No. HB 751
Filed under Environment & Water.
Infrastructure and Resiliency; Revises definition of term "qualifying project"; provides that DEP has exclusive authority to execute coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships; authorizes DEP to take certain actions to encourage investment from private sector in coastal resiliency projects; requires DEP to publish certain information on its website.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDCreates a new law letting DEP form public-private partnerships specifically for coastal resiliency projects: seawall and stormwater upgrades, storm-hardened infrastructure, natural-barrier restoration, and buying out at-risk coastal and flood-prone properties.
DEP alone has the authority to execute these coastal resiliency public-private partnerships; no other state agency or local government can run one independently under this new law.
To attract private investment, DEP may offer long-term revenue-sharing deals, expedited construction permitting, and partnerships with in-state vocational schools to train workers for specialized resiliency construction, while incorporating public and local government comments.
DEP must publish a biennial progress report for each project, covering milestones, expenditures, and public benefits, and maintain an online dashboard showing real-time updates on how each partnership is progressing.
AIDEP alone may execute public-private partnerships for coastal resiliency projects under the state's Public-Private Partnership Act; no other state agency or local government may run one independently.
AIThe new definition covers seawall and stormwater upgrades, hardened infrastructure and natural barriers, large-scale seawalls and levees, and acquiring at-risk coastal properties or properties in high flood-risk areas, all eligible for DEP's private-partnership financing.
AIFor every coastal resiliency project funded through a public-private partnership, DEP must publish a biennial progress report covering milestones, expenditures, and public benefits, and maintain an online dashboard with real-time updates on project execution.
AIA coastal resiliency project, as newly defined, is added to the list of 'qualifying projects' eligible for public-private partnership treatment under Florida's Public-Private Partnership Act.
AITo encourage private investment, DEP may also engage in-state vocational schools and apprenticeship programs to train workers specifically for resiliency construction, alongside tools like revenue-sharing agreements and expedited permitting.