Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1072
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-01402-23                                           20231072__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to deepwater port dredging; amending
    3         s. 403.816, F.S.; directing the Department of
    4         Environmental Protection to require a specified
    5         analysis as a condition of permits issued for
    6         maintenance dredging of deepwater ports; providing
    7         requirements for conducting the analysis; requiring a
    8         local government to provide notice of its intent to
    9         conduct such analysis to certain local governments;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Present subsection (3) of section 403.816,
   15  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (4), and a new
   16  subsection (3) is added to that section to read:
   17         403.816 Permits for maintenance dredging of deepwater ports
   18  and beach restoration projects.—
   19         (3) As a condition of a permit issued for maintenance
   20  dredging of deepwater ports pursuant to this section, the
   21  department shall require a habitat equivalency analysis to
   22  determine the adverse impacts of the dredging activity on the
   23  natural habitat. The analysis must be conducted by an
   24  independent contractor selected by the local government in a
   25  manner prescribed by the department. The independent contractor
   26  for the analysis may not be associated with any project of the
   27  contractor performing the dredging activity for the local
   28  government. The local government shall provide written notice of
   29  its intent to conduct a habitat equivalency analysis to adjacent
   30  local governments that may be impacted by the dredging activity.
   31         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.