Florida SB 1696: Youth Athletic Activity

Bill Text

1696 
Advanced Nuclear Reactors 
2026-01-09T10:44:07Z 
Granting the Florida Public Service Commission the sole authority to regulate advanced nuclear reactors in this state; requiring the commission, the Department of Health, and the Department of Environmental Protection to jointly establish criteria for the certification of laboratories that perform analysis on nuclear materials for certain purposes; revising the criteria the commission must consider in its preliminary study of electric utility 10-year site plans; revising requirements for the development of certain standards by electric utilities, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1696 

 By Senator McClain 

 9-00881A-26 20261696__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to advanced nuclear reactors; creating 
 3 s. 403.541, F.S.; defining terms; granting the Florida 
 4 Public Service Commission the sole authority to 
 5 regulate advanced nuclear reactors in this state; 
 6 requiring the commission to take certain regulatory 
 7 actions; authorizing the Department of Health and the 
 8 Department of Environmental Protection to exercise 
 9 specified powers and duties and develop certain 
 10 guidelines; requiring the commission, the Department 
 11 of Health, and the Department of Environmental 
 12 Protection to jointly establish criteria for the 
 13 certification of laboratories that perform analysis on 
 14 nuclear materials for certain purposes; authorizing 
 15 the possession of nuclear material for specified 
 16 purposes; providing an exception and limitation for 
 17 such possession; requiring permits for the transfer, 
 18 receipt, possession, use, storage, or disposal of 
 19 nuclear materials; requiring the commission to make a 
 20 certain determination before issuing such permits; 
 21 requiring the commission to certify construction and 
 22 significant design modifications of advanced nuclear 
 23 reactors; requiring the commission to consider certain 
 24 factors before issuing such certifications; requiring 
 25 that the construction or significant design 
 26 modification include certain control devices; 
 27 authorizing the commission to issue a reciprocal 
 28 permit or certification if certain conditions are met; 
 29 providing penalties; requiring the commission, after 
 30 consultation with the Department of Environmental 
 31 Protection and the Department of Health, to adopt 
 32 rules; providing requirements for such rules; amending 
 33 s. 186.801, F.S.; revising the criteria the commission 
 34 must consider in its preliminary study of electric 
 35 utility 10-year site plans; amending s. 366.02, F.S.; 
 36 revising the definition of the term “public utility”; 
 37 amending s. 366.92, F.S.; revising legislative intent 
 38 for the state’s renewable energy policy; revising 
 39 definitions; revising requirements for the development 
 40 of certain standards by electric utilities; deleting 
 41 such requirements for rural cooperatives; amending s. 
 42 377.601, F.S.; revising legislative intent for the 
 43 state’s energy policy; amending s. 403.506, F.S.; 
 44 revising applicability of power plant capacity and 
 45 expansion thresholds; amending s. 403.519, F.S.; 
 46 revising the criteria the commission must consider in 
 47 making determinations for proposed power plants; 
 48 providing an effective date. 
 49 
 50 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 51 
 52 Section 1. Section 403.541, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 53 read: 
 54 403.541 Advanced nuclear reactors.— 
 55 (1) As used in this section, the term: 
 56 (a) “Advanced nuclear reactor” means a nuclear fusion 
 57 reactor, or a nuclear fission reactor that uses new or 
 58 significantly improved designs compared to commercial nuclear 
 59 reactors in operation as of January 1, 2021, including 
 60 improvements such as: 
 61 1. Inherent or passive safety features; 
 62 2. Lower waste yields; 
 63 3. Improved fuel performance or efficiency; 
 64 4. Significantly improved designs, materials, fuels, or 
 65 cooling systems; 
 66 5. Reduced consumption of cooling water and other 
 67 environmental impacts; or 
 68 6. Flexibility in operational output or ability to 
 69 integrate into electric or nonelectric applications. 
 70 (b) “Commission” means the Florida Public Service 
 71 Commission. 
 72 (c) “Electrical power plant” has the same meaning as 
 73 provided in s. 403.503. 
 74 (d) “Nuclear material” means byproduct material, source 
 75 material, and special nuclear material as those terms are 
 76 defined in s. 404.031. 
 77 (2)(a) The authority to regulate advanced nuclear reactors 
 78 in this state is granted solely to the commission. At a minimum, 
 79 the commission shall do all of the following: 
 80 1. Evaluate and approve designs for advanced nuclear 
 81 reactors. 
 82 2. Issue permits for the possession, transportation, 
 83 transfer, and use of nuc