Florida SB 1658: Housing

Bill Text

1658 
Cattle Grazing on State Land 
2026-01-09T09:17:18Z 
Requiring land managing entities to consider the feasibility of leasing portions of land to private entities for cattle grazing when land management plans are being developed or updated; providing requirements for the land management plan; requiring land managing entities to allow such lands to be leased for such purpose under certain conditions, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1658 

 By Senator Truenow 

 13-01296-26 20261658__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to cattle grazing on state land; 
 3 amending s. 253.034, F.S.; requiring land managing 
 4 entities to consider the feasibility of leasing 
 5 portions of land to private entities for cattle 
 6 grazing when land management plans are being developed 
 7 or updated; providing requirements for the land 
 8 management plan; requiring land managing entities to 
 9 allow such lands to be leased for such purpose under 
 10 certain conditions; providing applicability; providing 
 11 an effective date. 
 12 
 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 14 
 15 Section 1. Present paragraphs (d) through (i) of subsection 
 16 (5) of section 253.034, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as 
 17 paragraphs (e) through (j), respectively, a new paragraph (d) is 
 18 added to that subsection, and subsection (4) and present 
 19 paragraph (g) of subsection (5) of that section are amended, to 
 20 read: 
 21 253.034 State-owned lands; uses.— 
 22 (4) A management agreement, lease, or other instrument 
 23 authorizing the use of lands owned by the board of trustees may 
 24 not be executed for a period greater than is necessary to 
 25 provide for the reasonable use of the land for the existing or 
 26 planned life cycle or amortization of the improvements, except 
 27 that an easement in perpetuity may be granted by the board of 
 28 trustees if the improvement is a transportation facility. If an 
 29 entity managing or leasing state-owned lands from the board of 
 30 trustees does not meet the short-term goals under paragraph 
 31 (5)(b) for conservation lands, the Department of Environmental 
 32 Protection may submit the lands to the Acquisition and 
 33 Restoration Council to review whether the short-term goals 
 34 should be modified, consider whether the lands should be offered 
 35 to another entity for management or leasing, or recommend to the 
 36 board of trustees whether to surplus the lands. If an entity 
 37 managing or leasing state-owned lands from the board of trustees 
 38 does not meet the short-term goals under paragraph (5)(j) (5)(i) 
 39 for nonconservation lands, the department may submit the lands 
 40 to the board of trustees to consider whether to require the 
 41 managing or leasing entity to release its interest in the lands 
 42 and to consider whether to surplus the lands. If the state-owned 
 43 lands are determined to be surplus, the board of trustees may 
 44 require an entity to release its interest in the lands. An 
 45 entity managing or leasing state-owned lands from the board of 
 46 trustees may not sublease such lands without prior review by the 
 47 Division of State Lands and, for conservation lands, by the 
 48 Acquisition and Restoration Council. All management agreements, 
 49 leases, or other instruments authorizing the use of lands owned 
 50 by the board of trustees shall be reviewed for approval by the 
 51 board of trustees or its designee. The council is not required 
 52 to review subleases of parcels which are less than 160 acres in 
 53 size. 
 54 (5) Each manager of conservation lands shall submit to the 
 55 Division of State Lands a land management plan at least every 10 
 56 years in a form and manner adopted by rule of the board of 
 57 trustees and in accordance with s. 259.032. Each manager of 
 58 conservation lands shall also update a land management plan 
 59 whenever the manager proposes to add new facilities or make 
 60 substantive land use or management changes that were not 
 61 addressed in the approved plan, or within 1 year after the 
 62 addition of significant new lands. Each manager of 
 63 nonconservation lands shall submit to the Division of State 
 64 Lands a land use plan at least every 10 years in a form and 
 65 manner adopted by rule of the board of trustees. The division 
 66 shall review each plan for compliance with the requirements of 
 67 this subsection and the requirements of the rules adopted by the 
 68 board of trustees pursuant to this section. All nonconservation 
 69 land use plans, whether for single-use or multiple-use 
 70 properties, must be managed to provide the greatest benefit to 
 71 the state. Plans for managed areas larger than 1,000 acres must 
 72 contain an analysis of the multiple-use potential of the 
 73 property which includes the potential of the property to 
 74 generate revenues to enhanc