Bill Text: FL S1482 | 2021 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Biscayne Bay
Spectrum:
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-04-26 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 1177 (Ch. 2021-47) [S1482 Detail]
Download: Florida-2021-S1482-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2021 CS for SB 1482 By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senators Garcia and Pizzo 576-04657-21 20211482c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to Biscayne Bay; creating s. 163.11, 3 F.S.; establishing the Biscayne Bay Commission; 4 providing for commission purpose, membership, duties, 5 and authority; amending s. 403.086, F.S.; prohibiting 6 sewage disposal facilities from disposing of any 7 wastes into Biscayne Bay without providing advanced 8 waste treatment; providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Section 163.11, Florida Statutes, is created to 13 read: 14 163.11 Biscayne Bay Commission.— 15 (1) The Biscayne Bay Commission is hereby established as an 16 advisory council, as defined in s. 20.03, within the Department 17 of Environmental Protection. The department shall provide 18 administrative support and service to the commission as 19 requested by the commission and within the available resources 20 of the department. The commission shall comply with the 21 requirements of s. 20.052 except as otherwise provided in this 22 section. 23 (2) The commission shall serve as the official coordinating 24 clearinghouse for all public policy and projects related to 25 Biscayne Bay to unite all governmental agencies, businesses, and 26 residents in the area to speak with one voice on bay issues; to 27 develop coordinated plans, priorities, programs, and projects 28 that might substantially improve the bay area; and to act as the 29 principal advocate and watchdog to ensure that bay projects are 30 funded and implemented in a proper and timely manner. 31 (3)(a) The Biscayne Bay Commission shall be comprised of 32 the following members: 33 1. One member appointed by the Governor. 34 2. Three members of the Miami-Dade Board of County 35 Commissioners, appointed by the board. 36 3. One member of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities who 37 resides within the boundaries of a city that borders Biscayne 38 Bay, nominated by the league and appointed by the Secretary of 39 Environmental Protection. To the extent practicable, the league 40 must nominate a member from each city that borders Biscayne Bay 41 on a rotating basis. 42 4. One member of the South Florida Water Management 43 District Governing Board who resides in Miami-Dade County, 44 appointed by the board. 45 5. One representative of the Department of Environmental 46 Protection, appointed by the Secretary of Environmental 47 Protection. 48 6. One representative of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 49 Commission, appointed by the commission. 50 7. One representative of the Florida Inland Navigation 51 District, appointed by the district. 52 (b) Members shall serve for a term of 4 years; however, for 53 the purpose of providing staggered terms, the initial 54 appointments of representatives of the South Florida Water 55 Management District Governing Board, the Department of 56 Environmental Protection, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation 57 Commission, and the Florida Inland Navigation District shall be 58 for a term of 2 years. A vacancy shall be filled for the 59 remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as the 60 initial appointment. Notwithstanding s. 20.052, private citizen 61 members of the commission are not required to be confirmed by 62 the Senate. 63 (c) All members shall be voting members. 64 (d) Members of the commission shall serve without 65 compensation and are not entitled to reimbursement for per diem 66 and travel expenses pursuant to s. 112.061. 67 (4) The commission may meet monthly, but shall meet at 68 least quarterly. 69 (5) The commission shall: 70 (a) Consolidate existing plans, programs, and proposals, 71 including the recommendations outlined in the June 2020 Biscayne 72 Bay Task Force report, into a coordinated strategic plan for 73 improvement of Biscayne Bay and the surrounding areas, 74 addressing environmental, economic, social, recreational, and 75 aesthetic issues. The commission shall monitor the progress on 76 each element of such plan and shall revise the plan regularly. 77 (b) Prepare a consolidated financial plan using the 78 projected financial resources available from the different 79 jurisdictional agencies. The commission shall monitor the 80 progress on each element of such plan and revise the plan 81 regularly. 82 (c) Provide technical assistance and support as needed to 83 help implement each element of the strategic and financial 84 plans. 85 (d) Work in consultation with the United States Department 86 of the Interior. 87 (e) Provide a forum for exchange of information. 88 (f) Act as a clearinghouse for public information. 89 (6) The commission may establish subcommittees as necessary 90 to carry out its responsibilities. 91 (7) The commission shall submit a semiannual report 92 describing the accomplishments of the commission and each member 93 agency, as well as the status of each pending task, to the Miami 94 City Commission, the Miami-Dade County Board of County 95 Commissioners, the Mayor of Miami, the Mayor of Miami-Dade 96 County, the Governor, and the chair of the Miami-Dade County 97 Legislative Delegation. The first report shall be submitted by 98 January 15, 2022. The report shall also be made available on the 99 Department of Environmental Protection’s website and Miami-Dade 100 County’s website. 101 (8) This act does not affect or supersede the regulatory 102 authority of any governmental agency or any local government, 103 and any responsibilities of any governmental entity relating to 104 Biscayne Bay remain with the respective governmental entity. 105 Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 106 403.086, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 107 403.086 Sewage disposal facilities; advanced and secondary 108 waste treatment.— 109 (1) 110 (c) Notwithstanding this chapter or chapter 373, sewage 111 disposal facilities may not dispose of any wastes into Old Tampa 112 Bay, Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, St. Joseph 113 Sound, Clearwater Bay, Sarasota Bay, Little Sarasota Bay, 114 Roberts Bay, Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor Bay, Biscayne Bay, or, 115 beginning July 1, 2025, Indian River Lagoon, or into any river, 116 stream, channel, canal, bay, bayou, sound, or other water 117 tributary thereto, without providing advanced waste treatment, 118 as defined in subsection (4), approved by the department. This 119 paragraph does not apply to facilities which were permitted by 120 February 1, 1987, and which discharge secondary treated 121 effluent, followed by water hyacinth treatment, to tributaries 122 of tributaries of the named waters; or to facilities permitted 123 to discharge to the nontidally influenced portions of the Peace 124 River. 125 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.