HB0751 Infrastructure and Resiliency | Florida Bill

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass both chambers of the legislature, so it is uncertain if it will become law.

Infrastructure and Resiliency Act

This bill changes the definition of 'qualifying project' to include coastal resiliency projects, gives the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) exclusive authority to execute these projects through public-private partnerships, and requires DEP to publish information about them on its website.

What This Bill Does

Changes the definition of a 'qualifying project' to include coastal resiliency projects that address flooding, sea level rise, storm damage, and other related infrastructure improvements.
Gives the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) exclusive authority to execute coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships.
Allows DEP to enter into long-term revenue-sharing agreements with private partners to encourage investment in these projects.
Requires DEP to provide expedited permitting for construction and engage local governments and the public during project planning.
Directs DEP to publish biennial progress reports on its website, detailing milestones, expenditures, and benefits of each coastal resiliency project.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will have exclusive authority over coastal resiliency projects.
Private sector companies may invest in these projects through public-private partnerships.
Local governments and the public will be involved in planning and commenting on these projects.

Terms To Know

qualifying project: A project that serves a public purpose, such as infrastructure improvements or coastal resiliency measures.
public-private partnership: An agreement between the government and private companies to work together on projects.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass both chambers of the legislature, so it is uncertain if it will become law.
It does not specify how much funding will be available for these coastal resiliency projects.
Details about the exact nature and extent of public-private partnerships are left to future agreements.

Official Summary Text

Infrastructure and Resiliency; Revises definition of term "qualifying project"; provides that DEP has exclusive authority to execute coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships; authorizes DEP to take certain actions to encourage investment from private sector in coastal resiliency projects; requires DEP to publish certain information on its website.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 751 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to infrastructure and resiliency; 2
amending s. 255.065, F.S.; revising the definition of 3
the term "qualifying project"; creating s. 380.0934, 4
F.S.; providing definitions; providing that the 5
Department of Environmental Protection has the 6
exclusive authority to execute coastal resiliency 7
projects through public-private partnerships; 8
authorizing the department to take certain actions to 9
encourage investment from the private sector in 10
coastal resiliency projects; requiring the department 11
to publish certain information on its website; 12
providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Paragraph (i) of subsection (1) of section 17
255.065, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 18
255.065 Public-private partnerships.— 19
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 20
(i) "Qualifying project" means: 21
1. A facility or project that serves a public purpose, 22
including, but not limited to, any ferry or mass transit 23
facility, vehicle parking facility, airport or seaport facility, 24
rail facility or project, fuel supply facility, oil or gas 25

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

pipeline, medical or nursing care facility, recreational 26
facility, sporting or cultural facility, or educational facility 27
or other building or facility that is used or will be used by a 28
public educational institution, or any other public facility or 29
infrastructure that is used or will be used by the public at 30
large or in support of an accepted public purpose or activity; 31
2. An improvement, including equipment, of a building that 32
will be principally used by a public entity or the public at 33
large or that supports a service delivery system in the public 34
sector; 35
3. A water, wastewater, or surface water management 36
facility or other related infrastructure; 37
4. A coastal resiliency project as defined in s. 38
380.0934(1); or 39
5.4. Notwithstanding any provision of this section, for 40
projects that involve a facility owned or operated by the 41
governing board of a county, district, or municipal hospital or 42
health care system, or projects that involve a facility owned or 43
operated by a municipal electric utility, only those projects 44
that the governing board designates as qualifying projects 45
pursuant to this section. 46
Section 2. Section 380.0934, Florida Statutes, is created 47
to read: 48
380.0934 Public-private partnerships for coastal 49
resiliency projects.— 50

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(1) As used in this section, the term: 51
(a) "Coastal resiliency project" means: 52
1. Planning, contracting, and executing a project to 53
address flooding and sea level rise in a coastal or inland 54
community in this state under s. 380.093(5); 55
2. Public infrastructure repair and upgrades to seawalls 56
and stormwater drainage; and 57
3. Resiliency measures designed to withstand extreme 58
weather, mitigate flooding, and prevent coastal erosion, 59
including: 60
a. Acquisition of at-risk coastal and flood-prone 61
properties; 62
b. Acquisition of properties in areas at high risk of 63
flooding; 64
c. Infrastructure hardening and development of natural 65
barriers; 66
d. Construction of large-scale seawalls, levees, and 67
elevated flood barriers; or 68
e. Expansion and restoration of natural protective 69
systems. 70
(b) "Department" means the Department of Environmental 71
Protection. 72
(c) "Public-private partnership" means a coastal 73
resiliency project entered into by the department under s. 74
255.065. 75

HB 751 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(2) The department has the exclusive authority to execute 76
coastal resiliency projects through public-private partnerships 77
under s. 255.065. 78
(3) To encourage investment from the private sector in 79
coastal resiliency projects, the department may: 80
(a) Enter into long-term revenue-sharing agreements. 81
(b) Provide expedited permitting for construction. 82
(c) Seek comments from local governments and the public 83
during project planning and execution and incorporate actions 84
responsive to such comments into the project. 85
(d) Engage in-state vocational schools and apprenticeship 86
programs to train workers in specialized resiliency 87
construction. 88
(4) The department shall publish on its website biennial 89
progress reports for each coastal resiliency project funded 90
through a public-private partnership, including project 91
milestones, expenditures, and public benefits. The department 92
shall also create and maintain on its website an online 93
dashboard for real-time updates on project execution. 94
Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 95