Bill Text: FL S1514 | 2020 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-12 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 921 [S1514 Detail]

Download: Florida-2020-S1514-Comm_Sub.html

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       Florida Senate - 2020                             CS for SB 1514
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Agriculture; and Senator Albritton
       
       
       
       
       
       575-03475-20                                          20201514c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Department of Agriculture and
    3         Consumer Services; amending s. 193.461, F.S.;
    4         specifying a methodology for the assessment of certain
    5         buildings and structures located on agricultural
    6         lands; amending s. 316.520, F.S.; revising application
    7         of agricultural load securing requirements; amending
    8         s. 570.441, F.S.; extending the scheduled expiration
    9         for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
   10         Services’ use of funds from the Pest Control Trust
   11         Fund for certain duties of the department; amending s.
   12         590.02, F.S.; directing the Florida Forest Service to
   13         develop a training curriculum for wildland
   14         firefighters; providing requirements for such
   15         training; amending s. 633.408, F.S.; providing
   16         wildland firefighter training and certification for
   17         certain firefighters and volunteer firefighters;
   18         providing legislative findings; requiring the
   19         Department of Environmental Protection, in
   20         coordination with the Department of Agriculture and
   21         Consumer Services and other entities, to develop a
   22         study to estimate the benefits of renewable natural
   23         gas in this state; requiring a report to the Governor
   24         and the Legislature; providing an effective date.
   25          
   26  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   27  
   28         Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section
   29  193.461, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   30         193.461 Agricultural lands; classification and assessment;
   31  mandated eradication or quarantine program; natural disasters.—
   32         (6)(c)1. For purposes of the income methodology approach to
   33  assessment of property used for agricultural purposes,
   34  irrigation systems, including pumps and motors, physically
   35  attached to the land shall be considered a part of the average
   36  yields per acre and shall have no separately assessable
   37  contributory value.
   38         2. Litter containment structures located on producing
   39  poultry farms and animal waste nutrient containment structures
   40  located on producing dairy farms shall be assessed by the
   41  methodology described in subparagraph 1.
   42         3. Structures or improvements used in horticultural
   43  production for frost or freeze protection, which are consistent
   44  with the interim measures or best management practices adopted
   45  by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services pursuant
   46  to s. 570.93 or s. 403.067(7)(c), shall be assessed by the
   47  methodology described in subparagraph 1.
   48         4. Screened enclosed structures used in horticultural
   49  production for protection from pests and diseases or to comply
   50  with state or federal eradication or compliance agreements shall
   51  be assessed by the methodology described in subparagraph 1.
   52         5. Any building or structure located on land that is
   53  classified as agricultural and which is used in and in
   54  furtherance of the agricultural purpose of the land, including,
   55  but not limited to, buildings or structures used for production,
   56  packaging, processing, or storage, shall be assessed by the
   57  methodology described in subparagraph 1.
   58         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 316.520, Florida
   59  Statutes, is amended to read:
   60         316.520 Loads on vehicles.—
   61         (4) The provision of subsection (2) requiring covering and
   62  securing the load with a close-fitting tarpaulin or other
   63  appropriate cover does not apply to vehicles carrying
   64  agricultural products locally from a harvest site or to or from
   65  a farm on roads where the posted speed limit is 65 miles per
   66  hour or less and the distance driven on public roads is less
   67  than 20 miles.
   68         Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 570.441, Florida
   69  Statutes, is amended to read
   70         570.441 Pest Control Trust Fund.—
   71         (4) In addition to the uses authorized under subsection
   72  (2), moneys collected or received by the department under
   73  chapter 482 may be used to carry out the provisions of s.
   74  570.44. This subsection expires June 30, 2024 2020.
   75         Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 590.02, Florida
   76  Statutes, is amended to read
   77         590.02 Florida Forest Service; powers, authority, and
   78  duties; liability; building structures; Withlacoochee Training
   79  Center.—
   80         (1) The Florida Forest Service has the following powers,
   81  authority, and duties to:
   82         (a) Enforce the provisions of this chapter;
   83         (b) Prevent, detect, and suppress wildfires wherever they
   84  may occur on public or private land in this state and do all
   85  things necessary in the exercise of such powers, authority, and
   86  duties;
   87         (c) Provide firefighting crews, who shall be under the
   88  control and direction of the Florida Forest Service and its
   89  designated agents;
   90         (d) Appoint center managers, forest area supervisors,
   91  forestry program administrators, a forest protection bureau
   92  chief, a forest protection assistant bureau chief, a field
   93  operations bureau chief, deputy chiefs of field operations,
   94  district managers, forest operations administrators, senior
   95  forest rangers, investigators, forest rangers, firefighter
   96  rotorcraft pilots, and other employees who may, at the Florida
   97  Forest Service’s discretion, be certified as forestry
   98  firefighters pursuant to s. 633.408(8). Other law
   99  notwithstanding, center managers, district managers, forest
  100  protection assistant bureau chief, and deputy chiefs of field
  101  operations have Selected Exempt Service status in the state
  102  personnel designation;
  103         (e) Develop a training curriculum for wildland forestry
  104  firefighters which must contain a minimum of 40 hours of
  105  structural firefighter training, a minimum of 40 hours of
  106  emergency medical training, the basic volunteer structural fire
  107  training course approved by the Florida State Fire College of
  108  the Division of State Fire Marshal and a minimum of 376 250
  109  hours of wildfire training;
  110         (f) Pay the cost of the initial commercial driver license
  111  examination fee for those employees whose position requires them
  112  to operate equipment requiring a license. This paragraph is
  113  intended to be an authorization to the department to pay such
  114  costs, not an obligation;
  115         (g) Provide fire management services and emergency response
  116  assistance and set and charge reasonable fees for performance of
  117  those services. Moneys collected from such fees shall be
  118  deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund of the Florida Forest
  119  Service;
  120         (h) Require all state, regional, and local government
  121  agencies operating aircraft in the vicinity of an ongoing
  122  wildfire to operate in compliance with the applicable state
  123  Wildfire Aviation Plan;
  124         (i) Authorize broadcast burning, prescribed burning, pile
  125  burning, and land clearing debris burning to carry out the
  126  duties of this chapter and the rules adopted thereunder; and
  127         (j) Make rules to accomplish the purposes of this chapter.
  128         Section 5. Subsection (8) of section 633.408, Florida
  129  Statutes, is amended to read:
  130         633.408 Firefighter and volunteer firefighter training and
  131  certification.—
  132         (8)(a) Pursuant to s. 590.02(1)(e), the division shall
  133  establish a structural fire training program of not less than 40
  134  206 hours. The division shall issue to a person satisfactorily
  135  complying with this training program and who has successfully
  136  passed an examination as prescribed by the division and who has
  137  met the requirements of s. 590.02(1)(e), a Wildland Firefighter
  138  Forestry Certificate of Compliance.
  139         (b) An individual who holds a current and valid Wildland
  140  Firefighter Forestry Certificate of Compliance is entitled to
  141  the same rights, privileges, and benefits provided for by law as
  142  a firefighter.
  143         Section 6. Renewable natural gas study.—
  144         (1) The Department of Environmental Protection, in
  145  coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
  146  Services, the Florida chapter of the National Waste and
  147  Recycling Association, and the Florida Natural Gas Association,
  148  shall develop a study to estimate the potential benefits of
  149  renewable natural gas in this state. The study must consider all
  150  of the following:
  151         (a) The use of renewable natural gas resources to generate
  152  energy and fuel and the benefits for local communities, the
  153  economy, and the environment.
  154         (b) The ability of renewable natural gas to create new
  155  revenue streams for local governments, agricultural producers,
  156  and other producers of waste.
  157         (c) The potential for renewable natural gas to contribute
  158  to energy security by providing the gas grid enhanced diversity
  159  of supply.
  160         (2) The Department of Environmental Protection shall submit
  161  a report of the results of the study to the Governor, the
  162  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  163  Representatives upon completion of such study.
  164         Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.