Florida Senate - 2024                             CS for SB 1360
       
       
        
       By the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and
       General Government; and Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       601-03515-24                                          20241360c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and
    3         Technology Development Initiative; amending s.
    4         379.2273, F.S.; requiring the initiative to develop
    5         recommendations for deployment of certain technologies
    6         and approaches and submit a report to the Department
    7         of Environmental Protection, the Fish and Wildlife
    8         Conservation Commission, the Department of Agriculture
    9         and Consumer Services, and certain state agencies;
   10         requiring the department to submit an evaluation
   11         regarding the technologies and approaches to Mote
   12         Marine Laboratory within a specified time period and
   13         amend regulatory or permitting processes and expedite
   14         regulatory reviews under certain circumstances;
   15         removing the expiration date of the initiative;
   16         providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Present paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (2)
   21  of section 379.2273, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   22  paragraphs (d) and (e), respectively, a new paragraph (c) is
   23  added to that subsection, and subsection (4) of that section is
   24  amended, to read:
   25         379.2273 Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology
   26  Development Initiative; Initiative Technology Advisory Council.—
   27         (2) The Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology
   28  Development Initiative is established as a partnership between
   29  the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute within the commission
   30  and Mote Marine Laboratory.
   31         (c) Upon successful completion of science-based laboratory
   32  testing of prevention, control, and mitigation technologies and
   33  approaches, the initiative shall develop recommendations for
   34  field trial deployment of the technologies and approaches in
   35  state waters. The initiative shall submit a report on its
   36  findings and recommendations to the department, the commission,
   37  the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and other
   38  state agencies with regulatory oversight of field trial
   39  deployment of the technologies and approaches in state waters.
   40  The department shall evaluate the technologies and approaches
   41  and identify all existing state permits Mote Marine Laboratory
   42  may use to deploy and test the technologies and approaches in
   43  state waters. The department shall submit its evaluation to Mote
   44  Marine Laboratory within 60 days after receipt of the report. If
   45  the department determines existing state permits may not be
   46  used, the department shall amend its regulatory or permitting
   47  processes to ensure the timely deployment of any red tide or
   48  similar harmful algal bloom mitigation and control technologies
   49  and approaches recommended by the initiative. Upon successful
   50  testing of the technologies and approaches, the department shall
   51  expedite regulatory reviews for the recurring use of the
   52  technologies and approaches in state waters to control and
   53  mitigate the impacts of red tide or similar harmful algal
   54  blooms.
   55         (4) This section expires June 30, 2025.
   56         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.