Bill > H0653

This bill enacts several changes to Florida's environmental and water management laws, including allowing land set-asides and constructed wetlands to be used for water quality credit trading, establishing new requirements for adopting minimum flows and levels for Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS) by specific dates, and mandating the development of recovery or prevention strategies for OFS that are not meeting these levels. It also directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to initiate assessments of OFS by July 1, 2018, and requires water management districts to adopt rules for water conservation incentives, such as permit extensions for documented water savings beyond permit requirements. The bill also modifies the structure of the DEP by adding new offices and divisions, creates a solid waste landfill closure account within the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund, and clarifies that landfill gas-to-energy systems are not considered resource recovery facilities for flow control purposes. Additionally, it revises provisions related to water well contractor experience, the Harris Chain of Lakes Restoration Council, and the inventory and consolidation of state-owned conservation lands. The bill also appropriates funds for the closing and long-term care of solid waste management facilities and establishes the "Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act" to address the protection of OFS, including delineating priority focus areas, prohibiting certain activities within these areas, and requiring basin management action plans to reduce pollutant loads. Finally, it amends laws concerning regional water supply planning, water resource development, and the establishment of preferred water supply sources, aiming to ensure sufficient water for reasonable-beneficial uses and natural systems while promoting water conservation and environmental protection.