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2An act relating to conservation lands; amending s.
3253.0341, F.S.; requiring the Division of State Lands
4to publish certain information on its website before
5the Acquisition and Restoration Council or the Board
6of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund
7meets to review the proposed sale of conservation
8lands; conforming a cross-reference; amending s.
9253.42, F.S.; requiring that certain parcels proposed
10for exchange be appraised in accordance with certain
11criteria; deleting provisions requiring the division
12to submit certain requests to the council for review;
13deleting provisions requiring the division to provide
14certain recommendations to the board of trustees;
15requiring the division to publish certain information
16on its website before the council or the board of
17trustees meets to review a proposed land exchange;
18requiring the division to submit certain requests to
19the council for review and requiring the council to
20provide recommendations to the division in certain
21circumstances; requiring the division to provide
22certain recommendations to the board of trustees in
23certain circumstances; making a technical change;
24amending s. 373.089, F.S.; requiring the governing
25board of a water management district to publish
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26certain information on its website before meeting to
27review the proposed sale or exchange of certain lands;
28amending s. 215.196, F.S.; conforming a cross-
29reference; providing an effective date.
30
31    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32
33Section 1.  Present subsections (7) through (19) of section
34    253.0341, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (8)
35    through (20), respectively, subsection (11) of that section is
36    amended, and a new subsection (7) is added to that section, to
37    read:
38253.0341  Surplus of state-owned lands.—
39(7)     At least 30 days before any meeting of the Acquisition
40    and Restoration Council or the board of trustees to review the
41    proposed sale of conservation lands, the Division of State Lands
42    must publish the following information on its website:
43(a)     The parcels of state-owned land for sale; and
44(b)     A statement from the division explaining why the lands
45    are no longer needed for conservation purposes.
46(11)        Requests to surplus lands may be made by any public
47    or private entity or person and shall be determined by the board
48    of trustees. All requests to surplus conservation lands shall be
49    submitted to the lead managing agency for review and
50    recommendation to the Acquisition and Restoration Council, and
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51    all requests to surplus nonconservation lands shall be submitted
52    to the Division of State Lands for review and recommendation to
53    the board of trustees. The lead managing agencies shall review
54    such requests and make recommendations to the council within 90
55    days after receipt of the requests. Any requests to surplus
56    conservation lands that are not acted upon within the 90-day
57    period shall be immediately scheduled for hearing at the next
58    regularly scheduled meeting of the council. Requests to surplus
59    lands shall be considered by the board of trustees within 60
60    days after receipt of the requests from the council or division.
61    Requests to surplus lands pursuant to this subsection are not
62    required to be offered to state agencies as provided in
63    subsection (8) (7).
64Section 2.  Present paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of
65    subsection (4) of section 253.42, Florida Statutes, are
66    redesignated as paragraphs (d), (e), and (f), respectively,
67    paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended, and new paragraphs
68    (b) and (c) are added to that subsection, to read:
69253.42       Board of trustees may exchange lands.—This section
70    applies to all lands owned by, vested in, or titled in the name
71    of the board of trustees whether the lands were acquired by the
72    state as a purchase, or through gift, donation, or any other
73    conveyance for which no consideration was paid.
74(4)(a)       A person who owns land contiguous to state-owned
75    land titled to the board of trustees may submit a request to the
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76     Division of State Lands to exchange all or a portion of the
77     privately owned land for all or a portion of the state-owned
78     land, whereby the state retains a permanent conservation
79     easement over all or a portion of the exchanged state-owned land
80     and a permanent conservation easement over all or a portion of
81     the exchanged privately owned land. State-owned land exchanged
82     pursuant to this subsection must shall be contiguous to the
83     privately owned land upon which the state retains a permanent
84     conservation easement. Each parcel proposed for exchange
85     pursuant to this subsection must have at least one appraisal
86     that follows the appraisal criteria, techniques, and methods
87     adopted by the board of trustees pursuant to s. 253.025(8)(e) If
88     the division elects to proceed with a request, the division must
89     submit the request to the Acquisition and Restoration Council
90     for review and the council must provide recommendations to the
91     division. If the division elects to forward a request to the
92     board of trustees, the division must provide its recommendations
93     and the recommendations of the council to the board. This
94     subsection does not apply to state-owned sovereign submerged
95     land.
96(b)     At least 30 days before any meeting of the Acquisition
97     and Restoration Council or the board of trustees to review the
98     proposed land exchange of conservation lands, the Division of
99     State Lands shall publish the following information on its
100    website:
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1011.      The parcels of state-owned lands proposed for exchange;
1022.      The privately owned parcels of land proposed for
103    exchange;
1043.      The portions of the lands identified in subparagraphs
105    1. and 2. which will be preserved in a permanent conservation
106    easement;
1074.      A statement from the division explaining how the
108    exchange will result in a conservation benefit to the state; and
1095.      Any recommendations from the division and the council
110    related to the request.
111(c)      If the Division of State Lands elects to proceed with
112    a request, the division must submit the request to the council
113    for review, and the council must provide recommendations to the
114    division. If the division elects to forward a request to the
115    board of trustees, the division must provide its recommendations
116    and the recommendations of the council to the board.
117Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section
118    373.089, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
119373.089       Sale or exchange of lands, or interests or rights
120    in lands.—The governing board of the district may sell lands, or
121    interests or rights in lands, to which the district has acquired
122    title or to which it may hereafter acquire title in the
123    following manner:
124(6)      Any lands the title to which is vested in the
125    governing board of a water management district may be surplused
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126    pursuant to the procedures set forth in this section and s.
127    373.056 and the following:
128(a)     For those lands designated as acquired for
129    conservation purposes, the governing board shall make a
130    determination that the lands are no longer needed for
131    conservation purposes and may dispose of them by a two-thirds
132    vote. At least 30 days before the governing board meets to
133    review the proposed sale or exchange of such lands, the
134    governing board shall publish the following information on its
135    website, as applicable:
1361.      The parcels of district-owned lands for sale or
137    proposed for exchange;
1382.      The parcels of privately owned lands proposed for
139    exchange;
1403.      The portions of the lands identified in subparagraphs
141    1. and 2. which will be preserved in a permanent conservation
142    easement; and
1434.      A statement from the district explaining why the lands
144    are no longer needed for conservation purposes.
145
146    If the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund
147    declines to accept title to the lands offered under this
148    section, the land may be disposed of by the district under the
149    provisions of this section.
150Section 4.  Subsection (1) of section 215.196, Florida
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151    Statutes, is amended to read:
152215.196       Architects Incidental Trust Fund; creation;
153    assessment.—
154(1)     There is created the Architects Incidental Trust Fund
155    for the purpose of:
156(a)     Collecting all funds received through the sale of
157    surplus state-owned office buildings, as defined in s. 255.248,
158    and the nonconservation lands associated with such buildings;
159(b)     Diverting funds referenced in s. 253.0341(15)(b) s.
160    253.0341(14)(b); and
161(c)     Providing sufficient funds for the operation of the
162    facilities development activities of the Department of
163    Management Services.
164Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
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