No. CS/CS/CS/SB 1066
Filed under Environment & Water.
Tributaries of the St. Johns River; Citing this act as the "Northeast Florida Rivers, Springs, and Community Investment Act"; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection, by a specified date, to hire a project lead to oversee the implementation of the act; requiring the department to develop, by a specified date, a project plan for the restoration of the Ocklawaha River; providing that the project plan is an environmental restoration or enhancement project subject to a general permit from the department and water management districts; providing for the creation of the Northeast Florida River and Springs Recreation and Economic Development Advisory Council by a specified date, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe department must hire a project lead by August 2026 and, by July 2027, produce a plan to restore the Ocklawaha River's natural flow by breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam and decommissioning the Buckman Lock.
Regardless of any other law or rule, this restoration project is legally defined as qualifying for a general permit from the department and water management districts under specific existing agency rules.
A new 16-member advisory council, mixing gubernatorial and county appointees from Clay, Marion, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties, must recommend recreation projects, grant guidelines, and ways to limit harm to affected property owners by February 2027.
The department must roll out an outdoor recreation plan and grant program for river communities by early 2028, while the Department of Commerce builds a matching economic development program for Marion and Putnam Counties.
AIThe department's project plan for the Ocklawaha River must restore its natural flow and floodplain function using measures that specifically include breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam and decommissioning the Buckman Lock, due by July 1, 2027.
AINo matter what other law or rule would otherwise govern, the restoration project plan is legally defined as an environmental restoration project that qualifies for a general permit from the department and water management districts, rather than a fuller individual permit review.
AIEstablishes a 16-member Northeast Florida River and Springs Recreation and Economic Development Advisory Council, housed in the department and chaired by the project lead, with nine gubernatorial and six county-commission appointees plus a Navy representative.
AIThe advisory council's report to the Governor and Legislature must include recommendations for measures to minimize the restoration project's impact on property owners or businesses directly affected by it.
AIThe department must hire a full-time project lead with conservation and recreation planning expertise no later than August 31, 2026, to oversee the entire restoration effort.
AIThe department, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the council, and local governments in Clay, Marion, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties must build and implement, by January 2028, a plan expanding river and springs recreation access.
AIBy January 1, 2028, the department must develop a grant program for river communities in Clay, Marion, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties to help implement the outdoor recreation plan.
AIThe Department of Commerce must build an economic development program supporting job creation, capital investment, and economic diversification specifically for Marion and Putnam Counties, implemented by January 1, 2028.