(1)(a) Any areas within a district may be designated by the district governing board as subdistricts or basins. The designations of such basins shall be made by the district governing board by resolutions thereof. The governing board of the district may change the boundaries of such basins, or create new basins, by resolution.

(b) No subdistrict or basin in the St. Johns River Water Management District other than established by this act shall become effective until approved by the Legislature.

(2) Each basin shall be under the control of a basin board which shall be composed of not less than three members, but shall include one representative from each of the counties included in the basin.

(3) Each member of the various basin boards shall serve for a period of 3 years or until a successor is appointed, but not more than 180 days after the end of the term, except that the board membership of each new basin shall be divided into three groups as equally as possible, with members in such groups to be appointed for 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Each basin board shall choose a vice chair and a secretary to serve for a period of 1 year. The term of office of a basin board member shall be construed to commence on March 2 preceding the date of appointment and to terminate March 1 of the year of the end of a term or may continue until a successor is appointed, but not more than 180 days after the end of the expired term.

(4) Members of basin boards shall be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate at the next regular session of the Legislature; and the refusal or failure of the Senate to confirm an appointment shall create a vacancy in the office to which the appointment was made.

(5) Basin board members shall receive no compensation for services as such; but, while officially on work for the district, they shall receive their actual travel expenses between their respective places of residence and the place where official district business is conducted, subsistence, lodging, and other expenses in the amount actually incurred. These expenses may not exceed the statutory amount allowed state officers and employees. This subsection applies retroactively to the effective date of the creation of each of the five separate water management districts.

(6)(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other general or special law to the contrary, a member of the governing board of the district residing in the basin or, if no member resides in the basin, a member of the governing board designated by the chair of the governing board shall be the chair of the basin board. The chair shall preside at all meetings of the basin board, except that the vice chair may preside in his or her absence. The chair shall be the liaison officer of the district in all affairs in the basin and shall be kept informed of all such affairs.

(b) Basin boards within the Southwest Florida Water Management District shall meet regularly as determined by a majority vote of the basin board members. Subject to notice requirements of chapter 120, special meetings, both emergency and nonemergency, may be called either by the chair or the elected vice chair of the basin board or upon request of two basin board members. The district staff shall include on the agenda of any basin board meeting any item for discussion or action requested by a member of that basin board. The district staff shall notify any basin board, as well as their respective counties, of any vacancies occurring in the district governing board or their respective basin boards.

(7) At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1976, the Manasota Watershed Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast Water Management District, which is annexed to the Southwest Florida Water Management District by change of its boundaries pursuant to chapter 76-243, Laws of Florida, shall be formed into a subdistrict or basin of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, subject to the same provisions as the other basins in such district. Such subdistrict shall be designated initially as the Manasota Basin. The members of the governing board of the Manasota Watershed Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast Water Management District shall become members of the governing board of the Manasota Basin of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Notwithstanding other provisions in this section, beginning on July 1, 2001, the membership of the Manasota Basin Board shall be comprised of two members from Manatee County and two members from Sarasota County. Matters relating to tie votes shall be resolved pursuant to subsection (6) by the chair designated by the governing board to vote in case of a tie vote.

(8)(a) At 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 1988, the area transferred from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to the St. Johns River Water Management District by change of boundaries pursuant to chapter 76-243, Laws of Florida, shall cease to be a subdistrict or basin of the St. Johns River Water Management District known as the Oklawaha River Basin and said Oklawaha River Basin shall cease to exist. However, any recognition of an Oklawaha River Basin or an Oklawaha River Hydrologic Basin for regulatory purposes shall be unaffected. The area formerly known as the Oklawaha River Basin shall continue to be part of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

(b) Also, the entire area of the St. Johns River Water Management District, less those areas formerly in the Oklawaha Basin, shall cease to be a subdistrict or basin of the St. Johns River Water Management District known as the Greater St. Johns River Basin and said Greater St. Johns River Basin shall cease to exist. The area formerly known as the Greater St. Johns River Basin shall continue to be part of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

(c) As of 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 1988, assets and liabilities of the former Oklawaha River and Greater St. Johns River Basins shall be assets and liabilities of the St. Johns River Water Management District. Any contracts, plans, orders, or agreements of such basins shall continue to be in effect, but may be modified or repealed by the St. Johns River Water Management District in accordance with law. For all purposes for assessing and levying the millage rate authorized under s. 373.503, subsequent to December 31, 1987, including the purposes of certifying the millage rate for fiscal year 1988-1989, pursuant to chapter 200, said millage rate shall be levied retroactive to January 1, 1988.

(9) At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1976, a portion of the Big Cypress Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast District which is being annexed into the South Florida Water Management District by change of boundaries pursuant to chapter 76-243, Laws of Florida, shall be formed into a subdistrict or basin of the South Florida Water Management District. Such portion shall be designated as the Big Cypress Basin. On or before December 31, 1976, the Governor shall appoint not fewer than five persons residing in the area to serve as members of the governing board of the basin, effective at the time of transfer and subject to confirmation by the Senate as provided in subsection (4).

(a) The initial boundaries of the Big Cypress Basin shall be established by resolution of the governing board of Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District, after notice and hearing, and generally shall encompass the Big Cypress Swamp and southwestern coastal area hydrologic cataloging unit, as indicated on River Basin and Hydrologic Unit Map of Florida—1975, Florida Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Geology Map Series No. 72.

(b) If the governing board shall fail to establish the initial boundaries on or before December 31, 1976, the initial boundaries shall be the same boundaries as described for the Big Cypress Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast District.

(c) The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District subsequently may change the boundaries of the basin, but may not abolish the basin.

(10) At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1976, the entire area of the South Florida Water Management District, including all areas being annexed into the district pursuant to chapter 76-243, Laws of Florida, but less those areas in the Big Cypress Basin, shall be formed into a subdistrict or basin of the South Florida Water Management District. Such area shall be designated as the Okeechobee Basin.

(a) The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District shall also serve as the governing board of the Okeechobee Basin.

(b) The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District may change the boundaries of the Okeechobee Basin or may subdivide the basin into smaller basins to be governed by basin boards to be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate as provided in subsection (4). However, the basin may not be enlarged to include the area included within the initial boundaries of the Big Cypress Basin.

(c) The local effort required in connection with construction, operation, and maintenance of the cooperative federal project referred to as the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, which remains after the upper St. Johns portion is transferred to the St. Johns River Water Management District, shall be funded by tax levies on all taxable property within the Okeechobee Basin. In the event the Okeechobee Basin is subdivided into smaller basins, as authorized in paragraph (b), the governing board shall ascertain the equitable pro rata share for each smaller basin and charge back such share so as to ensure that the portion of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project remaining in the South Florida Water Management District shall continue to be funded on an equal basis throughout the entire Okeechobee Basin as initially described on December 31, 1976.

History.—s. 6, ch. 73-190; s. 3, ch. 76-243; s. 1, ch. 77-382; s. 1, ch. 79-50; s. 1, ch. 82-46; s. 1, ch. 82-64; s. 4, ch. 84-341; s. 1, ch. 85-146; ss. 6, 25, 26, ch. 88-242; ss. 1, 2, ch. 89-279; ss. 11, 12, ch. 90-217; s. 595, ch. 95-148; s. 20, ch. 97-100; s. 8, ch. 97-160; s. 7, ch. 2001-256; s. 7, ch. 2001-258; s. 1, ch. 2003-265; s. 4, ch. 2009-243.