Title XXVIII, Natural Resources; Conservation, Reclamation, and Use

(1)(a) Any person, firm, or corporation that willfully molests any authorized and lawfully permitted freshwater fishing gear belonging to another without the express written consent of the owner commits a Level Four violation under s. 379.401. Any written consent must be availabl…

(1) Whoever possesses, moves, or transports any black bass, bream, speckled perch, or other freshwater game fish in commercial quantities in violation of law or the rules of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission commits a Level Three violation under s. 379.401.(2) For the…

(1) BASE PENALTIES.—Unless otherwise provided by law, any person, firm, or corporation who violates any provision of this chapter, or any rule of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission relating to the conservation of marine resources, shall be punished:(a) Upon a first con…

Any person convicted as aforesaid shall forfeit to the state any license or permit that may have been issued to her or him under the provisions of this law, or other law of this state relating to game shall forthwith surrender the same to the court. If such violation occurs in th…

(1) A person may not intentionally kill, injure, possess, or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture, an alligator or other crocodilian, or the eggs of an alligator or other crocodilian, unless authorized by rules of the commission. Any equipment, including, but …

A person may not intentionally kill or wound any fish or wildlife species designated by the commission as endangered, threatened, or of special concern, or intentionally destroy the eggs or nest of any such fish or wildlife, unless authorized by rules of the commission. A person …

(1) It is unlawful for a person to kill a member of the Florida “endangered species,” as defined in s. 379.2291(3), known as the Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi).(2) It is unlawful for a person to kill any member of the species of panther (Felis concolor) occurring in the w…

(1)(a) The penalties in this section apply to a violation of any rule or order of the commission that prohibits or restricts:1. Feeding wildlife or freshwater fish with food or garbage;2. Attracting or enticing wildlife or freshwater fish with food or garbage; or3. Allowing the p…

1A commercial harvester or wholesale or retail saltwater products dealer who violates commission rules pertaining to bonefish shall be punished under s. 379.407. Any other person who violates commission rules pertaining to bonefish commits a Level Two violation under s. 379.401.H…

(1) The commission may revoke, suspend, or deny the renewal of the license of any saltwater products dealer for failure to make and keep records as required by s. 379.362, for failure to make required reports, for failure or refusal to permit the examination of required records, …

(1) A person may not:(a) Violate this section or any provision of s. 369.20 or s. 369.22 related to aquatic weeds and plants;(b) Fail to obtain any permit required by s. 369.20 or s. 369.22 or by commission rule implementing s. 369.20 or s. 369.22, or violate or fail to comply wi…

The commission has the following judicial and administrative remedies available to it for violations of s. 379.501:(1)(a) The commission may institute a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to establish liability and to recover damages for any injury to the waters or…

(1) The commission may institute a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to seek injunctive relief to enforce compliance with ss. 379.501, 379.502, and 379.504 or any rule, regulation, permit, certification, or order adopted or issued by the commission pursuant to s. …

(1) A person who commits a violation specified in s. 379.501(1) is liable to the state for any damage caused to the waters or property of the state, including animal, plant, or aquatic life, and for reasonable costs and expenses of the state in restoring its waters and property, …

Sections 380.012, 380.021, 380.031, 380.04, 380.05, 380.06, 380.07, and 380.08 shall be known and may be cited as “The Florida Environmental Land and Water Management Act of 1972.”History.—s. 1, ch. 72-317; s. 14, ch. 2001-62.

It is the legislative intent that, in order to protect the natural resources and environment of this state as provided in s. 7, Art. II of the State Constitution, ensure a water management system that will reverse the deterioration of water quality and provide optimum utilization…

As used in this chapter:(1) “Administration commission” or “commission” means the Governor and the Cabinet; and for purposes of this chapter the commission shall act on a simple majority.(2) “Developer” means any person, including a governmental agency, undertaking any developmen…

The state land planning agency shall have the power and the duty to:(1) Exercise general supervision of the administration and enforcement of this act and all rules and regulations promulgated hereunder.(2)(a) Adopt or modify rules to carry out the intent and purposes of this act…

(1) The term “development” means the carrying out of any building activity or mining operation, the making of any material change in the use or appearance of any structure or land, or the dividing of land into three or more parcels.(2) The following activities or uses shall be ta…

(1) Prior to recommending an area as an area of critical state concern pursuant to s. 380.05, the Governor, acting as the chief planning officer of the state, shall appoint a resource planning and management committee for the area under study by the state land planning agency. Th…

(1)(a) The state land planning agency may from time to time recommend to the Administration Commission specific areas of critical state concern. In its recommendation, the agency shall include recommendations with respect to the purchase of lands situated within the boundaries of…

(1)(a) In order to facilitate the planning and preparation of permit applications for projects in the Florida Keys area of critical state concern, and in order to coordinate the information required to issue such permits, a developer may elect to request coordinated agency review…

(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section shall be known and may be cited as “The Big Cypress Conservation Act of 1973.”(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature to conserve and protect the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Big Cypress Area of Florida. It is the fi…

(1) The Green Swamp Area, the boundaries of which are described in 1chapter 22F-5, Florida Administrative Code, is hereby designated an area of critical state concern effective July 1, 1979. The state land planning agency, in conjunction with the applicable local governments, sha…

1(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Florida Keys Area Protection Act.”(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature to:(a) Establish a land use management system that protects the natural environment of the Florida Keys.(b) Establish a land use manag…

(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Brevard Barrier Island Area Protection Act.”(2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds that the designation of the Brevard Barrier Island Area as an area of critical state concern is necessary for the following reasons:(a) T…

(1) SHORT TITLE.—This act shall be known and cited as the “Apalachicola Bay Area Protection Act.”(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is hereby declared that the intent of the Legislature is:(a) To protect the water quality of the Apalachicola Bay Area to ensure a healthy environment and a…

(1) DEFINITION.—The term “development of regional impact,” as used in this section, means any development that, because of its character, magnitude, or location, would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety, or welfare of citizens of more than one county.(2) STATEWIDE …

(1) This section only applies to developments approved as Florida Quality Developments before April 6, 2018.(2) Following written notification to the state land planning agency and the appropriate regional planning agency, a local government with an approved Florida Quality Devel…

(1) STATEWIDE GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS.—Subject to the exemptions and partial exemptions specified in this section, the following statewide guidelines and standards shall be applied in the manner described in s. 380.06(2) to determine whether the following developments are subjec…

The Department of Environmental Protection and, as appropriate, the water management districts created by chapter 373 shall adopt programs to expedite the processing of wetland resource and environmental resource permits for marina projects that reserve at least 10 percent of ava…

(1) The Department of Environmental Protection and, as appropriate, the water management districts created under chapter 373 shall adopt programs to expedite the processing of wetland resource and environmental resource permits for economic development projects that have been ide…

It is hereby declared that the intent of the Legislature is:(1) To provide a mechanism to equitably deal with the challenges of implementing comprehensive land use plans developed pursuant to the area of critical state concern program, which challenges are often complicated by th…

As used in this act, unless the context indicates a different meaning or intent:(1) “Land authority” means the land authority created by a county pursuant to this act.(2) “State” means the State of Florida.(3) “Bonds” means any bonds, debentures, notes, or other evidences of fina…

(1) Each county in which one or more areas of critical state concern are located is authorized to create, by ordinance, a public body corporate and politic, to be known as a land authority, which may be renamed by the governing board of the county. The governing body of the land …

The powers of the land authority shall be vested in its members in office from time to time. A majority of the members of the land authority eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes.…

The appointment and removal of an executive director shall be by the members of the land authority. The executive director shall subsequently employ legal and technical experts and such other agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as the land authority may require.History…

The land authority shall have all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes and provisions of this act, including the following powers, which are in addition to all other powers granted by other provisions of this act:(1) To sue and be sued; to h…

(1) The land authority shall establish an advisory committee which shall make recommendations regarding land acquisition to the land authority in accordance with the criteria set forth in this act. The advisory committee shall be composed of five members appointed by the land aut…

(1) The issuance of revenue bonds to provide sufficient funds to achieve the purposes of this act; pay interest on bonds; pay expenses incident to the issuance and sale of any bond issued pursuant to this act, including costs of validating, printing, and delivering the bonds, pri…

The bonds of the land authority shall not be a debt of the state or of any local government other than the land authority, and neither the state nor any local government other than the land authority shall be liable thereon. Except for revenues specifically designated by this act…

The land authority shall submit to the Governor and the presiding officers of each house of the Legislature, within 6 months after the end of its fiscal year, a complete and detailed report setting forth:(1) Its operations and accomplishments.(2) Its receipts and expenditures dur…

(1) Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to limit the right of any member, officer, or employee of the land authority to acquire an interest in bonds of the land authority or have an interest in any banking institution in which the bonds of the land authority are,…

(1) The property of the land authority and the transactions and operations thereof and the income therefrom shall be exempt from taxation by the state and its political subdivisions. The exemption granted by this subsection shall not apply to any tax imposed by chapter 220 on int…

(1) The land authority and its corporate existence shall continue until terminated by law or action of the governing board of the county that established it; however, no such law or action shall take effect so long as the land authority shall have bonds outstanding unless adequat…

Insofar as the provisions of this act are inconsistent with the provisions of any other law, general, special, or local, the provisions of this act shall be controlling.History.—s. 1, ch. 86-170.