Fla. Stat. § 253.61 — Florida Code / Title XVIII / Chapter 253 / Section 253.61
253.61 Lands not subject to lease.
Status: in_force

(1) Regardless of anything to the contrary contained in this law in any previous section or part thereof, no board or agency mentioned therein or the state shall have the power or authority to sell, execute, or enter into any lease of the type covered by this law relating to any of the following lands, submerged or unsubmerged, except under the circumstances and conditions as hereinafter set out in this section, to wit: (a) No lease of the type covered by this law shall be granted, sold or executed covering such lands within the corporate limits of any municipality unless the governing authority of the municipality shall have first duly consented to the granting or sale of such lease by resolution. (b) No lease of the type covered by this law shall be granted, sold or executed covering any such lands in the tidal waters of the state, abutting on or immediately adjacent to the corporate limits of a municipality or within 3 miles of such corporate limits extending from the line of mean high tide into such waters, unless the governing authority of the municipality shall have first duly consented to the granting or sale of such lease by resolution. (c) No lease of the type covered by this law shall be granted, sold or executed covering such lands on any improved beach, located outside of an incorporated town or municipality, or covering such lands in the tidal waters of the state abutting on or immediately adjacent to any improved beach, or within 3 miles of an improved beach extending from the line of mean high tide into such tidal waters, unless the county commissioners of the county in which such beach is located shall have first duly consented to the granting or sale of such lease by resolution. (d) Without exception, after July 1, 1989, no lease of the type covered by this law shall be granted, sold, or executed south of 26° north latitude off Florida’s west coast and south of 27° north latitude off Florida’s east coast, within the boundaries of Florida’s territorial seas as defined in 43 U.S.C. 1301. After July 31, 1990, no oil or natural gas lease shall be granted, sold, or executed covering lands located north of 26°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s west coast to the western boundary of the state bordering Alabama as set forth in s. 1, Art. II of the State Constitution, or located north of 27°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s east coast to the northern boundary of the state bordering Georgia as set forth in s. 1, Art. II of the State Constitution, within the boundaries of Florida’s territorial seas as defined in 43 U.S.C. 1301.

(2) For the purposes of this section and law an improved beach, situated outside of the corporate limits of any municipality or town, shall be and is hereby defined to be any beach adjacent to or abutting upon the tidal waters of the state and having not less than ten hotels, apartment buildings, residences or other structures, used for residential purposes, on or to any given miles of such beach.

History: s. 11, ch. 22824, 1945; s. 5, ch. 89-175; s. 1, ch. 90-72; s. 7, ch. 91-286.