Florida HB 701: Boating and Vessel Safety

Bill Text

HB 701 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to water management districts; 2
amending s. 112.3261, F.S.; defining the term 3
"expenditure"; requiring the Commission on Ethics to 4
investigate a lobbyist or principal who has made a 5
prohibited expenditure and to provide the Governor 6
with a report of its findings and recommendations 7
regarding such investigation; prohibiting certain 8
persons from making or accepting expenditures; 9
amending s. 373.0693, F.S.; deleting a provision 10
requiring legislative approval before the 11
establishment of a subdistrict or basin in a certain 12
water management district takes effect; amending s. 13
373.079, F.S.; requiring a quorum for the conduct of 14
official business by the governing board of a water 15
management district; providing requirements for a 16
quorum; requiring an affirmative vote of a majority of 17
the members of the governing board before any action 18
may be taken by the board; amending s. 373.470, F.S.; 19
requiring the South Florida Water Management District, 20
in cooperation with the Department of Environmental 21
Protection, to provide a detailed report that includes 22
the total estimated remaining cost of implementation 23
of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and 24
the status of applicable performance indicators for 25

HB 701 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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all project components; requiring that the project 26
components be subdivided into specified categories 27
based on the project's status; specifying requirements 28
for performance indicators for certain projects or 29
project components; providing legislative recognition 30
of the value of the integrated delivery schedule; 31
requiring the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task 32
Force to identify certain sources of funding when 33
making recommendations for updates to the integrated 34
delivery schedule; amending s. 373.501, F.S.; 35
prohibiting a water management district from using 36
state funds for a specified purpose; providing an 37
exception; amending s. 373.503, F.S.; authorizing 38
water management districts to levy certain ad valorem 39
taxes on specified property for certain purposes; 40
requiring a district governing board levying ad 41
valorem taxes for certain projects to adopt a 42
resolution approved by a majority vote of the voting 43
electors in the district or basin; specifying 44
requirements for such resolution; providing 45
specifications for the millage levied; requiring that 46
the referendum question on the ballot specify the 47
purpose of the levy and the maximum length of time the 48
millage may be imposed; defining the term "capital 49
improvement projects"; revising requirements for the 50

HB 701 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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maximum total millage rate; reenacting and amending s. 51
373.535, F.S.; requiring that the preliminary budget 52
for each water management district include a section 53
that contains the district's capital improvement plan 54
for the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year; 55
requiring that such section contain specified 56
information; requiring the South Florida Water 57
Management District to include a section in its 58
preliminary budget for all projects within the 59
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; requiring 60
that the section contain specified information; 61
requiring the South Florida Water Management District 62
to indicate the fiscal year from which certain 63
appropriations are expended; requiring the district to 64
incorporate state revenues in a certain manner when 65
estimating expenditures for the next fiscal year; 66
providing an exception; providing construction; 67
amending s. 373.536, F.S.; authorizing the Legislative 68
Budget Commission to reject certain district budget 69
proposals; providing an exception; providing 70
construction; requiring the South Florida Water 71
Management District to include in its budget document 72
certain sections that incorporate the actual amount of 73
state revenues appropriated for the fiscal year; 74
requiring that a water management district's tentative 75

HB 701 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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budget for its proposed operations and funding 76
requirements include the district's capital 77
improvement plan for the current year and the next 78
fiscal year; amending s. 373.6075, F.S.; requiring a 79
water management district to give preference to 80
certain bids, proposals, or replies for the design, 81
engineering, o