Bill > H0701

Introduced Session

An act relating to water management districts; amending s. 112.3261, F.S.; defining the term "expenditure"; requiring the Commission on Ethics to investigate a lobbyist or principal who has made a prohibited expenditure and to provide the Governor with a report of its findings and recommendations regarding such investigation; prohibiting certain persons from making or accepting expenditures; amending s. 373.0693, F.S.; deleting a provision requiring legislative approval before the establishment of a subdistrict or basin in a certain water management district takes effect; amending s. 373.079, F.S.; requiring a quorum for the conduct of official business by the governing board of a water management district; providing requirements for a quorum; requiring an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the governing board before any action may be taken by the board; amending s. 373.470, F.S.; requiring the South Florida Water Management District, in cooperation with the Department of Environmental Protection, to provide a detailed report that includes the total estimated remaining cost of implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the status of applicable performance indicators for hb701-00 all project components; requiring that the project components be subdivided into specified categories based on the project's status; specifying requirements for performance indicators for certain projects or project components; providing legislative recognition of the value of the integrated delivery schedule; requiring the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to identify certain sources of funding when making recommendations for updates to the integrated delivery schedule; amending s. 373.501, F.S.; prohibiting a water management district from using state funds for a specified purpose; providing an exception; amending s. 373.503, F.S.; authorizing water management districts to levy certain ad valorem taxes on specified property for certain purposes; requiring a district governing board levying ad valorem taxes for certain projects to adopt a resolution approved by a majority vote of the voting electors in the district or basin; specifying requirements for such resolution; providing specifications for the millage levied; requiring that the referendum question on the ballot specify the purpose of the levy and the maximum length of time the millage may be imposed; defining the term "capital improvement projects"; revising requirements for the hb701-00 maximum total millage rate; reenacting and amending s. 373.535, F.S.; requiring that the preliminary budget for each water management district include a section that contains the district's capital improvement plan for the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year; requiring that such section contain specified information; requiring the South Florida Water Management District to include a section in its preliminary budget for all projects within the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; requiring that the section contain specified information; requiring the South Florida Water Management District to indicate the fiscal year from which certain appropriations are expended; requiring the district to incorporate state revenues in a certain manner when estimating expenditures for the next fiscal year; providing an exception; providing construction; amending s. 373.536, F.S.; authorizing the Legislative Budget Commission to reject certain district budget proposals; providing an exception; providing construction; requiring the South Florida Water Management District to include in its budget document certain sections that incorporate the actual amount of state revenues appropriated for the fiscal year; requiring that a water management district's tentative hb701-00 budget for its proposed operations and funding requirements include the district's capital improvement plan for the current year and the next fiscal year; amending s. 373.6075, F.S.; requiring a water management district to give preference to certain bids, proposals, or replies for the design, engineering, or construction of capital improvement projects in excess of a specified amount; requiring a water management district to consider certain factors for the purpose of the competitive bid selection process; amending s. 380.093, F.S.; requiring that certain projects submitted by water management districts to the department for the Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan be ranked on a separate list; revising the list of information that must be submitted by the department for each project; specifying the composition of the total amount of funding for such plan; restricting funding available to water management districts; reenacting s. 373.0697, F.S., relating to basin taxes, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 373.503, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an effective date.

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William Conerly (R)*, 

1st Reading (Original Filed Version) (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document