Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1230
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       10-01879A-23                                          20231230__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fill material for reclamation
    3         activities; amending s. 253.03, F.S.; requiring the
    4         Department of Environmental Protection to approve
    5         reclamation and restoration activities on sovereignty
    6         submerged lands involving specified fill material;
    7         providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (10) of
   12  section 253.03, Florida Statutes, to read:
   13         253.03 Board of trustees to administer state lands; lands
   14  enumerated.—
   15         (10) The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement
   16  Trust Fund and the state through any of its agencies are hereby
   17  prohibited from levying any charge, by whatever name known, or
   18  attaching any lien, on any and all materials dredged from state
   19  sovereignty tidal lands or submerged bottom lands or on the
   20  lands constituting the spoil areas on which such dredged
   21  materials are placed, except as otherwise provided for in this
   22  subsection, when such materials are dredged by or on behalf of
   23  the United States or the local sponsors of active federal
   24  navigation projects in the pursuance of the improvement,
   25  construction, maintenance, and operation of such projects or by
   26  a public body authorized to operate a public port facility (all
   27  such parties referred to herein shall hereafter be called
   28  “public body”) in pursuance of the improvement, construction,
   29  maintenance, and operation of such facility, including any
   30  public transfer and terminal facilities, which actions are
   31  hereby declared to be for a public purpose. The term “local
   32  sponsor” means the local agency designated pursuant to an act of
   33  Congress to assume a portion of the navigation project costs and
   34  duties. Active federal navigation projects are those
   35  congressionally approved projects which are being performed by
   36  the United States Army Corps of Engineers or maintained by the
   37  local sponsors.
   38         (f) The Department of Environmental Protection shall
   39  approve reclamation or restoration activities on sovereignty
   40  submerged lands involving the deposit of fill material below the
   41  ordinary high-water line or mean high-water line if the fill
   42  material is not actual sediment. The reclamation or restoration
   43  activities may use innovative technologies for fill material,
   44  which may include bonded molecules, such as alum- or lanthanum
   45  based technologies.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.