Bill Text: FL S1630 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Climate Resilience

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-03-08 - Died in Environment and Natural Resources [S1630 Detail]

Download: Florida-2024-S1630-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1630
       
       
        
       By Senator Torres
       
       
       
       
       
       25-01590-24                                           20241630__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to climate resilience; creating s.
    3         380.0939, F.S.; defining terms; requiring the
    4         Department of Environmental Protection to establish
    5         the Blue Communities Program for a specified purpose;
    6         providing duties of the program; authorizing the
    7         department to delegate and integrate certain
    8         initiatives; providing blue community eligibility
    9         requirements; requiring the department to establish a
   10         Blue Communities Fund for specified purposes;
   11         requiring the department to administer and oversee the
   12         Blue Communities Program, adopt rules, adopt a funding
   13         structure, and submit reports containing specified
   14         information to the Legislature by a specified date;
   15         creating s. 380.245, F.S.; providing a short title;
   16         defining terms; establishing an advisory board within
   17         the department; providing for membership; establishing
   18         the Ocean State Climate Adaptation and Resilience
   19         Grant Fund within the department; specifying sources
   20         and uses of funding; specifying factors to be
   21         considered in determining the eligibility and
   22         prioritization of projects; specifying eligibility
   23         requirements for projects; prohibiting grant funds
   24         from being used for certain purposes; providing for a
   25         grant disbursement process and the submittal of
   26         reports to the Legislature at specified intervals by
   27         the department and the Florida Oceans and Coastal
   28         Council; requiring the department and the council to
   29         adopt rules; creating s. 377.8061, F.S.; providing a
   30         short title; providing legislative findings regarding
   31         the purpose of the Florida Carbon Sequestration Act;
   32         creating the Carbon Sequestration Advisory Council
   33         within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
   34         Services; providing for membership and expenses of the
   35         council; requiring the department to provide meeting
   36         space and certain assistance; specifying duties of the
   37         council; requiring the department, in consultation
   38         with the council, to submit a report to the
   39         Legislature by a specified date; specifying report
   40         contents; requiring a second report by a specified
   41         date which includes a certain assessment conducted in
   42         consultation with the council; providing requirements
   43         for the assessment; authorizing the department to
   44         contract with the Natural Resources Conservation
   45         Service for certain purposes; authorizing the
   46         department to apply for and accept certain sources of
   47         public and private funds; creating the Carbon
   48         Sequestration Assessment Cash Account within the Land
   49         Acquisition Trust Fund for specified purposes;
   50         requiring the Chief Financial Officer to credit
   51         certain moneys received to the account; creating s.
   52         379.27, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
   53         providing a purpose; establishing the Ocean
   54         Stewardship Special Account within the Land
   55         Acquisition Trust Fund to be administered by the Fish
   56         and Wildlife Conservation Commission for specified
   57         purposes; specifying sources and uses of funding;
   58         providing for administrative procedures; requiring
   59         owners of certain commercial vessels and operators of
   60         rental watercraft or water sports equipment to collect
   61         an ocean stewardship user fee from passengers or
   62         customers, respectively; specifying the fee amount;
   63         requiring such fees to be deposited into the Ocean
   64         Stewardship Special Account; requiring the department
   65         to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
   66          
   67  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   68  
   69         Section 1. Section 380.0939, Florida Statutes, is created
   70  to read:
   71         380.0939The Blue Communities Program.—
   72         (1)For purposes of this section, the term:
   73         (a)“Coastal waters” has the same meaning as in s. 373.019.
   74         (b)“Department” means the Department of Environmental
   75  Protection.
   76         (c)“Eutrophication” means a condition of coastal or fresh
   77  waters that have elevated nutrient concentrations which cause a
   78  dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of
   79  oxygen.
   80         (d)“Nutrient pollution” means excess amounts of nutrients
   81  from point and nonpoint sources which can lead to
   82  eutrophication.
   83         (e)“Program” means the Blue Communities Program created
   84  under this section.
   85         (f)“Watershed” has the same meaning as in s. 373.403(12).
   86         (2)(a)The Blue Communities Program is established within
   87  the department to incentivize local action to reduce nutrient
   88  pollution and ocean acidification in the ocean, coastal waters,
   89  fresh waters, and watersheds. The program shall provide
   90  technical and financial assistance, in the form of grants and
   91  loans, to local governments that qualify as blue communities
   92  under this section.
   93         (b)The department may delegate certain initiatives within
   94  the program to departments, divisions, or offices. The
   95  department may also integrate certain initiatives within the
   96  program with existing programs, including the total maximum
   97  daily load program as set forth in s. 403.067.
   98         (3)To qualify as a blue community, a local government
   99  must:
  100         (a)File an application with the department in a form and
  101  manner prescribed by the department.
  102         (b)Adopt at least five of the following initiatives:
  103         1.A liquid hazardous waste program which advertises
  104  detergents, cleaning products, and other hazardous or nutrient
  105  dense liquids that cannot safely be thrown away, flushed, or
  106  poured down drains, and annually collects and properly disposes
  107  of such liquids.
  108         2.A model groundwater protection regulation proposed by
  109  the applicable water management district that limits the total
  110  area of land covered by impervious surfaces to reduce runoff,
  111  particularly in areas closest to coastal waters.
  112         3.A water conservation ordinance as set forth in s.
  113  166.048.
  114         4.An ordinance contained within the “Florida-Friendly
  115  Landscape Guidance Models for Ordinances, Covenants, and
  116  Restrictions” manual developed by the department.
  117         5.A shell collection system for local businesses to return
  118  carbonate-containing shells to the ocean.
  119         6.A shellfish or seagrass regenerative ocean farming
  120  operation or shellfish or seagrass restoration project which is
  121  consistent with work conducted by the Seagrass Restoration
  122  Technology Development Initiative.
  123         7.A water quality monitoring system for waterbodies for
  124  which total maximum daily loads have not been established that
  125  includes monitoring levels of pH, phosphorus, and nitrogen.
  126         8.A plan to eliminate municipal-owned sanitary sewer or
  127  combined sewer overflows.
  128         9.A stormwater utility program to fund upgrades to
  129  stormwater infrastructure as set forth in s. 403.0893.
  130         (c)Develop a blue community plan that prioritizes
  131  implementation in environmental justice communities and outlines
  132  specific metrics for each implemented initiative.
  133         (d)Report the expenditures and results of the blue
  134  community plan to the Executive Office of the Governor and the
  135  applicable committees of the Legislature every 2 years after the
  136  date the application is approved by the department.
  137         (4)The department shall establish the Blue Communities
  138  Fund, which shall be used to finance the program and all or a
  139  portion of the costs of studying, designing, constructing, and
  140  implementing ocean acidification mitigation programs. The
  141  department may integrate this fund with other similar funds.
  142  Funds shall be appropriated annually by the state and include,
  143  among other sources, moneys obtained from:
  144         (a)The Land Acquisition Trust Fund.
  145         (b)The sales tax on fertilizers.
  146         (c)Other sources of revenue related to carbon reduction,
  147  the fishing industry, and environmental protection.
  148         (5)The department must provide administration and
  149  oversight to the program, including by:
  150         (a)Adopting rules and guidelines for the administration
  151  and enforcement of this section, including establishing
  152  applicant criteria, detailing operations and requirements of the
  153  structure in paragraph (b), funding priority, and application
  154  forms and procedures.
  155         (b)Adopting a structure for communities to receive funding
  156  that provides greater amounts of funding to communities that
  157  adopt a greater number of initiatives.
  158         (c)Submitting an annual report by September 1 to the
  159  President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
  160  Representatives, and the chairs of the appropriations committees
  161  of the Legislature detailing expenditures and results relative
  162  to the program.
  163         Section 2. Section 380.245, Florida Statutes, is created,
  164  to read:
  165         380.245Ocean state climate adaptation and resilience.—
  166         (1)This section may be cited as the “Ocean State Climate
  167  Adaptation and Resilience Act.”
  168         (2)For purposes of this section, the term:
  169         (a)“Adaptation and resilience projects” or “projects”
  170  means those projects on public land that protect or enhance
  171  coastal or riverine habitats to address climate change impacts.
  172  Adaptation and resilience projects include projects that reduce
  173  the vulnerability of low-lying infrastructure on public land
  174  through measures that include removal and relocation of
  175  infrastructure, restoration of river and stream floodplains,
  176  including the regrading of banks, revegetation, acquisition of
  177  that area of land necessary to maintain and preserve public
  178  access, and redesigning, resizing, and replacing culverts and
  179  bridge spans at existing wetland crossings.
  180         (b)“Climate change impacts” means and includes, but is not
  181  limited to, flooding, erosion, sea-level rise, and storm surge.
  182         (c)“Council” means the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council
  183  created under chapter 161.
  184         (d)“Department” means the Department of Environmental
  185  Protection.
  186         (e)“Director” means the director of the Division of Water
  187  Resource Management.
  188         (f)“Infrastructure” means roads, parking lots, and other
  189  paved surfaces, shoreline protection structures, buildings,
  190  water control structures, culverts, other structures, and
  191  remnants of development.
  192         (g)“Public lands” has the same meaning as in s. 317.0003.
  193         (h)“Shoreline protection structures” means revetments,
  194  bulkheads, seawalls and floodwalls, breakwaters, jetties, and
  195  other structures, the purpose or effect of which is to control
  196  the erosion of coastal or river features, and includes any sheet
  197  pile, concrete, or stone walls.
  198         (3)An advisory board is established to consist of four
  199  members, as follows:
  200         (a)One member shall be the Secretary of Environmental
  201  Protection or his or her designee.
  202         (b)One member shall be the director or his or her
  203  designee.
  204         (c)One member shall be the director of the relevant state
  205  planning unit within the Department of Commerce or his or her
  206  designee.
  207         (d)One member shall be the director of the Division of
  208  Emergency Management or his or her designee.
  209         (4)(a)There is established the Ocean State Climate
  210  Adaptation and Resilience Grant Fund (“OSCAR Grant Fund”) within
  211  the department.
  212         (b)The OSCAR Grant Fund shall consist of:
  213         1.Appropriations from the Legislature.
  214         2.Funding received from federal, state, or other sources,
  215  including bond funds, for the purposes of the grant fund.
  216         3.Funding received from any private donor for the OSCAR
  217  Grant Fund.
  218         4.Any interest earned on the OSCAR Grant Fund.
  219         (c)The OSCAR Grant Fund shall be used to carry out the
  220  purposes of this section, as follows:
  221         1.The administrative expenses required to carry out the
  222  activities of the program as described in this section may not
  223  exceed $50,000 each for the council and the department annually,
  224  which sum may not include the cost of issuing bonds or notes, if
  225  any. The department and the council must submit annual budget
  226  requests for their administrative and implementation costs of
  227  the program to the Legislature.
  228         2.The planning, design, engineering, construction, and
  229  monitoring of projects which must be approved by the department
  230  and the council upon recommendation of the advisory board. Only
  231  grants approved through the process established by the
  232  department and the council are eligible for funding under this
  233  section. Subject to the availability of funds in the grant fund,
  234  the Legislative Budget Commission shall award funding upon
  235  receipt of written approval of the department and the council.
  236         (d)Factors to be taken into consideration by the advisory
  237  board in determining the eligibility of projects for financial
  238  assistance and in prioritizing the selection of projects must
  239  include:
  240         1.Consistency with the following, if applicable:
  241         a.The council’s most recent projections for sea-level
  242  rise.
  243         b.A coastal habitat restoration strategy.
  244         c.Consistency with the applicable best management
  245  practices plan.
  246         d.Other applicable state and federal laws.
  247         2.The ability and authority of the applicant to carry out
  248  and properly maintain the project.
  249         3.Whether the project will enhance public access to public
  250  land.
  251         4.The severity to, or the risk or extent of,
  252  infrastructure degradation on public land.
  253         5.The extent of the use by the public of the public land.
  254         6.The proposed milestones to ensure that the project is
  255  completed as designed and approved.
  256         7.Whether the adaptation and resilience project can also
  257  be shown to create or replace habitat losses that benefit fish
  258  and wildlife resources.
  259         8.Potential water quality improvements.
  260         9.Potential improvements to fish and wildlife habitats for
  261  rare or endangered species under the federal Endangered Species
  262  Act, 16 U.S.C. s. 1531 et seq.
  263         10.The level and extent of collaboration with partners
  264  such as other municipalities, counties, nongovernmental
  265  organizations, watershed councils, and federal agencies.
  266         11.Overall potential benefits to the public and estimated
  267  timeframe for the public to realize such benefits.
  268         (5)(a)The OSCAR Grant Fund shall be used solely for
  269  adaptation and resilience projects as set forth in this section.
  270         (b)The grant fund may not be used for:
  271         1.Mitigating any current, planned, or future projects that
  272  degrade, fill, or otherwise destroy coastal, estuarine, or
  273  riverine habitats.
  274         2.Fulfilling any liability for restoration required by any
  275  local, state, or federal agency pursuant to an environmental or
  276  a public health enforcement action.
  277         3.With the exception of culverts, elevating, repairing, or
  278  replacing infrastructure, or constructing new infrastructure, in
  279  its existing location that is experiencing climate change
  280  impacts.
  281         4.Constructing new, or repairing existing, shoreline
  282  protection structures; provided, however, that existing
  283  shoreline protection structures on public parks may be repaired.
  284         5.Constructing roads or bridges.
  285         (6)(a)The department and the council shall establish and
  286  execute a process, at least annually, for the solicitation,
  287  evaluation, and award of grant funds for projects that meet the
  288  requirements in this section. The department and the council
  289  shall forward their respective written notification of approval
  290  of a project application to the Legislative Budget Commission.
  291         (b)The department and the council shall jointly submit a
  292  report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
  293  House of Representatives no later than the 10th day following
  294  the convening of each regular session. The report shall include
  295  the following:
  296         1.The amount of grant funds awarded during the preceding
  297  fiscal year.
  298         2.A brief summary of the projects that received funding
  299  and a timeline of implementation of such projects.
  300         3.Any other information requested by the Legislature.
  301         (7)The council and the department shall adopt rules
  302  necessary to administer and enforce this section.
  303         Section 3. Section 377.8061, Florida Statutes, is created,
  304  to read:
  305         377.8061Carbon sequestration; council creation; duties;
  306  report.—
  307         (1)This section may be cited as the “Florida Carbon
  308  Sequestration Act.”
  309         (2)The Legislature finds that:
  310         (a)Increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other
  311  greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have led to a growing
  312  interest in national and international forums for implementing
  313  measures to slow and reverse the buildup of such atmospheric
  314  constituents. These measures may include the establishment of
  315  systems of trading in credits for the adoption of practices,
  316  technologies, or other measures which decrease net emissions of
  317  carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
  318         (b)Improved agricultural production methods, soil
  319  conservation practices, and other methods of stewardship of soil
  320  resources have great potential to increase carbon sequestration
  321  on agricultural lands and help offset carbon dioxide emissions
  322  from other sectors of the economy.
  323         (c)It is in the interest of agricultural producers and the
  324  public in general that the Department of Agriculture and
  325  Consumer Services document and quantify carbon sequestration and
  326  greenhouse emissions reductions associated with agricultural
  327  practices, management systems, and land uses occurring on
  328  agricultural lands in this state.
  329         (d)Efforts to quantify and verify carbon sequestration on
  330  agricultural land will enhance the ability of the state’s
  331  agricultural landowners to participate in any system of carbon
  332  or greenhouse emissions marketing or trading.
  333         (3)(a)There is created the Carbon Sequestration Advisory
  334  Council, an advisory council as defined in s. 20.03, is
  335  established within the department. The council shall consist of
  336  the following members appointed by the Governor:
  337         1.The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee.
  338         2.The Secretary of Environmental Protection or his or her
  339  designee.
  340         3.The executive director of the Fish and Wildlife
  341  Conservation Commission or his or her designee.
  342         4.One member representing the Natural Resources
  343  Conservation Service of the United States Department of
  344  Agriculture.
  345         5.One member representing Florida State University.
  346         6.One member representing the Florida Energy Systems
  347  Consortium.
  348         7.One member representing an entity which generates
  349  electrical energy.
  350         8.Two members who are producers of field crops, at least
  351  one of whom actively employs a minimum tillage management system
  352  in his or her farming operation.
  353         9.Two members who are producers of livestock, at least one
  354  of whom is actively involved in range management.
  355         10.One member with expertise in greenhouse emissions
  356  marketing or trading.
  357         11.One member representing natural resources districts.
  358         12.One member representing the ethanol industry.
  359         (b)Members of the council shall serve without compensation
  360  but shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses
  361  as provided by law.
  362         (c)The department shall provide meeting space, staffing,
  363  and other assistance to the council.
  364         (4)The council shall:
  365         (a)Advise and assist the department in conducting the
  366  assessment and preparing any reports required by this section.
  367         (b)Recommend policies or programs to enhance the ability
  368  of agricultural landowners to participate in systems of carbon
  369  trading. Such recommendations shall include potential policies
  370  or programs designed to optimize economic benefits to
  371  agricultural producers participating in carbon trading
  372  transactions. Such policies or programs may include identifying
  373  existing, or the potential of creating, nonprofit organizations
  374  or other public or private entities capable of serving as
  375  assemblers of carbon credits or as intermediaries on behalf of
  376  producers in carbon trading systems.
  377         (c)Encourage the production of educational and advisory
  378  materials regarding carbon sequestration on agricultural lands
  379  and participation in systems of carbon or greenhouse emissions
  380  trading.
  381         (d)Identify and recommend areas of research needed to
  382  better understand and quantify the processes of carbon
  383  sequestration on agricultural lands.
  384         (5)(a)On or before December 1, 2025, the department, in
  385  consultation with the Carbon Sequestration Advisory Council,
  386  shall submit a report to the Legislature.
  387         (b)The report shall include all of the following:
  388         1.The potential for, and the potential forms of,
  389  greenhouse emissions regulation.
  390         2.The potential for development of a system or systems of
  391  carbon emissions trading or markets for carbon sequestered on
  392  agricultural land.
  393         3.Agricultural practices, management systems, or land uses
  394  which increase stored soil carbon and minimize carbon dioxide or
  395  other greenhouse emissions associated with agricultural
  396  production.
  397         4.Methods for measuring and modeling net carbon
  398  sequestration and greenhouse emissions reduction associated with
  399  various agricultural practices, management systems, or land uses
  400  occurring on agricultural land.
  401         5.Areas of scientific uncertainty with respect to
  402  quantifying and understanding greenhouse emission reductions or
  403  soil carbon sequestration associated with agricultural
  404  activities.
  405         6.Any recommendations of the advisory council developed
  406  pursuant to this section.
  407         (6)(a)The department shall, in consultation with the
  408  Carbon Sequestration Advisory Council and taking into account
  409  the report submitted under subsection (5), assess agricultural
  410  lands for past carbon sequestration and future carbon
  411  sequestration potential. The assessment shall seek to quantify
  412  carbon sequestration associated with various agricultural
  413  practices, management systems, and land uses occurring on
  414  agricultural lands.
  415         (b)On or before July 1, 2026, the department shall publish
  416  a report of its findings. The department may, from time to time,
  417  update such findings as advancements in understanding of the
  418  processes of carbon sequestration as new data becomes available.
  419         (c)The assessment shall be conducted in a manner that
  420  provides a means for owners of agricultural land to estimate
  421  past and future net carbon sequestration resulting from
  422  agricultural practices, conservation measures, management
  423  systems, and land uses occurring on their property.
  424         (d)The department may contract with the Natural Resources
  425  Conservation Service of the United States Department of
  426  Agriculture to conduct assessment activities required in this
  427  section.
  428         (e)The department may apply for and accept grants, gifts,
  429  or other sources of public and private funds to carry out the
  430  purposes of this section.
  431         (7)The Carbon Sequestration Assessment Cash Account is
  432  created within the Land Acquisition Trust Fund within the
  433  department and used to carry out the purposes of this section.
  434  The Chief Financial Officer shall credit to the cash account any
  435  money appropriated to the fund by the Legislature and any money
  436  received as gifts, grants, or other contributions from public or
  437  private sources obtained for the purposes of implementing this
  438  section.
  439         Section 4. Section 379.27, Florida Statutes, is created, to
  440  read:
  441         379.27Ocean stewardship; purposes; funding.—
  442         (1)(a)The Legislature finds that Florida’s ocean waters
  443  and its marine resources are some of the state’s most
  444  ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable
  445  environmental assets.
  446         (b)The Legislature further finds that the increasing
  447  popularity of marine ecotourism requires greater measures to
  448  ensure the continued health of marine ecosystems. The broad
  449  range of recently documented anthropogenic impacts on coral reef
  450  health, including coral bleaching, vessel groundings, anchoring
  451  and mooring, diving activities, poaching, land- and water-based
  452  pollutant discharges, and other direct and indirect uses of the
  453  state’s coral reefs, indicate that the state may need a more
  454  consistent and reliable source of funding to manage, protect,
  455  and restore its marine resources. A sustainable funding source
  456  is especially critical to create a cohesive network of nearshore
  457  marine managed areas that benefits fisheries and ecosystem
  458  resilience.
  459         (2)The purpose of this section is to establish the Ocean
  460  Stewardship Special Account for the collection and use of moneys
  461  for the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of the
  462  state’s marine resources, and to authorize the Fish and Wildlife
  463  Conservation Commission to collect fees for the use and
  464  enjoyment of the state’s ocean resources.
  465         (3)(a)There is established the Ocean Stewardship Special
  466  Account within the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to be
  467  administered by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
  468         (b)The following shall be deposited into the Ocean
  469  Stewardship Special Account:
  470         1.Moneys collected as user fees pursuant to subsection
  471  (7).
  472         2.Revenues due to the state from leases of any lands,
  473  facilities, equipment, and other property owned by the
  474  Department of Environmental Protection and used for or dedicated
  475  to the management, research, restoration, or enhancement of
  476  aquatic resources.
  477         3.Moneys collected for the purposes of compensatory
  478  mitigation from federal- or state-permitted impacts to the
  479  marine environment.
  480         4.Grants, awards, donations, gifts, transfers, or money
  481  derived from private or public sources, except:
  482         a.Monetary contributions or moneys collected from the sale
  483  of nonmonetary gifts to benefit sport fish or sport fishing.
  484         b.Monetary contributions or moneys collected from the sale
  485  of nonmonetary gifts to benefit aquatic life used for commercial
  486  purposes or fishing for commercial purposes.
  487         5.Moneys derived from interest or dividends on the account
  488  or other income from any source provided in this section.
  489         (4)The account shall be used to:
  490         (a)Develop and carry out marine resource conservation,
  491  restoration, enhancement, research, regulatory measures,
  492  enforcement actions, educational activities, or any other
  493  management measure intended to conserve, restore, and enhance
  494  marine resources under the jurisdiction of the state.
  495         (b)Develop and carry out restoration and compensatory
  496  mitigation measures for impacts to the marine environment,
  497  including impacts to the marine environment from federal- or
  498  state-permitted actions.
  499         (c)Install, maintain, and replace day use mooring buoys
  500  and other infrastructure to reduce impacts to the marine
  501  ecosystem.
  502         (5)(a)The Ocean Stewardship Special Account shall be held
  503  separate and apart from all other moneys, funds, and accounts in
  504  the department, provided that any moneys received from the
  505  Federal Government, through federal programs, or from private
  506  contributions shall be deposited and accounted for in accordance
  507  with conditions established by the agency or private entity from
  508  which the moneys were received. Any balance remaining in the
  509  account at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward
  510  in the account for the next fiscal year.
  511         (b)The proceeds of the Ocean Stewardship Special Account
  512  may not be used as security for, or pledged to the payment of
  513  principal or interest on, any bonds or instruments of
  514  indebtedness.
  515         (c)This section does not prohibit the use of general funds
  516  or the funds of other programs and activities to implement or
  517  enforce other laws to manage and conserve the state’s ocean
  518  waters and resources.
  519         (6)(a)All owners of commercial vessels that are required
  520  to be registered and all operators of watercraft or water sports
  521  equipment who rent watercraft or water sports equipment shall
  522  collect an ocean stewardship user fee from each passenger
  523  carried or customer who rents watercraft or water sports
  524  equipment.
  525         (b)The ocean stewardship user fee shall be $1 per
  526  passenger or customer and shall be adjusted every 5 years to
  527  match changes in the Consumer Price Index in the Miami area as
  528  reported by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics,
  529  provided that the fee may not be adjusted more than 10 percent
  530  every 5 years.
  531         (c)All fees collected pursuant to this subsection shall be
  532  transferred to the department on a monthly basis and shall be
  533  deposited into the Ocean Stewardship Special Account for use as
  534  specified in this section.
  535         (7)The department shall adopt rules to implement this
  536  section.
  537         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

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