Senate budget chief Latvala wants Florida’s beaches ‘done right’ – Naples Daily News

Florida state Sen. Jack Latvala unveils a comprehensive beach bill in Naples on March 3, 2017. Video by Ryan Mills.

State Senator Jack Latvala discuss landmark legislation to protect and restore Floridas beaches alongside state Representative Kathleen Peters during a news conference at Lowdermilk Park in Naples on Friday, March 3, 2017. (Photo: Nicole Raucheisen/Naples Daily News)Buy Photo

Saying state leaders are falling behind on their commitment to beach communities, state Sen. Jack Latvala on Fridayoutlined comprehensive legislation that would overhaul the way Florida manages its eroding shores.

Thelegislation would:

Latvala, R-Clearwater, chairman of the Senate appropriations committee, announced his plan at Lowdermilk Park in Naples, with the Gulf of Mexico lapping behind him.

Weve got tangible evidence that the health of our beaches is a big return on investment, Latvala said. Everyone acknowledges that;even the House acknowledges it. Were fighting over some of the other economic development programs. Nobody is fighting over this.

Lets at least get this done right.

Latvala's proposalcomes in the wake of the Naples Daily News'four-day "Shrinking Shores" series that outlined failures in Florida's beach management program.

Read the Shrinking Shores series:

Shrinking Shores: How Florida leaders are failing the state's famous beaches

Shrinking Shores: Florida reneges on pledges to its beaches

Shrinking Shores: Florida sand shortage leaves beaches in lurch

Shrinking Shores: Matthew's lessons for Florida's beaches

The series showed that even though beaches bring in billions annually for the state in tourism-related sales taxes, Floridas lawmakers and governors typically return less than 1 percent to the shoreline every year. Some years the statefailed to deliver the $30 million promised in a 1998 state law, and leaderseventually changed the law to greatly reduce the beach obligation.

State Representative Kathleen Peters discusses landmark legislation to protect and restore Floridas beaches alongside state Senator Jack Latvala, from left, Collier County Commissioner Burt Saunders, President of the Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association Deborah Flack, Executive Director of the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau Tamara Pigott and General Manager of the Naples Hilton Clark Hill during a news conference at Lowdermilk Park in Naples on Friday, March 3, 2017. (Photo: Nicole Raucheisen/Naples Daily News)

The series also revealed how local governmentscarry the greatest burden ofrenourishment. In some cases, coastalcommunities unable or unwilling to manage their beaches have seen their shores wash away.

The reason we are here in Naples is because of the really outstanding effort the Naples Daily News has put forward on this issue, Latvala said.

With his 22-page bill (SB 1590), Latvala is advocatingwhat would be the biggest overhaul of the states beach management system in nearly 20 years.

Among the highlights, the plan would:

Latvala was joined Friday by other state and local leaders, including Rep. Kathleen Peters, R-South Pasadena, who is sponsoring a companion bill in the House. Her bill does not include the $50 million funding minimum.

Peters said Floridas beaches do more than just drive economic development and tourism. Theyprotect homes, buildings and other infrastructure from storm damage as well.

Northeast Florida communities without well-maintained beaches were hit harder by Hurricane Matthew last October, she said, losing roads and power lines. Too many communities havent had the resources to rebuild their beaches to protect from storms, Peters said.

The beach is a natural protection, and we need to ensure were protecting the rest of our infrastructure, she said.

Collier County Commissioner Burt Saunders, who attended Fridays event, said the county is proud of its beachesand protecting them is vital.

I believe they are the most important environmental and economic asset we have in this community, Saunders said. I believe our beaches are really the driving force of our entire economy.

Instead of tackling the individual issues addressed in his bill separately, Latvala said he wanted to do one big bill that got as much of it as we could.

Youve got to look atall of it together, he said.

Establishing the three-year work plan might be the most radical proposed change. Latvala modeled it after the five-year plan the Florida Department of Transportation uses to map out road projects.

The proposal is designed to give local governments more time to prepare to fund and construct projects. Currently, projects are scored, ranked and funded on a year-by-year basis.

We look at everything from scratch every year, he said.

Latvalas bill would give DEP more direction on how to rank and prioritize projects proposed by local governments. It specifies what percentage of a projects overall score must come from each of four tiers of criteria.

For the first time, projects would be scored on their return on investment and economic impact, calculated as the ratio of tourism-related tax revenueto the total amount requested for the project and to all county tax revenue. It also prioritizes a projects potential to reduce storm damage, cost-effectiveness and the use of structures, designs or technologies to slow erosion and reduce costs.

Also for the first time, Latvalas plan would give a bump to projects that have been on DEPs list for successive years without getting funded.

To refocus attention on the states ports and inlets, the bill would provide up to 75 percent of the funding for the construction of major sand bypassing projects.

Inlets would receive at least 10 percent of the annual legislative beach appropriation.

The bill also allows for inlets to receive a percentage of the total beach funding based on the proportion of inlet to beach requests;so if inlet projects made up 25 percent of all requests, they would get 25 percent of the money.

Debbie Flack, president of the Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association, said Latvalas bill has all the parts necessary to preserve the states beaches well into the future

I think it writes the next chapter of Floridas program to preserve its beaches and its brand, she said of the bill.

Latvala acknowledged that filing the bill is only the first step in the process, but he said his leadership position in the Senate should help its chances.

Every year is a juggling act with the budget. But usually the priorities of the leaders get funded, so this is my priority this year, he said.

I dont have a higher priority in terms of the 15 bills that I sponsored this year.