No. HB 1479
Filed under Environment & Water.
Abandoned and Historic Cemeteries; Authorizes use of specified funds deposited in Florida Forever Trust Fund for acquisition of lands which preserve certain historic cemeteries; subject to appropriation, authorizing use of additional funds for acquisition of such lands; requires state to be granted easement for ingress & egress to abandoned cemeteries on private lands for specified purposes; requires abandoned cemeteries on private lands to be included in Florida Master Site File; provides that owner of such private land is entitled to conservation easement.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDIf credible evidence shows an abandoned cemetery sits on, under, or next to private land, the state must be granted an easement to enter, maintain, and research the site after giving the owner reasonable notice.
Once the state confirms the cemetery is real, it must be added to the Florida Master Site File, and the landowner becomes entitled to a conservation easement for that part of the property.
Separately, Florida Forever Trust Fund money can now go toward buying land that preserves historic cemeteries, and -- if the Legislature appropriates more -- toward buying conservation easements on cemeteries listed in the state's historic site file.
AIOnce credible evidence supports a finding that an abandoned cemetery is located on, under, or adjacent to privately owned land, the owner must grant the state an easement to enter and conduct maintenance, research, and noninvasive searches, after reasonable notice.
AIIf the state determines that an abandoned cemetery actually exists on the land, that cemetery must be added to the Florida Master Site File, the state's historic and archaeological site registry.
AIOnce the state confirms an abandoned cemetery on the property, the owner of that land becomes entitled to a conservation easement covering the cemetery, a right the owner did not previously have under this section.
AILand acquisitions that preserve historic cemeteries listed in the Florida Master Site File now qualify for the same increased funding priority the trust fund already gives to acquisitions protecting water resources and groundwater recharge.
AISubject to legislative appropriation, the trust fund may allocate additional money specifically to acquire conservation easements on historic cemeteries included in the Florida Master Site File, a distinct funding avenue from ordinary land acquisition.