Title: Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida

Summary: Revises provisions relating to Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida; revises findings & intent; revises planning timeframes; revises membership of commission; deletes obsolete provisions; provides for election of chair; provides meeting requirements for commission; provides & revises powers & duties of executive director & commission; provides voting requirements; provides for reimbursement for per diem & travel expenses, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida; amending s. 163.3247, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida; revising the findings and intent to include the necessity for a specific strategic plan addressing the state's growth management system; revising the planning timeframes to include a 10-year horizon; revising membership of the commission; deleting obsolete provisions regarding initial appointments; providing for the election of a chair and excluding certain members from serving as chair during a specified period; requiring that the commission meet at least six times per fiscal year; deleting a provision that requires the commission to meet in different regions in the state; requiring that the executive director establish a meeting calendar with the commission's approval; authorizing the commission to form subcommittees by vote; providing for a majority vote of members on commission actions; providing for reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses; revising provisions relating to the commission's powers and duties; requiring that the commission, in cooperation with interested state agencies, local governments, and nongovernmental stakeholders, develop a strategic plan and submit the plan to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date; requiring that the commission also submit progress reports by specified dates; requiring that the commission make presentations to the Governor and the Legislature; providing that an executive director be appointed by the Secretary of Community Affairs and ratified by the commission; requiring that the Department of Community Affairs provide a specific line item in its annual legislative budget request to fund the commission during a specified period; authorizing the department to obtain additional funding through external grants; requiring that the department provide sufficient funding and staff support to assist the commission in its duties; providing for future expiration and the abolishment of the commission; providing an effective date. 41 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 43 Section 1. Section 163.3247, Florida Statutes, as amended by section of chapter 2010-153, Laws of Florida, is amended, and subsection (6) is added to that section, to read: 163.3247 Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.-(1) POPULAR NAME.-This section may be cited as the "Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida Act." (2) FINDINGS AND INTENT.-The Legislature finds and declares that the population of this state is expected to more than double over the next years, with commensurate impacts to the state's natural resources and public infrastructure. Consequently, it is in the best interests of the people of the state to ensure sound planning for the proper placement of this growth and protection of the state's land, water, and other natural resources since such resources are essential to our collective quality of life and a strong economy. The state's growth management system should foster economic stability through regional solutions and strategies, urban renewal and infill, and the continued viability of agricultural economies, while allowing for rural economic development and protecting the unique characteristics of rural areas, and should reduce the complexity of the regulatory process while carrying out the intent of the laws and encouraging greater citizen participation. The Legislature further finds that it is imperative that the state have a specific strategic plan addressing its growth management system. (3) CENTURY COMMISSION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FLORIDA; CREATION; ORGANIZATION.-The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida is created as a standing body to help the citizens of this state envision and plan their collective future with an eye towards 10-year, both 25-year,and 50-year horizons. (a) The commission shall consist of members appointed as follows:,1. Two members appointed by the Governor;, 2. Five members appointed by the President of the Senate;, and 3. Five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;4. The chairs of the legislative growth management committees; 5. The Secretary of Community Affairs; 6. The Secretary of Environmental Protection; 7. The Secretary of Transportation; and 8. The director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.(b) Appointments shall be made no later than October 1, 2005. Members of the commission The membership must represent local governments, school boards, developers and homebuilders, the business community, the agriculture community, the environmental community, and other appropriate stakeholders. Beginning July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2013, one member shall be elected to serve as chair by a vote of the commission membership. However, the chairs of the legislative growth management committees, the Secretary of Community Affairs, the Secretary of Environmental Protection, the Secretary of Transportation, and the director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development may not serve as chair during this period designated by the Governor as chair of the commission.Any vacancy that occurs on the commission must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and shall be for the unexpired term of that commission seat. Members shall serve 4-year terms, except that, initially, to provide for staggered terms, the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each appoint one member to serve a 2-year term, two members to serve 3-year terms, and two members to serve 4-year terms. Members shall be appointed to serve All subsequent appointments shall be for 4-year terms. An appointee may not serve more than years. However, members who are appointed on or before January 1, 2011, shall have their terms automatically extended to June 30, 2013, to ensure continuity during the development of the strategic plan. (c) (b) The fiscal year of the commission begins July each year and ends June of the following year. The first meeting of The commission shall be held no later than December 1, 2005, and shall meet at the call of the chair but not less frequently than six three times per fiscal year in different regions of the state to solicit input from the public or any other individuals offering testimony relevant to the issues to be considered. The executive director shall establish a meeting calendar for the fiscal year which considers the availability of members. The commission must vote to approve the meeting calendar before the beginning of the fiscal year. The commission may vote to form subcommittees and schedule meetings as necessary. (d) (c) Each member of the commission is entitled to one vote, and the actions of the commission are not binding unless taken by a majority three-fifths vote of the members present. A majority of the members is required to constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of a quorum is required for a binding vote. (e) (d) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation,but are shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses as provided in accordance with s. 112.061 while in the performance of their duties. (4) POWERS AND DUTIES.-(a) The commission shall:(a) Annually conduct a process through which the commission envisions the future for the state and then develops and recommends policies, plans, action steps, or strategies to assist in achieving the vision. (b) Continuously review and consider statutory and regulatory provisions, governmental processes, and societal and economic trends in its inquiry of how state, regional, and local governments and entities and citizens of this state can best accommodate projected increased populations while maintaining the natural, historical, cultural, and manmade life qualities that best represent the state. (c) bring together people representing varied interests to develop a shared image of the state and its developed and natural areas. The process should involve exploring the impact of the estimated population increase and other emerging trends and issues; creating a vision for the future; and developing a strategic action plan to achieve that vision using 10-year, 25-year,and 50-year intermediate planning timeframes. The plan must: 1. (d) Focus on essential state interests, defined as those interests that transcend local or regional boundaries and are most appropriately conserved, protected, and promoted at the state level;. 2. Accommodate the projections for an increase in population while maintaining the state's natural, historical, cultural, and manmade life qualities; and 3. Be developed through a coordinated, integrated, and comprehensive effort across agencies, local governments, and nongovernmental stakeholders. (b) The commission shall submit the strategic plan to the Governor and the Legislature by November 15, 2012, along with progress reports by November 15, 2011, and March 15, 2012. The commission shall also make presentations, at least annually, to the Governor and the Legislature. (e) Serve as an objective, nonpartisan repository of exemplary community-building ideas and as a source to recommend strategies and practices to assist others in working collaboratively to problem solve on issues relating to growth management. (f) Annually, beginning January 16, 2007, and every year thereafter on the same date, provide to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written report containing specific recommendations for addressing growth management in the state, including executive and legislative recommendations. Further, the report shall contain discussions regarding the need for intergovernmental cooperation and the balancing of environmental protection and future development and recommendations on issues, including, but not limited to, recommendations regarding dedicated sources of funding for sewer facilities, water supply and quality, transportation facilities that are not adequately addressed by the Strategic Intermodal System, and educational infrastructure to support existing development and projected population growth. (c) (g) Beginning with the 2007 Regular Session of the Legislature, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall create a joint select committee, the task of which shall be to review the findings and recommendations of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida for potential action. (5) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; STAFF AND OTHER ASSISTANCE.-(a) The Secretary of Community Affairs shall select An executive director shall be appointed by the Secretary of Community Affairs and ratified by the commission and of the commission, and the executive director shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary under the supervision and control of the commission under the direction of the chair.(b) The Department of Community Affairs shall provide a specific line item in its annual legislative budget request to fund the commission for the period beginning July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2013. The department may obtain additional funding through external grants. The department shall provide sufficient funds and staff support for the purpose of assisting the commission in completing the strategic plan staff and other resources necessary to accomplish the goals of the commission based upon recommendations of the Governor.(c) All agencies under the control of the Governor are directed, and all other agencies are requested, to render assistance to, and cooperate with, the commission. (6) EXPIRATION.-This section expires and the commission is abolished June 30, 2013. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.