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.