Title: Legal Rights of the Natural Environment

Summary: Removes provisions prohibiting local governments from recognizing or granting certain legal rights to natural environment or granting such rights relating to natural environment to person or political subdivision

Full Text:
An act relating to legal rights of the natural environment;amending s. 403.412, F.S.; repealing provisions prohibiting local governments from recognizing or granting certain legal rights to the natural environment or granting such rights relating to the natural environment to a person or political subdivision; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 403.412, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 403.412 Environmental Protection Act.-(9)(a) A local government regulation, ordinance, code, rule, comprehensive plan, charter, or any other provision of law may not recog nize or grant any legal rights to a plant, an animal, a body of water, or any other part of the natural environment that is not a person or political subdivision as defined in s. 1.01(8) or grant such person or political subdivision any specific rights rel ating to the natural environment not otherwise authorized in general law or specifically granted in the State Constitution. (b) This subsection does not limit the power of an adversely affected party to challenge the consistency of a HB 6049 2021 development order wi th a comprehensive plan as provided in s. 163.3215 or to file an action for injunctive relief to enforce the terms of a development agreement or challenge compliance of the agreement as provided in s. 163.3243. (c) This subsection does not limit the stan ding of the Department of Legal Affairs, a political subdivision or municipality of the state, or a citizen of the state to maintain an action for injunctive relief as provided in this section. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.