No. CS/CS/HB 981
Filed under Environment & Water.
Tributaries of the St. Johns River; Requires DEP to hire project lead to oversee implementation of act, to develop project plan for restoration of Ocklawaha River, & to develop specified outdoor recreation plan; creates Northeast Florida River & Springs Recreation & Economic Development Advisory Council; requires Department of Commerce to develop specified economic development program for Marion & Putnam Counties.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe bill orders the Department of Environmental Protection to hire a project lead by August 2026 and, by July 2027, develop a plan restoring the Ocklawaha River's natural flow, hydrology, and floodplain to conditions before the Cross Florida Barge Canal.
That restoration project automatically qualifies for a general environmental permit rather than a standard case-by-case review, and the department must finish the restoration work by December 31, 2032, if funding is available.
A 20-member advisory council, chaired by the project lead and drawing members from the Governor, Legislature, four counties, and the Navy, will recommend priorities for a new outdoor recreation plan, grant program, and economic development program.
The department must roll out river and springs recreation projects by January 2028 and a matching grant program for four counties, while the Department of Commerce builds an economic development program for Marion and Putnam Counties, both contingent on the restoration project actually starting.
AIBy July 1, 2027, the department must produce a project plan restoring the Ocklawaha River's natural flow, hydrology, and floodplain function to roughly its condition before the Cross Florida Barge Canal was built.
AIThe bill declares, notwithstanding any other law or rule, that the Ocklawaha restoration project plan is an environmental restoration project eligible for a general permit from DEP and water management districts, bypassing the standard individual permit review process.
AISubject to available state, federal, or other funding, the department must complete the Ocklawaha restoration project plan by December 31, 2032.
AIThe bill creates a 20-member advisory council, chaired by the project lead, with seats appointed by the Governor, the Legislature, four county commissions, and the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
AIThe advisory council's first report, due February 1, 2027, must recommend measures to minimize the restoration project's impact on property owners or businesses directly affected by it.
AIThe department must roll out the outdoor recreation plan by January 1, 2028, but the companion grant program for river communities only launches once the restoration project plan actually commences.
AIThe Department of Commerce must create an economic development program for Marion and Putnam Counties supporting job creation, capital investment, and economic diversification, but only once the restoration project plan begins.