Bill Text: FL S2508 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Environmental Resources
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Vetoed) 2022-06-08 - Vetoed by Governor [S2508 Detail]
Download: Florida-2022-S2508-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED
2022 Legislature SB 2508, 2nd Engrossed
20222508er
1
2 An act relating to environmental resources; amending
3 s. 373.026, F.S.; providing requirements for budget
4 amendments requesting the release of state funds for
5 specified water project components; conforming
6 provisions to changes made by the act; authorizing the
7 release of state funds for specified water projects;
8 amending s. 373.036, F.S.; requiring modifications to
9 water management district annual work plans to be
10 submitted to the Secretary of Environmental Protection
11 for review and approval; amending s. 373.1501, F.S.;
12 requiring the South Florida Water Management District
13 to make a specified certification to the Legislature
14 regarding its recommendations to the United States
15 Army Corps of Engineers; providing legislative
16 findings; requiring water shortages within the Lake
17 Okeechobee Region to be managed in accordance with
18 certain rules; requiring that changes to certain rules
19 be ratified by the Legislature and presented to the
20 Governor; providing that such changes shall take
21 effect after a specified timeframe if certain
22 requirements are not met; amending s. 373.4141, F.S.;
23 authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection
24 to enter into agreements or contracts with certain
25 entities to expedite the evaluation of certain
26 environmental permits; providing requirements for such
27 agreements or contracts; authorizing the department to
28 receive funds received pursuant to such an agreement
29 or contract; requiring such funds to be deposited into
30 the Grants and Donations Trust Fund; amending s.
31 570.71, F.S.; specifying that the Department of
32 Agriculture and Consumer Services may acquire land or
33 certain related interests in land for specified public
34 purposes; revising the types of project proposals for
35 which the department may accept applications; revising
36 the activities prohibited under certain easements;
37 removing a requirement that certain department rules
38 give preference to certain types of lands; amending s.
39 570.715, F.S.; revising the procedures the department
40 must comply with for certain land acquisitions;
41 providing for a type two transfer of the William J.
42 “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park within the Agency
43 for Persons with Disabilities to the Department of
44 Environmental Protection; providing for the
45 continuation of certain contracts and interagency
46 agreements; reenacting s. 570.93(1)(a), F.S., relating
47 to an agricultural water conservation program;
48 providing effective dates.
49
50 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
51
52 Section 1. Effective upon this act becoming a law,
53 paragraph (b) of subsection (8) of section 373.026, Florida
54 Statutes, is amended to read:
55 373.026 General powers and duties of the department.—The
56 department, or its successor agency, shall be responsible for
57 the administration of this chapter at the state level. However,
58 it is the policy of the state that, to the greatest extent
59 possible, the department may enter into interagency or
60 interlocal agreements with any other state agency, any water
61 management district, or any local government conducting programs
62 related to or materially affecting the water resources of the
63 state. All such agreements shall be subject to the provisions of
64 s. 373.046. In addition to its other powers and duties, the
65 department shall, to the greatest extent possible:
66 (8)
67 (b) To ensure to the greatest extent possible that project
68 components will go forward as planned, the department shall
69 collaborate with the South Florida Water Management District in
70 implementing the comprehensive plan as defined in s.
71 373.470(2)(b), the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan as
72 defined in s. 373.4595(2), and the River Watershed Protection
73 Plans as defined in s. 373.4595(2). Before any project component
74 is submitted to Congress for authorization or receives an
75 appropriation of state funds, the department must approve, or
76 approve with amendments, each project component within 60 days
77 following formal submittal of the project component to the
78 department. Prior to the release of state funds for the
79 implementation of the comprehensive plan, department approval
80 shall be based upon a determination of the South Florida Water
81 Management District’s compliance with s. 373.1501(5) and (7).
82 Additionally, each budget amendment requesting the release of
83 state funds for the implementation of a project component or a
84 water control plan or regulation schedule required for the
85 operation of the project shall be contingent on the submission
86 of the certification required in s. 373.1501(7). Nothing in this
87 paragraph shall constitute a final agency action challengeable
88 under chapter 120. Once a project component is approved, the
89 South Florida Water Management District shall provide to the
90 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
91 Representatives a schedule for implementing the project
92 component, the estimated total cost of the project component,
93 any existing federal or nonfederal credits, the estimated
94 remaining federal and nonfederal share of costs, and an estimate
95 of the amount of state funds that will be needed to implement
96 the project component. All requests for an appropriation of
97 state funds needed to implement the project component shall be
98 submitted to the department, and such requests shall be included
99 in the department’s annual request to the Governor. Prior to the
100 release of state funds for the implementation of the Lake
101 Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan or the River Watershed
102 Protection Plans, on an annual basis, the South Florida Water
103 Management District shall prepare an annual work plan as part of
104 the consolidated annual report required in s. 373.036(7). Upon a
105 determination by the secretary of the annual work plan’s
106 consistency with the goals and objectives of ss. 373.1501(7) and
107 373.4595 s. 373.4595, the secretary may approve the release of
108 state funds. Any modifications to the annual work plan shall be
109 submitted to the secretary for review and approval.
110 Notwithstanding the requirements of this paragraph, the release
111 of state funds for the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir
112 project, the Lake Okeechobee Watershed project, the C-43 West
113 Basin Reservoir Storage project, and the Indian River Lagoon
114 South project is authorized.
115 Section 2. Effective upon becoming a law, paragraph (a) of
116 subsection (7) of section 373.036, Florida Statutes, is amended
117 to read:
118 373.036 Florida water plan; district water management
119 plans.—
120 (7) CONSOLIDATED WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT.—
121 (a) By March 1, annually, each water management district
122 shall prepare and submit to the Office of Economic and
123 Demographic Research, the department, the Governor, the
124 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
125 Representatives a consolidated water management district annual
126 report on the management of water resources. In addition, copies
127 must be provided by the water management districts to the chairs
128 of all legislative committees having substantive or fiscal
129 jurisdiction over the districts and the governing board of each
130 county in the district having jurisdiction or deriving any funds
131 for operations of the district. Copies of the consolidated
132 annual report must be made available to the public, either in
133 printed or electronic format. Any modifications to the annual
134 work plan shall be submitted to the secretary for review and
135 approval. Such approval does not constitute a final agency
136 action challengeable under chapter 120.
137 Section 3. Effective upon this act becoming a law,
138 subsection (7) of section 373.1501, Florida Statutes, is
139 amended, subsections (10) and (11) are added to that section,
140 and subsection (4) of that section is reenacted, to read:
141 373.1501 South Florida Water Management District as local
142 sponsor.—
143 (4) The district is authorized to act as local sponsor of
144 the project for those project features within the district as
145 provided in this subsection and subject to the oversight of the
146 department as further provided in s. 373.026. The district shall
147 exercise the authority of the state to allocate quantities of
148 water within its jurisdiction, including the water supply in
149 relation to the project, and be responsible for allocating water
150 and assigning priorities among the other water uses served by
151 the project pursuant to state law. The district may:
152 (a) Act as local sponsor for all project features
153 previously authorized by Congress.
154 (b) Continue data gathering, analysis, research, and design
155 of project components, participate in preconstruction
156 engineering and design documents for project components, and
157 further refine the Comprehensive Plan of the restudy as a guide
158 and framework for identifying other project components.
159 (c) Construct pilot projects that will assist in
160 determining the feasibility of technology included in the
161 Comprehensive Plan of the restudy.
162 (d) Act as local sponsor for project components.
163 (7) When developing or implementing water control plans or
164 regulation schedules required for the operation of the project,
165 the district shall provide recommendations to the United States
166 Army Corps of Engineers which are consistent with all district
167 programs and plans. The district shall certify to the President
168 of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
169 with a copy to the department, in the annual report pursuant to
170 s. 373.036(7), that its recommendations made pursuant to this
171 subsection during the previous 12 months are consistent with all
172 district programs and plans. Nothing in this subsection shall
173 constitute a final agency action challengeable under chapter
174 120.
175 (10) The Legislature finds that the Lake Okeechobee
176 Regulation Schedule and any operating manual must balance the
177 different interests across the system, including, but not
178 limited to, safeguarding the water supply to society and the
179 environment, reducing high-volume discharges to coastal
180 estuaries, and providing for flood control.
181 (11) Water shortages within the Lake Okeechobee Region must
182 be managed in accordance with Chapters 40E-21 and 40E-22,
183 Florida Administrative Code, as such region is set forth
184 therein. Any change to such rules may not take effect until
185 ratified by the Legislature and presented to the Governor, or if
186 the Legislature fails to act and present to the Governor during
187 the next regular legislative session, such rules shall take
188 effect after the next regular legislative session and shall
189 otherwise comply with s. 120.541.
190 Section 4. Effective upon this act becoming a law, section
191 373.4141, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
192 373.4141 Permits; processing.—
193 (1) GENERAL PROCESSING; TIME LIMITATIONS.—
194 (a) Within 30 days after receipt of an application for a
195 permit under this part, the department or the water management
196 district shall review the application and shall request
197 submittal of all additional information the department or the
198 water management district is permitted by law to require. If the
199 applicant believes any request for additional information is not
200 authorized by law or rule, the applicant may request a hearing
201 pursuant to s. 120.57. Within 30 days after receipt of such
202 additional information, the department or water management
203 district shall review it and may request only that information
204 needed to clarify such additional information or to answer new
205 questions raised by or directly related to such additional
206 information. If the applicant believes the request of the
207 department or water management district for such additional
208 information is not authorized by law or rule, the department or
209 water management district, at the applicant’s request, must
210 shall proceed to process the permit application.
211 (b)(2) A permit must shall be approved, denied, or subject
212 to a notice of proposed agency action within 60 days after
213 receipt of the original application, the last item of timely
214 requested additional material, or the applicant’s written
215 request to begin processing the permit application.
216 (c)(3) Processing of applications for permits for
217 affordable housing projects must shall be expedited to a greater
218 degree than other projects.
219 (d)(4) A state agency or an agency of the state may not
220 require as a condition of approval for a permit or as an item to
221 complete a pending permit application that an applicant obtain a
222 permit or approval from any other local, state, or federal
223 agency without explicit statutory authority to require such
224 permit or approval.
225 (2) AGREEMENTS TO PROCESS PERMITS.—
226 (a) The department may enter into an agreement or a
227 contract with a public entity, which includes a utility
228 regulated under chapter 366, to expedite the evaluation of
229 environmental resource permits or section 404 permits related to
230 a project or an activity that serves a public purpose. Any
231 agreement or contract entered into pursuant to this subsection
232 must be effective for at least 3 years.
233 (b) The department must ensure that any agreement or
234 contract entered into by the department does not affect
235 impartial decisionmaking, either substantively or procedurally.
236 The department must use the same procedures for decisions that
237 would otherwise be required for the evaluation of permits for
238 similar projects or activities not carried out under an
239 agreement or contract authorized under this subsection.
240 (c) The department must make all active agreements or
241 contracts entered into under this subsection available on its
242 website.
243 (d) The department may receive funds pursuant to an
244 agreement or contract entered into under this subsection. Any
245 funds received pursuant to this subsection must be deposited
246 into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund and used in accordance
247 with the agreement or contract.
248 Section 5. Effective January 1, 2023, section 570.71,
249 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
250 570.71 Land acquisition; conservation easements and
251 agreements.—
252 (1) The department, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of
253 the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, may allocate moneys to
254 acquire land or related interests in land, such as perpetual,
255 less-than-fee acquisitions interest in land, to enter into
256 agricultural protection agreements, and to enter into resource
257 conservation agreements for any of the following public
258 purposes:
259 (a) Promotion and improvement of wildlife habitat.;
260 (b) Protection and enhancement of water bodies, aquifer
261 recharge areas, wetlands, and watersheds.;
262 (c) Perpetuation of open space on lands with significant
263 natural areas.; or
264 (d) Protection of agricultural lands threatened by
265 conversion to other uses.
266 (e) Preservation and protection of natural and working
267 landscapes.
268 (f) Preservation, protection, and enhancement of wildlife
269 corridors and linkages.
270 (2) To achieve the purposes of this section, the department
271 may accept applications for project proposals that:
272 (a) Purchase land or interests in land, such as
273 conservation easements, as defined in s. 704.06.
274 (b) Purchase rural-lands-protection easements pursuant to
275 this section.
276 (c) Fund resource conservation agreements pursuant to this
277 section.
278 (d) Fund agricultural protection agreements pursuant to
279 this section.
280 (3) Rural-lands-protection easements are shall be a
281 perpetual right or interest in agricultural land which is
282 appropriate to retain such land in predominantly its current
283 state and to prevent the subdivision and conversion of such land
284 into other uses. This right or interest in property shall
285 prohibit only the following:
286 (a) Construction or placing of buildings, roads, billboards
287 or other advertising, utilities, or structures, except those
288 structures and unpaved roads necessary for the agricultural
289 operations on the land or structures necessary for other
290 activities allowed under the easement, and except for linear
291 facilities described in s. 704.06(11).;
292 (b) Subdivision of the property.;
293 (c) Dumping or placing of trash, waste, or offensive
294 materials.; and
295 (d) Activities that detrimentally affect the natural
296 hydrology of the land or that detrimentally affect water
297 conservation, erosion control, soil conservation, or fish or
298 wildlife habitat, except those required for environmental
299 restoration; federal, state, or local government regulatory
300 programs; or best management practices.
301 (4) Resource conservation agreements will be contracts for
302 services which provide annual payments to landowners for
303 services that actively improve habitat and water restoration or
304 conservation on their lands over and above that which is already
305 required by law or which provide recreational opportunities.
306 They will be for a term of not less than 5 years and not more
307 than 10 years. Property owners will become eligible to enter
308 into a resource conservation agreement only upon entering into a
309 conservation easement or rural lands protection easement.
310 (5) Agricultural protection agreements shall be for terms
311 of 30 years and will provide payments to landowners having
312 significant natural areas on their land. Public access and
313 public recreational opportunities may be negotiated at the
314 request of the landowner.
315 (a) For the length of the agreement, the landowner shall
316 agree to prohibit:
317 1. Construction or placing of buildings, roads, billboards
318 or other advertising, utilities, or structures, except those
319 structures and unpaved roads necessary for the agricultural
320 operations on the land or structures necessary for other
321 activities allowed under the easement, and except for linear
322 facilities described in s. 704.06(11);
323 2. Subdivision of the property;
324 3. Dumping or placing of trash, waste, or offensive
325 materials; and
326 4. Activities that affect the natural hydrology of the
327 land, or that detrimentally affect water conservation, erosion
328 control, soil conservation, or fish or wildlife habitat.
329 (b) As part of the agricultural protection agreement, the
330 parties shall agree that the state shall have a right to buy a
331 conservation easement or rural land protection easement at the
332 end of the 30-year term. If the landowner tenders the easement
333 for the purchase and the state does not timely exercise its
334 right to buy the easement, the landowner shall be released from
335 the agricultural agreement. The purchase price of the easement
336 shall be established in the agreement and shall be based on the
337 value of the easement at the time the agreement is entered into,
338 plus a reasonable escalator multiplied by the number of full
339 calendar years following the date of the commencement of the
340 agreement. The landowner may transfer or sell the property
341 before the expiration of the 30-year term, but only if the
342 property is sold subject to the agreement and the buyer becomes
343 the successor in interest to the agricultural protection
344 agreement. Upon mutual consent of the parties, a landowner may
345 enter into a perpetual easement at any time during the term of
346 an agricultural protection agreement.
347 (6) Payment for conservation easements and rural land
348 protection easements shall be a lump-sum payment at the time the
349 easement is entered into.
350 (7) Landowners entering into an agricultural protection
351 agreement may receive up to 50 percent of the purchase price at
352 the time the agreement is entered into, and remaining payments
353 on the balance shall be equal annual payments over the term of
354 the agreement.
355 (8) Payments for the resource conservation agreements shall
356 be equal annual payments over the term of the agreement.
357 (9) Easements purchased pursuant to this act may not:
358 (a) Prevent landowners from transferring the remaining fee
359 value with the easement; or
360 (b) At the request of the landowner, restrict a landowner’s
361 ability to use, or authorize the use of by third parties,
362 specific parcels of land within a conservation easement for
363 conservation banking or recipient sites for imperiled species as
364 defined in s. 259.105(2)(a)11. or wetlands mitigation banking
365 pursuant to chapter 373, provided the specific parcels of land
366 include wetland or upland areas that may be enhanced, restored,
367 or created under the conditions of a wetlands mitigation bank
368 permit.
369 (10) The department, in consultation with the Department of
370 Environmental Protection, the water management districts, the
371 Department of Economic Opportunity, and the Florida Fish and
372 Wildlife Conservation Commission, shall adopt rules that
373 establish an application process, a process and criteria for
374 setting priorities for use of funds consistent with the purposes
375 specified in subsection (1) and giving preference to ranch and
376 timber lands managed using sustainable practices, an appraisal
377 process, and a process for title review and compliance and
378 approval of the rules by the Board of Trustees of the Internal
379 Improvement Trust Fund.
380 (11) If a landowner objects to having his or her property
381 included in any lists or maps developed to implement this act,
382 the department must shall remove the property from any such
383 lists or maps upon receipt of the landowner’s written request to
384 do so.
385 (12) The department may use appropriated funds from the
386 following sources to implement this section:
387 (a) State funds;
388 (b) Federal funds;
389 (c) Other governmental entities;
390 (d) Nongovernmental organizations; or
391 (e) Private individuals.
392
393 Any such funds provided, other than from the Land Acquisition
394 Trust Fund, shall be deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund
395 within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and
396 used for the purposes of this section, including administrative
397 and operating expenses related to appraisals, mapping, title
398 process, personnel, and other real estate expenses.
399 (13) No more than 10 percent of any funds made available to
400 implement this act may shall be expended for resource
401 conservation agreements and agricultural protection agreements.
402 Section 6. Effective January 1, 2023, section 570.715,
403 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
404 570.715 Land Conservation easement acquisition procedures.—
405 (1) For land acquisitions, including less than fee simple
406 acquisitions, pursuant to s. 570.71, the Department of
407 Agriculture and Consumer Services shall comply with the
408 following acquisition procedures:
409 (a) Before conveyance of title by the department, evidence
410 of marketable title in the form of a commitment for title
411 insurance or an abstract of title with a title opinion must
412 shall be obtained.
413 (b) Before approval by the board of trustees of an
414 agreement to purchase less than fee simple title to land
415 pursuant to s. 570.71, an appraisal of the parcel is shall be
416 required as follows:
417 1. Each parcel to be acquired must shall have at least one
418 appraisal. Two appraisals are required when the estimated value
419 of the parcel exceeds $1 million. However, when both appraisals
420 exceed $1 million and differ significantly, a third appraisal
421 may be obtained.
422 2. Appraisal fees and associated costs must shall be paid
423 by the department. All appraisals used for the acquisition of
424 less than fee simple interest in lands pursuant to this section
425 must shall be prepared by a state-certified appraiser who meets
426 the standards and criteria established by rule of the board of
427 trustees. Each appraiser selected to appraise a particular
428 parcel shall, before contracting with the department or a
429 participant in a multiparty agreement, submit to the department
430 or participant an affidavit substantiating that he or she has no
431 vested or fiduciary interest in such parcel.
432 (c) A certified survey must be made that meets the minimum
433 requirements for upland parcels established in the Standards of
434 Practice for Land Surveying in Florida published by the
435 department and that accurately portrays, to the greatest extent
436 practicable, the condition of the parcel as it currently exists.
437 The requirement for a certified survey may, in whole or in part,
438 be waived by the board of trustees any time before the land
439 acquisition of the less than fee simple interest. If an existing
440 boundary map and description of a parcel are determined by the
441 department to be sufficient for appraisal purposes, the
442 department may temporarily waive the requirement for a survey
443 until any time before conveyance of title to the parcel.
444 (d) On behalf of the board of trustees and before the
445 appraisal of parcels approved for purchase under ss.
446 259.105(3)(i) and 570.71, the department may enter into option
447 contracts to buy less than fee simple interest in such parcels.
448 Any such option contract must shall state that the final
449 purchase price is subject to approval by the board of trustees
450 and that the final purchase price may not exceed the maximum
451 offer authorized by law. Any such option contract presented to
452 the board of trustees for final purchase price approval must
453 shall explicitly state that payment of the final purchase price
454 is subject to an appropriation by the Legislature. The
455 consideration for any such option contract may not exceed $1,000
456 or 0.01 percent of the estimate by the department of the value
457 of the parcel, whichever amount is greater.
458 (e) A final offer must shall be in the form of an option
459 contract or agreement for purchase of the land less than fee
460 simple interest and must shall be signed and attested to by the
461 owner and the department. Before the department signs the
462 agreement for purchase of the land less than fee simple interest
463 or exercises the option contract, the requirements of s. 286.23
464 must shall be complied with.
465 (f) The procedures provided in s. 253.025(9)(a)-(d) and
466 (10) must shall be followed.
467 (2) If the public’s interest is reasonably protected, the
468 board of trustees may:
469 (a) Waive any requirement of this section.
470 (b) Waive any rules adopted pursuant to s. 570.71,
471 notwithstanding chapter 120.
472 (c) Substitute any other reasonably prudent procedures,
473 including federally mandated acquisition procedures, for the
474 procedures in this section, if federal funds are available and
475 will be used for the purchase of land a less than fee simple
476 interest in lands, title to which will vest in the board of
477 trustees, and qualification for such federal funds requires
478 compliance with federally mandated acquisition procedures.
479 (3) The less than fee simple land acquisition procedures
480 provided in this section are for voluntary, negotiated
481 acquisitions.
482 (4) For purposes of this section, the term “negotiations”
483 does not include preliminary contacts with the property owner to
484 determine availability or eligibility of the property, existing
485 appraisal data, existing abstracts, and surveys.
486 (5) Appraisal reports are confidential and exempt from s.
487 119.07(1), for use by the department and the board of trustees,
488 until an option contract is executed or, if an option contract
489 is not executed, until 2 weeks before a contract or agreement
490 for purchase is considered for approval by the board of
491 trustees. However, the department has the authority, at its
492 discretion, to disclose appraisal reports to private landowners
493 during negotiations for acquisitions using alternatives to fee
494 simple techniques, if the department determines that disclosure
495 of such reports will bring the proposed acquisition to closure.
496 The department may also disclose appraisal information to public
497 agencies or nonprofit organizations that agree to maintain the
498 confidentiality of the reports or information when joint
499 acquisition of property is contemplated, or when a public agency
500 or nonprofit organization enters into a written multiparty
501 agreement with the department. For purposes of this subsection,
502 the term “nonprofit organization” means an organization whose
503 purposes include the preservation of natural resources, and
504 which is exempt from federal income tax under s. 501(c)(3) of
505 the Internal Revenue Code. The department may release an
506 appraisal report when the passage of time has rendered the
507 conclusions of value in the report invalid or when the
508 department has terminated negotiations.
509 Section 7. Type two transfer from the Agency for Persons
510 with Disabilities.—
511 (1) All powers, duties, functions, records, offices,
512 personnel, associated administrative support positions,
513 property, pending issues, existing contracts, administrative
514 authority, administrative rules, and unexpended balances of
515 appropriations, allocations, and other funds relating to the
516 William J. “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park within the Agency
517 for Persons with Disabilities are transferred by a type two
518 transfer, as defined in s. 20.06(2), Florida Statutes, to the
519 Department of Environmental Protection.
520 (2) Any binding contract or interagency agreement existing
521 before July 1, 2022, between the Agency for Persons with
522 Disabilities, or an entity or agency of the department, and any
523 other agency, entity, or person relating to the William J.
524 “Billy Joe” Rish Recreational Park shall continue as a binding
525 contract or agreement for the remainder of the term of the
526 contract or agreement on the successor entity responsible for
527 the program, activity, or functions relative to the contract or
528 agreement.
529 Section 8. Notwithstanding the reversion and expiration of
530 paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 570.93, Florida
531 Statutes, by section 44 of chapter 2021-37, Laws of Florida,
532 that paragraph is not amended as provided by that act, but is
533 reenacted to read:
534 570.93 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
535 agricultural water conservation and agricultural water supply
536 planning.—
537 (1) The department shall establish an agricultural water
538 conservation program that includes the following:
539 (a) A cost-share program, coordinated with the United
540 States Department of Agriculture and other federal, state,
541 regional, and local agencies when appropriate, for irrigation
542 system retrofit and application of mobile irrigation laboratory
543 evaluations, and for water conservation and water quality
544 improvement pursuant to s. 403.067(7)(c).
545 Section 9. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
546 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
547 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1,
548 2022.
