➢Water Policy-Everglades Restoration : SB 10 by Bradley — Signed by the Governor
A scaled- back version of one of Senate President Joe Negron ’ s priorities gained final approval days before the scheduled end of the 2017 Legislative Session . As originally filed , SB 10 would have authorized the purchase of privately-owned land to develop a reservoir for cleaning and diverting discharges from Lake Okeechobee threatening coastal regions . To pay for the state ’ s portion of the purchase , the bill would have called for bonding from the documentary stamp tax revenue annually .
Ultimately , the trimmed down version reduces the bonding authority from $ 1.2 billion to $ 800 million and lowered from $ 100 million to $ 64 million the annual appropriation from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to fund the Everglades Restoration . It also prohibits the use of eminent domain and instead leverages land owned by the state and the South Florida Water Management District obtain between 240,000 and 360,000 acre feet of storage . Further , it ensures that funding priority is to the Everglades Agricultural Area ( EAA ) reservoir project and any remaining funds may be used for Phase II of the C-51 reservoir project . The bill also :
• Provides grants to establish training programs for agricultural workers ;
• Revises the Everglades Agricultural Area ( EAA ) Reservoir Project to require the SFWMD to develop a plan to provide a minimum of 240,000 acre-feet of storage through a deep storage reservoir and water quality treatment features ;
• Moves up the start date for the EAA reservoir project planning study if Congressional approval of the post-authorization change report has not occurred ;
• Clarifies that ongoing Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan ( CERP ) projects will continue to receive funding ;
• Authorizes the district to begin planning and discussion with the owners of the C-51 Reservoir project to determine if the state should acquire or enter a public private partnership for this water storage facility that will add approximately 60,000 acre-feet of storage south of Lake Okeechobee ;
• Establishes the Everglades Restoration
Agricultural Community Training Program in the Department of Economic Opportunity ( DEO ) to stimulate and support training and employment programs to match state and local training programs ; and ,
• Establishes a revolving loan fund to provide assistance to local governments and water supply entities to construct water storage facilities .
The Governor signed SB 10 on May 9 and it will take effect immediately .
➢Renewable Energy Devices : SB 90 by Brandes /( HB 1351 by Rodrigues )
The bill implements the renewable energy tax exemption constitutional amendment . It limits the exemption from real property taxes for nonresidential real property to 80 percent of the just value of the property attributable to a renewable energy source device . It applies the real property tax exemption prospectively only .
The bill also exempts 80 percent of the assessed value of a renewable energy source device from tangible personal property tax for all applicants , residential
14 DITCHMEN • MAY 2017