Bill Text: FL S0524 | 2021 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Trust Funds
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-09 - Chapter No. 2021-54 [S0524 Detail]
Download: Florida-2021-S0524-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED
2021 Legislature SB 524
2021524er
1
2 An act relating to Fish and Wildlife Conservation
3 Commission trust funds; amending s. 379.205, F.S.;
4 revising the sources of funds that may be used for
5 specified purposes for the Florida Panther Research
6 and Management Trust Fund; authorizing the funds to be
7 used for commission administrative costs; amending ss.
8 379.208 and 379.209, F.S.; authorizing the commission
9 to invest and reinvest funds and the interest thereof
10 of the Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund and
11 the Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund, respectively;
12 amending s. 379.211, F.S.; authorizing the commission
13 to invest and reinvest funds and the interest thereof
14 of the State Game Trust Fund; deleting a provision
15 limiting the use of such funds; amending s. 379.213,
16 F.S.; authorizing the commission to invest and
17 reinvest funds and the interest thereof of the Save
18 the Manatee Trust Fund; amending s. 320.08058, F.S.;
19 revising the authorized uses for funds of the Save the
20 Manatee Trust Fund collected from sales of the manatee
21 license plates to include administrative costs;
22 revising the use of such funds for the marketing of
23 the license plates; amending s. 379.214, F.S.;
24 authorizing the commission to invest and reinvest the
25 funds and the interest thereof of the Invasive Plant
26 Control Trust Fund; authorizing such funds to be used
27 for commission administrative costs; providing an
28 effective date.
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
32 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 379.205, Florida
33 Statutes, is amended to read:
34 379.205 Florida Panther Research and Management Trust
35 Fund.—
36 (2) The commission shall spend money from the fund and all
37 interest derived from its investments and reinvestments shall be
38 spent only for the following purposes:
39 (a) To manage and protect existing Florida panther
40 populations by increasing panther food sources where food is a
41 limiting factor, determining conflicts between public use and
42 panther survival, maintaining sufficient genetic variability in
43 existing populations, and undertaking management and enforcement
44 activities that protect panther habitat.
45 (b) To educate the public concerning the value of the
46 panther and the necessity for panther management.
47 (c) To reestablish Florida panthers into areas of suitable
48 habitat, where feasible, by assessing the necessity of a captive
49 breeding program for purposes of reintroduction of the panthers
50 into the suitable habitat; selecting potential sites for
51 reintroduction and investigating associated human sociological
52 aspects; and assessing the potential for panther habitat
53 acquisition.
54 (d) For Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
55 administrative costs and for the promotion to promote and
56 marketing of market the Florida panther license plate as
57 authorized under s. 320.08058.
58 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 379.208, Florida
59 Statutes, is amended to read:
60 379.208 Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund;
61 purposes.—
62 (1) The Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund within the
63 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shall serve as a
64 broad-based depository for funds from various marine-related and
65 boating-related activities. The commission may invest and
66 reinvest the funds and the interest thereof of the trust fund
67 and shall administer the trust fund be administered by the
68 commission for the purposes of:
69 (a) Funding for marine research.
70 (b) Funding for fishery enhancement, including, but not
71 limited to, fishery statistics development, artificial reefs,
72 and fish hatcheries.
73 (c) Funding for marine law enforcement.
74 (d) Funding for administration of licensing programs for
75 recreational fishing, saltwater products sales, and related
76 information and education activities.
77 (e) Funding for the operations of the Fish and Wildlife
78 Conservation Commission.
79 (f) Funding for titling and registration of vessels.
80 (g) Funding for marine turtle protection, research, and
81 recovery activities from revenues that are specifically credited
82 to the trust fund for these purposes.
83 (h) Funding activities for rehabilitation of oyster
84 harvesting areas from which special oyster surcharge fees are
85 collected, including relaying and transplanting live oysters.
86 (i) Funding for boating research, boating-related programs
87 and activities, and for law enforcement on state waters.
88 (j) Funding for the stone crab trap reduction program under
89 s. 379.365, the blue crab effort management program under s.
90 379.366, the spiny lobster trap certificate program under s.
91 379.3671, and the trap retrieval program under s. 379.2424.
92 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
93 379.209, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
94 379.209 Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund.—
95 (2)(a) There is established within the Fish and Wildlife
96 Conservation Commission the Nongame Wildlife Trust Fund. The
97 fund shall be credited with moneys collected pursuant to ss.
98 319.32(3) and 320.02(8). Additional funds may be provided from
99 legislative appropriations and by donations from interested
100 individuals and organizations. The commission may invest and
101 reinvest the funds and the interest thereof of the Nongame
102 Wildlife Trust Fund. The commission shall designate an
103 identifiable unit to administer the trust fund.
104 Section 4. Section 379.211, Florida Statutes, is amended to
105 read:
106 379.211 State Game Trust Fund.—The funds resulting from the
107 operation of the commission and from the administration of the
108 laws and regulations pertaining to birds, game, fur-bearing
109 animals, freshwater fish, reptiles, and amphibians, together
110 with any other funds specifically provided for such purposes
111 shall constitute the State Game Trust Fund and shall be used by
112 the commission as it shall deem fit, including the investment
113 and reinvestment of the funds and the interest thereof, for the
114 purpose of in carrying out this section. The provisions hereof
115 and for no other purposes, except that annual use fees deposited
116 into the trust fund from the sale of the Largemouth Bass license
117 plate may be expended for the purposes provided under s.
118 320.08058(17). The commission may not obligate itself beyond the
119 current resources of the State Game Trust Fund unless
120 specifically so authorized by the Legislature.
121 Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 379.213, Florida
122 Statutes, is amended to read:
123 379.213 Save the Manatee Trust Fund.—
124 (2) The commission may invest and reinvest the funds and
125 the interest thereof of the Save the Manatee Trust Fund. Funds
126 to be credited to and uses of the trust fund shall be
127 administered in accordance with the provisions of ss. 320.08058,
128 328.66, 328.72, 328.74, 328.76, and 379.2431. The Fish and
129 Wildlife Conservation Commission may receive donations for
130 deposit into the Save the Manatee Trust Fund.
131 Section 6. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of
132 section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
133 320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
134 (1) MANATEE LICENSE PLATES.—
135 (b) The manatee license plate annual use fee must be
136 deposited into the Save the Manatee Trust Fund, created within
137 the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and may shall be
138 used only for commission administrative costs and the purposes
139 specified in s. 379.2431(4).
140 (c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), up to 10 percent of the
141 annual use fee deposited in the Save the Manatee Trust Fund from
142 the sale of the manatee license plate may be used to promote and
143 market the license plate issued by the Department of Highway
144 Safety and Motor Vehicles after June 30, 2007.
145 Section 7. Subsection (2) of section 379.214, Florida
146 Statutes, is amended to read:
147 379.214 Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund.—
148 (2) The commission may invest and reinvest the funds and
149 the interest thereof of the Invasive Plant Control Trust Fund.
150 Funds to be credited to and uses of the trust fund shall be
151 administered in accordance with the provisions of ss. 206.606,
152 328.76, 369.20, 369.22, 369.252, and 379.502 and may also be
153 used for commission administrative costs.
154 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.
