The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources
BILL: SB 452
INTRODUCER: Senator Burton
SUBJECT: Land Acquisition Trust Fund
DATE: January 9, 2024 REVISED:
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Carroll Rogers EN Favorable
2. AEG
3. AP
I. Summary:
SB 452 appropriates $20 million annually from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to the
Department of Environmental Protection to implement the Heartland Headwaters Protection and
Sustainability Act (Act).
The funds must be used to enter into financial assistance agreements and distributed in
accordance with the projects identified in the Heartland Headwaters Annual Report that protect,
restore, or enhance the headwaters of the river systems located in the Heartland Region of
Central Florida.
The bill also contains legislative findings regarding the enactment and purposes of the Act,
findings from the Central Florida Water Initiative and its Regional Water Supply Plan, and the
need for consistent funding support to implement the Act.
II. Present Situation:
Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern
The Green Swamp contains 560,000 acres of wetlands, flatlands, and prominent sandy ridgelines
in southwest Florida.1 In 1979, the Legislature designated approximately 322,690 acres lying in
northern Polk and southern Lake Counties as the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern.2
The designation recognizes the need to protect the swamp from encroaching development, as
well as the area’s valuable hydrologic functions. The Green Swamp is an intrinsic part of the
1
Southwest Florida Water Management District, Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve,
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/green-swamp-wilderness-preserve (last visited Nov. 29, 2023).
2
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Green Swamp Area, https://www.floridajobs.org/community-planning-and-
development/programs/community-planning-table-of-contents/areas-of-critical-state-concern/the-green-swamp (last visited
Nov. 29, 2023).
BILL: SB 452 Page 2
Floridan Aquifer. Flatwoods and sandhill uplands throughout the swamp provide moderate to
high recharge, and the high elevation of the aquifer within the swamp provides the groundwater
pressure necessary to maintain springs and rivers. The swamp’s wetlands coalesce to create the
headwaters of the Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Hillsborough, and Peace rivers.3
The Southern Water Use Caution Area
The Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) was established in 1992 by the Southwest
Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) in response to growing water demands from
public supply, agriculture, mining, power generation, and recreational uses and in response to the
environmental concerns related to these groundwater withdrawals.4 The SWUCA encompasses
approximately 5,100 square miles, including all of DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee, and Sarasota
counties, and parts of Charlotte, Highlands, Hillsborough, and Polk counties.5
In 2006, the SWFWMD adopted the SWUCA Recovery Strategy,6 to achieve by 2025 the
following goals:
 Achieve minimum flows in the upper Peace River;
 Achieve minimum lake levels in lakes along the Lake Wales Ridge, which extends roughly
90 miles along the center of the state in Polk and Highlands counties;7
 Achieve the saltwater intrusion minimum aquifer level; and
 Ensure water supply needs are met for existing and projected reasonable and beneficial uses.8
Central Florida Water Initiative
The Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI) is a collaborative water supply planning effort
involving the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the St. Johns River Water
Management District, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), SWFWMD, the
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, regional public water supply utilities, and
other stakeholders.9 These groups have been tasked with addressing the current and long-term
water supply needs of Central Florida without causing harm to the water resources and
associated natural systems.10
3
Id.
4
Section 373.0363(2)(a), F.S.; SWFWMD, Southern Water Use Caution Area, https://www.swfwmd.state.
fl.us/projects/southern-water-use-caution-area (last visited Nov. 29, 2023).
5
Section 373.0363(1)(c), F.S.; SWFWMD, Southern Water Use Caution Area.
6
The “Southern Water Use Caution Area Recovery Strategy” is the SWFWMD’s planning, regulatory, and financial strategy
for ensuring that adequate water supplies are available to meet growing demands while protecting and restoring the water and
related natural resources of the area. Section 373.0363(1)(d), F.S.
7
SFWMD, Southern Water Use Caution Area; SWFWMD, Ridge Lakes Stakeholder Workgroup,
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/ridge-lakes-stakeholder-workgroup (last visited Nov. 29, 2023).
8
SWFWMD, Southern Water Use Caution Area.
9
Section 373.0465(1)(c), F.S. Stakeholders include water utilities, environmental groups, business organizations, agricultural
communities, and others.
10
Section 373.0465(1)(c), F.S.
BILL: SB 452 Page 3
The CFWI Initiative Area, also known as the CFWI Planning Area, includes Orange, Osceola,
Polk, Seminole, and southern Lake counties.11 It is home to approximately 2.9 million people
and supports tourism, agriculture, and the industrial and commercial sector.12
The areas encompassed by the CFWI Planning Area have traditionally relied on groundwater
from the Floridan aquifer system as their primary source of water.13 Evaluations predict that
fresh groundwater resources alone will be insufficient to meet 2040 projected water demands or
currently permitted allocations for withdrawal without resulting in unacceptable harm to water
resources and related natural systems.14 Overdrawing from the Floridan aquifer system can result
in drying wetlands, reducing spring flows, lowering lake levels, and the degradation of
groundwater quality due to saltwater intrusion.15 Alternative water sources will need to be
developed to meet the projected demands.16
Polk County Regional Water Cooperative
The Polk Regional Water Cooperative (PRWC) was created in 2016 through an interlocal
agreement and consists of Polk County and 15 municipal member governments.17 It was formed
to provide regional cooperation on the development and delivery of water resources to meet
future water demands within Polk County. The majority of the PRWC jurisdiction is located
within the SWUCA, while the entirety of its jurisdiction is located within the CFWI Planning
Area.18
Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act
The Heartland Water Supply Planning Region covers approximately 2,569 square miles and
includes Hardee County and those portions of Polk and Highlands counties within the
SWFWMD.19 The planning region is underlain by three aquifer systems: the surficial,
intermediate, and Floridan. The latter is the primary source of water in the planning region and in
the entire SWFWMD area.20
In 2017, the Legislature enacted the Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act
(Act).21 The purpose of the Act was to recognize the critical importance of Polk County's
aquifers to the economic and ecological health of the region as headwaters for six of Florida's
11
Section 373.0465(2)(a), F.S.; Central Florida Water Initiative (CFWI), What is CFWI?, https://cfwiwater.com/what_is_
CFWI.html (last visited Nov. 29, 2023).
12
CFWI, Regional Water Supply Plan 2020 Planning Document, ii, available at https://cfwiwater.com/pdfs/CFWI_
2020RWSP_FINAL_PlanDocRpt_12-10-2020.pdf.
13
CFWI, Value of Water, https://cfwiwater.com/value_of_water.html (last visited Nov. 29, 2023).
14
CFWI, Regional Water Supply Plan 2020 Planning Document at 89-90.
15
CFWI, Value of Water.
16
See id.
17
SWFWMD, Consolidated Annual Report (March 1, 2021), 7-1, available at
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/sites/default/files/medias/documents/CAR%202022%20Master%20Report.pdf.
18
Id.
19
SWFWMD, RWSP Heartland Planning Region, https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/resources/plans-reports/rwsp/rwsp-
heartland-planning-region (last visited Dec. 7, 2023).
20
Id.
21
Ch. 2017-111, s. 1, Laws of Fla., codified in ss. 373.462-.463, F.S.
BILL: SB 452 Page 4
major river systems.22 The Act required the development of a comprehensive annual report to be
completed by the PRWC and submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House, DEP, and the water management districts (WMDs) by December 1 of each year.23
In addition, the Act directed the PRWC to coordinate with the appropriate WMDs to provide a
status report on projects receiving priority state funding and to include such status report in the
consolidated WMD annual report.24
Funding of Polk Regional Water Cooperative Projects
In July 2023, PRWC members submitted a total of 47 water resource projects that they planned
to implement in fiscal year 2024-2025.25 The majority of the projects involved drinking water
and wastewater, but some also involved stormwater and flood control, environmental restoration,
and conservation. The total cost of the projects submitted was $811,154,839. Of the total cost of
the projects for fiscal year 2024-2025, PRWC governments are collectively committing
$90,588,245 (62%), leaving a state funding request of $56,471,889 (38%).26
The projects that are regionally the most important to the PRWC members are:
 The Southeast Wellfield Construction and Land Acquisition project, estimated to cost
$68,682,361 in fiscal year 2024-2025; and
 The Demand Management Implementation Program, estimated to cost $150,000 in fiscal
year 2024-2025.27
One of the above projects has been submitted to the WMDs and DEP for inclusion in the CFWI
Alternative Water Supply funding request to the Legislature.28 The report lists the 47 projects in
order of priority and includes for each project the total project cost, requested state funding, local
government funding, and other funding sources.29
Land Acquisition Trust Fund
Documentary stamp tax revenues are collected under ch. 201, F.S., which requires an excise tax
to be levied on two classes of documents: deeds and other documents related to real property,
which are taxed at the rate of 70 cents per $100; and certificates of indebtedness, promissory
notes, wage assignments, and retail charge account agreements, which are taxed at 35 cents per
$100.30
22
Section 373.462(1)-(6), F.S.
23
Section 373.463(1)-(2), F.S.
24
Section 373.463(3), F.S.
25
Polk Regional Water Cooperative, Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act Annual Comprehensive Water
Resources Report (FY 2024-25), 23 (2023) (on file with the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources).
26
Id.
27
Id. at 41.
28
Id. at 23.
29
Id. at 41.
30
See ss. 201.02(1)(a) and 201.08(1)(a), F.S.
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In 2014, Florida voters approved Amendment One, a constitutional amendment to provide a
dedicated funding source for land and water conservation and restoration.31 The amendment
required that starting on July 1, 2015, and for 20 years thereafter, 33 percent of net revenues
derived from documentary stamp taxes be deposited into the Land Acquisition Trust
Fund (LATF).32 Article X, s. 28 of the State Constitution requires that funds in the LATF be
expended only for the following purposes:
As provided by law, to finance or refinance: the acquisition and
improvement of land, water areas, and related property interests, including
conservation easements, and resources for conservation lands including
wetlands, forests, and fish and wildlife habitat; wildlife management areas;
lands that protect water resources and drinking water sources, including
lands protecting the water quality and quantity of rivers, lakes, streams,
springsheds, and lands providing recharge for groundwater and aquifer
systems; lands in the Everglades Agricultural Area and the Everglades
Protection Area, as defined in Article II, Section 7(b); beaches and shores;
outdoor recreation lands, including recreational trails, parks, and urban open
space; rural landscapes; working farms and ranches; historic or geologic
sites; together with management, restoration of natural systems, and the
enhancement of public access or recreational enjoyment of conservation
lands.
To implement Art. X, s. 28 of the State Constitution, the Legislature passed ch. 2015-229, Laws
of Florida. This act, in part, amended the following sections of law:
 Section 201.15, F.S., to conform to the constitutional requirement that the LATF receive at
least 33 percent of net revenues derived from documentary stamp taxes; and
 Section 375.041, F.S., to designate the LATF within DEP as the trust fund to serve as the
constitutionally mandated depository for the percentage of documentary stamp tax
revenues.33
Under s. 375.041, F.S., funds deposited into the LATF must be distributed in the following order
and amounts:
 First, obligations relating to debt service, specifically, payments relating to debt service on
Florida Forever Bonds and Everglades restoration bonds.
 Then, unless superseded by the General Appropriations Act, before funds are authorized to
be appropriated for other uses:
o A minimum of the lesser of 25 percent of the funds remaining after the payment of debt
service or $200 million annually for Everglades projects that implement the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the Long-Term Plan, or the
Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program (NEEPP), with priority given to
Everglades restoration projects that reduce harmful discharges of water from Lake
31
The Florida Senate, Water and Land Conservation, https://www.flsenate.gov/media/topics/WLC (last visited Nov. 29,
2023).
32
Id.
33
Ch. 2015-229, ss. 9 and 50, Laws of Fla.
BILL: SB 452 Page 6
Okeechobee to the St. Lucie or Caloosahatchee estuaries in a timely manner. From these
funds, the following specified distributions are required:
 $32 million annually through the 2023-2024 fiscal year for the Long-Term Plan;
 After deducting the $32 million, the minimum of the lesser of 76.5 percent of the
remainder or $100 million annually through the 2025-2026 fiscal year for CERP; and
 Any remaining funds for Everglades projects under CERP, the Long-Term Plan, or
NEEPP.
o A minimum of the lesser of 7.6 percent of the funds remaining after the payment of debt
service or $50 million annually for spring restoration, protection, and management
projects;
o $5 million annually through the 2025-2026 fiscal year to the St. Johns River Water
Management District for projects dedicated to the restoration of Lake Apopka;
o $64 million to the Everglades Trust Fund in the 2018-2019 fiscal year and each fiscal
year thereafter, for the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir project, and any funds
remaining in any fiscal year shall be made available only for Phase II of the C-51
Reservoir Project or projects that implement CERP, the Long Term Plan, or NEEPP; and
o $50 million annually to SFWMD for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration
Project.
o $100 million annually to DEP for the acquisition of land pursuant to the Florida Forever
Act.
 Then, any remaining moneys are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes set forth in
Art. X, s. 28 of the State Constitution.34
During the 2022 session, the Legislature added language that specifies that the purposes set forth
in s. 375.041(3)(a)3., F.S., relating to Lake Apopka would instead be appropriated as provided in
the General