BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

Florida League of Cities

Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network (Support)

CS/SB 106 (Brodeur) and CS/HB 915 (Botana) authorize the Department of Environmental Protection to establish a program to recognize local communities located along or in proximity to one or more long-distance nonmotorized recreational trails as "trail towns." The bills revise provisions relating to the Florida Greenways and Trails Program. The bills authorize the Greenways and Trails Council to recommend priorities for regionally significant trails for inclusion by the Florida Department of Transportation in the Florida Shared Use Nonmotorized Trail Network. The bills revise the responsibilities of the Division of Tourism Marketing to include promotion of the Florida Greenways and Trails System and the Florida Shared-Use Nonmotorized Trail Network and to coordinate with the Office of Greenways and Trails to promote and assist local communities to maximize use of nearby trails as economic assets. They direct the Department of Transportation to give funding priority to specified trails and to ensure that local support exists for projects and trail segments. The bills authorize state agencies and local governments to obtain sponsorships from nonprofit or commercial entities and to use the sponsorship revenue for maintenance, signage, and amenities. CS/SB 106 passed the Senate (40-0) and the House (113-0). The bill is effective July 1, 2023. Chapter No. 2023-30. (O'Hara)