florida Water Management District as local
96 sponsor.—
97 (4) The district is authorized to act as local sponsor of
98 the project for those project features within the district as
99 provided in this subsection and subject to the oversight of the
100 department as further provided in s. 373.026. The district shall
101 exercise the authority of the state to allocate quantities of
102 water within its jurisdiction, including the water supply in
103 relation to the project, and be responsible for allocating water
104 and assigning priorities among the other water uses served by
105 the project pursuant to state law. The district may:
106 (a) Act as local sponsor for all project features
107 previously authorized by Congress.
108 (b) Continue data gathering, analysis, research, and design
109 of project components, participate in preconstruction
110 engineering and design documents for project components, and
111 further refine the Comprehensive Plan of the restudy as a guide
112 and framework for identifying other project components.
113 (c) Construct pilot projects that will assist in
114 determining the feasibility of technology included in the
115 Comprehensive Plan of the restudy.
116 (d) Act as local sponsor for project components.
117 (7) When developing or implementing water control plans or
118 regulation schedules required for the operation of the project,
119 the district shall provide recommendations to the United States
120 Army Corps of Engineers which are consistent with all district
121 programs and plans. The district shall certify to the President
122 of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
123 with a copy to the department, in the annual report pursuant to
124 s. 373.036(7), that its recommendations made pursuant to this
125 subsection during the previous 12 months are consistent with all
126 district programs and plans. Nothing in this subsection shall
127 constitute a final agency action challengeable under chapter
128 120.
129 (10) The Legislature finds that the Lake Okeechobee
130 Regulation Schedule and any operating manual must balance the
131 different interests across the system, including, but not
132 limited to, safeguarding the water supply to society and the
133 environment, reducing high-volume discharges to coastal
134 estuaries, and providing for flood control.
135 (11) Water shortages within the Lake Okeechobee Region must
136 be managed in accordance with Chapters 40E-21 and 40E-22,
137 Florida Administrative Code, as such region is set forth
138 therein. Any change to such rules may not take effect until
139 ratified by the Legislature and presented to the Governor, or if
140 the Legislature fails to act and present to the Governor during
141 the next regular legislative session, such rules shall take
142 effect after the next regular legislative session and shall
143 otherwise comply with s. 120.541.
144 Section 4. Effective upon this act becoming a law, section
145 373.4141, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
146 373.4141 Permits; processing.—
147 (1) GENERAL PROCESSING; TIME LIMITATIONS.—
148 (a) Within 30 days after receipt of an application for a
149 permit under this part, the department or the water management
150 district shall review the application and shall request
151 submittal of all additional information the department or the
152 water management district is permitted by law to require. If the
153 applicant believes any request for additional information is not
154 authorized by law or rule, the applicant may request a hearing
155 pursuant to s. 120.57. Within 30 days after receipt of such
156 additional information, the department or water management
157 district shall review it and may request only that information
158 needed to clarify such additional information or to answer new
159 questions raised by or directly related to such additional
160 information. If the applicant believes the request of the
161 department or water management district for such additional
162 information is not authorized by law or rule, the department or
163 water management district, at the applicant’s request, must
164 shall proceed to process the permit application.
165 (b)(2) A permit must shall be approved, denied, or subject
166 to a notice of proposed agency action within 60 days after
167 receipt of the original application, the last item of timely
168 requested additional material, or the applicant’s written
169 request to begin processing the permit application.
170 (c)(3) Processing of applications for permits for
171 affordable housing projects must shall be expedited to a greater
172 degree than other projects.
173 (d)(4) A state agency or an agency of the state may not
174 require as a condition of approval for a permit or as an item to
175 complete a pending permit application that an applicant obtain a
176 permit or approval from any other local, state, or federal
177 agency without explicit statutory authority to require such
178 permit or approval.
179 (2) AGREEMENTS TO PROCESS PERMITS.—
180 (a) The department may enter into an agreement or a
181 contract with a public entity, which includes a utility
182 regulated under chapter 366, to expedite the evaluation of
183 environmental resource permits or section 404 permits related to
184 a project or an activity that serves a public purpose. Any
185 agreement or contract entered into pursuant to this subsection
186 must be effective for at least 3 years.
187 (b) The department must ensure that any agreement or
188 contract entered into by the department does not affect
189 impartial decisionmaking, either substantively or procedurally.
190 The department must use the same procedures for decisions that
191 would otherwise be required for the evaluation of permits for
192 similar projects or activities not carried out under an
193 agreement or contract authorized under this subsection.
194 (c) The department must make all active agreements or
195 contracts entered into under this subsection available on its
196 website.
197 (d) The department may receive funds pursuant to an
198 agreement or contract entered into under this subsection. Any
199 funds received pursuant to this subsection must be deposited
200 into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund and used in accordance
201 with the agreement or contract.
202 Section 5. Effective January 1, 2023, section 570.71,
203 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
204 570.71 Land acquisition; conservation easements and
205 agreements.—
206 (1) The department, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of
207 the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, may allocate moneys to
208 acquire land or related interests in land, such as perpetual,
209 less-than-fee acquisitions interest in land, to enter into
210 agricultural protection agreements, and to enter into resource
211 conservation agreements for any of the following public
212 purposes:
213 (a) Promotion and improvement of wildlife habitat.;
214 (b) Protection and enhancement of water bodies, aquifer
215 recharge areas, wetlands, and watersheds.;
216 (c) Perpetuation of open space on lands with significant
217 natural areas.; or
218 (d) Protection of agricultural lands threatened by
219 conversion to other uses.
220 (e) Preservation and protection of natural and working
221 landscapes.
222 (f) Preservation, protection, and enhancement of wildlife
223 corridors and linkages.
224 (2) To achieve the purposes of this section, the department
225 may accept applications for project proposals that:
226 (a) Purchase land or interests in land, such as
227 conservation easements, as defined in s. 704.06.
228 (b) Purchase rural-lands-protection easements pursuant to
229 this section.
230 (c) Fund resource conservation agreements pursuant to this
231 section.
232 (d) Fund agricultural protection agreements pursuant to
233 this section.
234 (3) Rural-lands-protection easements are shall be a
235 perpetual right or interest in agricultural land which is
236 appropriate to retain such land in predominantly its current
237 state and to prevent the subdivision and conversion of such land
238 into other uses. This right or interest in property shall
239 prohibit only the following:
240 (a) Construction or placing of buildings, roads, billboards
241 or other advertising, utilities, or structures, except those
242 structures and unpaved roads necessary for the agricultural
243 operations on the land or structures necessary for other
244 activities allowed under the easement, and except for linear
245 facilities described in s. 704.06(11).;
246 (b) Subdivision of the property.;
247 (c) Dumping or placing of trash, waste, or offensive
248 materials.; and
249 (d) Activities that detrimentally affect the natural
250 hydrology of the land or that detrimentally affect water
251 conservation, erosion control, soil conservation, or fish or
252 wildlife habitat, except those required for environmental
253 restoration; federal, state, or local government regulatory
254 programs; or best management practices.
255 (4) Resource conservation agreements will be contracts for
256 services which provide annual payments to landowners for
257 services that actively improve habitat and water restoration or
258 conservation on their lands over and above that which is already
259 required by law or which provide recreational opportunities.
260 They will be for a term of not less than 5 years and not more
261 than 10 years. Property owners will become eligible to enter
262 into a resource conservation agreement only upon entering into a
263 conservation easement or rural lands protection easement.
264 (5) Agricultural protection agreements shall be for terms
265 of 30 years and will provide payments to landowners having
266 significant natural areas on their land. Public access and
267 public recreational opportunities may be negotiated at the
268 request of the landowner.
269 (a) For the length of the agreement, the landowner shall
270 agree to prohibit:
271 1. Construction or placing of buildings, roads, billboards
272 or other advertising, utilities, or structures, except those
273 structures and unpaved roads necessary for the agricultural
274 operations on the land or structures necessary for other
275 activities allowed under the easement, and except for linear
276 facilities described in s. 704.06(11);
277 2. Subdivision of the property;
278 3. Dumping or placing of trash, waste, or offensive
279 materials; and
280 4. Activities that affect the natural hydrology of the
281 land, or that detrimentally affect water conservation, erosion
282 control, soil conservation, or fish or wildlife habitat.
283 (b) As part of the agricultural protection agreement, the
284 parties shall agree that the state shall have a right to buy a
285 conservation easement or rural land protection easement at the
286 end of the 30-year term. If the landowner tenders the easement
287 for the purchase and the state does not timely exercise its
288 right to buy the easement, the landowner shall be released from
289 the agricultural agreement. The purchase price of the easement
290 shall be established in the agreement and shall be based on the
291 value of the easement at the time the agreement is entered into,
292 plus a reasonable escalator multiplied by the number of full
293 calendar years following the date of the commencement of the
294 agreement. The landowner may transfer or sell the property
295 before the expiration of the 30-year term, but only if the
296 property is sold subject to the agreement and the buyer becomes
297 the successor in interest to the agricultural protection
298 agreement. Upon mutual consent of the parties, a landowner may
299 enter into a perpetual easement at any time during the term of
300 an agricultural protection agreement.
301 (6) Payment for conservation easements and rural land
302 protection easements shall be a lump-sum payment at the time the
303 easement is entered into.
304 (7) Landowners entering into an agricultural protection
305 agreement may receive up to 50 percent of the purchase price at
306 the time the agreement is entered into, and remaining payments
307 on the balance shall be equal annual payments over the term of
308 the agreement.
309 (8) Payments for the resource conservation agreements shall
310 be equal annual payments over the term of the agreement.
311 (9) Easements purchased pursuant to this act may not:
312 (a) Prevent landowners from transferring the remaining fee
313 value with the easement; or
314 (b) At the request of the landowner, restrict a landowner’s
315 ability to use, or authorize the use of by third parties,
316 specific parcels of land within a conservation easement for
317 conservation banking or recipient sites for imperiled species as
318 defined in s. 259.105(2)(a)11. or wetlands mitigation banking
319 pursuant to chapter 373, provided the specific parcels of land
320 include wetland or upland areas that may be enhanced, restored,
321 or created under the conditions of a wetlands mitigation bank
322 permit.
323 (10) The department, in consultation with the Department of
324 Environmental Protection, the water management districts, the
325 Department of Economic Opportunity, and the Florida Fish and
326 Wildlife Conservation Commission, shall adopt rules that
327 establish an application process, a process and criteria for
328 setting priorities for use of funds consistent with the purposes
329 specified in subsection (1) and giving preference to ranch and
330 timber lands managed using sustainable practices, an appraisal
331 process, and a process for title review and compliance and
332 approval of the rules by the Board of Trustees of the Internal
333 Improvement Trust Fund.
334 (11) If a landowner objects to having his or her property
335 included in any lists or maps developed to implement this act,
336 the department must shall remove the property from any such
337 lists or maps upon receipt of the landowner’s written request to
338 do so.
339 (12) The department may use appropriated funds from the
340 following sources to implement this section:
341 (a) State funds;
342 (b) Federal funds;
343 (c) Other governmental entities;
344 (d) Nongovernmental organizations; or
345 (e) Private individuals.
346
347 Any such funds provided, other than from the Land Acquisition
348 Trust Fund, shall be deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund
349 within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and
350 used for the purposes of this section, including administrative
351 and operating expenses related to appraisals, mapping, title
352 process, personnel, and other real estate expenses.
353 (13) No more than 10 percent of any funds made available to
354 implement this act may shall be expended for resource
355 conservation agreements and agricultural protection agreements.
356 Section 6. Effective January 1, 2023, section 570.715,
357 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
358 570.715 Land Conservation easement acquisition procedures.—
359 (1) For land acquisitions, including less than fee simple
360 acquisitions, pursuant to s. 570.71, the Department of
361 Agriculture and Consumer Services shall comply with the
362 following acquisition procedures:
363 (a) Before conveyance of title by the department, evidence
364 of marketable title in the form of a commitment for title
365 insurance or an abstract of title with a title opinion must
366 shall be obtained.
367 (b) Before approval by the board of trustees of an
368 agreement to purchase less than fee simple title to land
369 pursuant to s. 570.71, an appraisal of the parcel is shall be
370 required as follows:
371 1. Each parcel to be acquired must shall have at least one
372 appraisal. Two appraisals are required when the estimated value
373 of the parcel exceeds $1 million. However, when both appraisals
374 exceed $1 million and differ significantly, a third appraisal
375 may be obtained.
376 2. Appraisal fees and associated costs must shall be paid
377 by the department. All appraisals used for the acquisition of
378 less than fee simple interest in lands pursuant to this section
379 must shall be prepared by a state-certified appraiser who meets
380 the standards and criteria established by rule of the board of
381 trustees. Each appraiser selected to appraise a particular
382 parcel shall, before contracting with the department or a
383 participant in a multiparty agreement, submit to the department
384 or participant an affidavit substantiating that he or she has no
385 vested or fiduciary interest in such parcel.
386 (c) A certified survey must be made that meets the minimum
387 requirements for upland parcels established in the Standards of
388 Practice for Land Surveying in Florida published by the
389 department and that accurately portrays, to the greatest extent
390 practicable, the condition of the parcel as it currently exists.
391 The requirement for a certified survey may, in whole or in part,
392 be waived by the board of trustees any time before the land
393 acquisition of the less than fee simple interest. If an existing
394 boundary map and description of a parcel are determined by the
395 department to be sufficient for appraisal purposes, the
396 department may temporarily waive the requirement for a survey
397 until any time before conveyance of title to the parcel.
398 (d) On behalf of the board of trustees and before the
399 appraisal of parcels approved for purchase under ss.
400 259.105(3)(i) and 570.71, the department may enter into option
401 contracts to buy less than fee simple interest in such parcels.
402 Any such option contract must shall state that the final
403 purchase price is subject to approval by the board of trustees
404 and that the final purchase price may not exceed the maximum
405 offer authorized by law. Any such option contract presented to
406 the board of trustees for final purchase price approval must
407 shall explicitly state that payment of the final purchase price
408 is subject to an appropriation by the Legislature. The
409 consideration for any such option contract may not exceed $1,000
410 or 0.01 percent of the estimate by the department of the value
411 of the parcel, whichever amount is greater.
412 (e) A final offer must shall be in the form of an option
413 contract or agreement for purchase of the land less than fee
414 simple interest and must shall be signed and attested to by the
415 owner and the department. Before the department signs the
416 agreement for purchase of the land less than fee simple interest
417 or exercises the option contract, the requirements of s. 286.23
418 must shall be complied with.
419 (f) The procedures provided in s. 253.025(9)(a)-(d) and
420 (10) must shall be followed.
421 (2) If the public’s interest is reasonably protected, the
422 board of trustees may:
423 (a) Waive any requirement of this section.
424 (b) Waive any rules adopted pursuant to s. 570.71,
425 notwithstanding chapter 120.
426 (c) Substitute any other reasonably prudent procedures,
427 including federally mandated acquisition procedures, for the
428 procedures in this section, if federal funds are available and
429 will be used for the purchase of land a less than fee simple
430 interest in lands, title to which will vest in the board of
431 trustees, and qualification for such federal funds requires
432 compliance with federally mandated acquisition procedures.
433 (3) The less than fee simple land acquisition procedures
434 provided in this section are for voluntary, negotiated
435 acquisitions.
436 (4) For purposes of this section, the term “negotiations”
437 does not include preliminary contacts with the property owner to
438 determine availability or eligibility of the property, existing
439 appraisal data, existing abstracts, and surveys.
440 (5) Appraisal reports are confidential and exempt from s.
441 119.07(1), for use by the department and the board of trustees,
442 until an option contract is executed or, if an option contract
443 is not executed, until 2 weeks before a contract or agreement
444 for purchase is considered for approval by the board of
445 trustees. However, the department has the authority, at its
446 discretion, to disclose appraisal reports to private landowners
447 during negotiations for acquisitions using alternatives to fee
448 simple techniques, if the department determines that disclosure
449 of such reports will bring the proposed acquisition to closure.
450 The department may also disclose appraisal information to public
451 agencies or nonprofit organizations that agree to maintain the
452 confidentiality of the reports or information when joint
453 acquisition of property is contemplated, or when a public agency
454 or nonprofit organization enters into a written multiparty
455 agreement with the department. For purposes of this subsection,
456 the term “nonprofit organization” means an organization whose
457 purposes include the preservation of natural resources, and
458 which is exempt from federal income tax under s. 501(c)(3) of
459 the Internal Revenue Code. The department may release an
460 appraisal report when the passage of time has rendered the
461 conclusions of value in the report invalid or when the
462 department has terminated negotiations.
463 Section 7. Type two transfer from the Agency for Persons
464 with Disabilities.—
465 (1) All powers, duties, functions, records, offices,
466 personnel, associated administrative support positions,
467 property, pending issues, existing contracts, administrative
468 authority, administrative rules, and unexpended balances of
469 appropriations, allocations, and other funds relating to the
470 William J. “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park within the Agency
471 for Persons with Disabilities are transferred by a type two
472 transfer, as defined in s. 20.06(2), Florida Statutes, to the
473 Department of Environmental Protection.
474 (2) Any binding contract or interagency agreement existing
475 before July 1, 2022, between the Agency for Persons with
476 Disabilities, or an entity or agency of the department, and any
477 other agency, entity, or person relating to the William J.
478 “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park shall continue as a binding
479 contract or agreement for the remainder of the term of the
480 contract or agreement on the successor entity responsible for
481 the program, activity, or functions relative to the contract or
482 agreement.
483 Section 8. Notwithstanding the reversion and expiration of
484 paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 570.93, Florida
485 Statutes, by section 44 of chapter 2021-37, Laws of Florida,
486 that paragraph is not amended as provided by that act, but is
487 reenacted to read:
488 570.93 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
489 agricultural water conservation and agricultural water supply
490 planning.—
491 (1) The department shall establish an agricultural water
492 conservation program that includes the following:
493 (a) A cost-share program, coordinated with the United
494 States Department of Agriculture and other federal, state,
495 regional, and local agencies when appropriate, for irrigation
496 system retrofit and application of mobile irrigation laboratory
497 evaluations, and for water conservation and water quality
498 improvement pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(c).
499 Section 9. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
500 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
501 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1,
502 2022.
503
504 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
505 And the title is amended as follows:
506 Delete everything before the enacting clause
507 and insert:
508 A bill to be entitled
509 An act relating to environmental resources; amending
510 s. 373.026, F.S.; providing requirements for budget
511 amendments requesting the release of state funds for
512 specified water project components; conforming
513 provisions to changes made by the act; authorizing the
514 release of state funds for specified water projects;
515 amending s. 373.036, F.S.; requiring modifications to
516 water management district annual work plans to be
517 submitted to the Secretary of Environmental Protection
518 for review and approval; amending s. 373.1501, F.S.;
519 requiring the South Florida Water Management District
520 to make a specified certification to the Legislature
521 regarding its recommendations to the United States
522 Army Corps of Engineers; providing legislative
523 findings; requiring water shortages within the Lake
524 Okeechobee Region to be managed in accordance with
525 certain rules; requiring that changes to certain rules
526 be ratified by the Legislature and presented to the
527 Governor; providing that such changes shall take
528 effect after a specified timeframe if certain
529 requirements are not met; amending s. 373.4141, F.S.;
530 authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection
531 to enter into agreements or contracts with certain
532 entities to expedite the evaluation of certain
533 environmental permits; providing requirements for such
534 agreements or contracts; authorizing the department to
535 receive funds received pursuant to such an agreement
536 or contract; requiring such funds to be deposited into
537 the Grants and Donations Trust Fund; amending s.
538 570.71, F.S.; specifying that the Department of
539 Agriculture and Consumer Services may acquire land or
540 certain related interests in land for specified public
541 purposes; revising the types of project proposals for
542 which the department may accept applications; revising
543 the activities prohibited under certain easements;
544 removing a requirement that certain department rules
545 give preference to certain types of lands; amending s.
546 570.715, F.S.; revising the procedures the department
547 must comply with for certain land acquisitions;
548 providing for a type two transfer of the William J.
549 “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park within the Agency
550 for Persons with Disabilities to the Department of
551 Environmental Protection; providing for the
552 continuation of certain contracts and interagency
553 agreements; reenacting s. 570.93(1)(a), F.S., relating
554 to an agricultural water conservation program;
555 providing effective dates.