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HB 1161 2026
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hb1161-00
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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 VE S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Big Cypress Basin; amending s. 2
373.0693, F.S.; revising the membership of the Big 3
Cypress Basin governing board; requiring the South 4
Florida Water Management District to revise the 5
boundaries of the Big Cypress Basin based on a 6
specified study at a specified time; removing obsolete 7
language; amending s. 373.503, F.S.; requiring the 8
South Florida Water Management District to ensure that 9
the distribution of basin ad valorem taxes collected 10
within the Big Cypress Basin be used for projects and 11
flood control operations and maintenance within the 12
counties in which they were collected; reenacting s. 13
373.0697, F.S., relating to basin taxes, to 14
incorporate the amendment made to s. 373.503, F.S., in 15
a reference thereto; providing an effective date. 16
17
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
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Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 373.0693, Florida 20
Statutes, is amended to read: 21
373.0693 Basins; basin boards.— 22
(9) At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1976, a portion of the 23
Big Cypress Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast District 24
which is being annexed into the South Florida Water Management 25
HB 1161 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 VE S
District by change of boundaries pursuant to chapter 76-243, 26
Laws of Florida, shall be formed into a subdistrict or basin of 27
the South Florida Water Management District. Such portion shall 28
be designated as the Big Cypress Basin. On or before December 29
31, 1976, The Governor shall appoint six not fewer than five 30
persons from Collier County and two persons from Lee County who 31
reside within the Big Cypress Basin residing in the area to 32
serve as members of the governing board of the basin, effective 33
at the time of transfer and subject to confirmation by the 34
Senate as provided in subsection (4). 35
(a) The initial boundaries of the Big Cypress Basin shall 36
be established by resolution of the governing board of Central 37
and Southern Florida Flood Control District, after notice and 38
hearing, and generally shall encompass the Big Cypress Swamp and 39
southwestern coastal area hydrologic cataloging unit, as 40
indicated on River Basin and Hydrologic Unit Map of Florida—41
1975, Florida Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Geology 42
Map Series No. 72. 43
(b) At 11:59 p.m. on July 1, 2026, the governing board of 44
the South Florida Water Management District shall establish the 45
boundary of the Big Cypress Basin as the scientific boundary 46
recommended in the Big Cypress Basin Boundary Delineation study 47
that the district presented to the Legislature on January 12, 48
2021, except that the new basin boundary may include only 49
counties that have at least 25 percent of their jurisdictions 50
HB 1161 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 VE S
delineated within the boundary. 51
(b) If the governing board shall fail to establish the 52
initial boundaries on or before December 31, 1976, the initial 53
boundaries shall be the same boundaries as described for the Big 54
Cypress Basin of the Ridge and Lower Gulf Coast District. 55
(c) The governing board of the South Florida Water 56
Management District subsequently may change the boundaries of 57
the basin, but may not abolish the basin. 58
Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 59
373.503, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 60
373.503 Manner of taxation.— 61
(3) The districts may levy ad valorem taxes on property 62
within the district solely for the purposes of this chapter and 63
of chapter 25270, 1949, Laws of Florida, as amended, and chapter 64
61-691, Laws of Florida, as amended. If appropriate, taxes 65
levied by each governing board may be separated by the governing 66
board into a millage necessary for the purposes of the district 67
and a millage necessary for financing basin functions specified 68
in s. 373.0695. 69
(b) The apportionment in The South Florida Water 70
Management District shall ensure that: 71
1. The apportionment within the district is be a maximum 72
of 40 percent for district purposes and a maximum of 60 percent 73
for basin purposes; and 74
2. The basin ad valorem taxes levied within the counties 75
HB 1161 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 VE S
that comprise the Big Cypress Basin are used for projects and 76
flood control operations and maintenance within the counties in 77
which such taxes were collected, respectively. 78
Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 79
made by this act to section 373.503, Florida Statutes, in a 80
reference thereto, section 373.0697, Florida Statutes, is 81
reenacted to read: 82
373.0697 Basin taxes.—The respective basins may, pursuant 83
to s. 9(b), Art. VII of the State Constitution, by resolution 84
request the governing board of the district to levy ad valorem 85
taxes within such basin. Upon receipt of such request, a basin 86
tax levy shall be made by the governing board of the district to 87
finance basin functions enumerated in s. 373.0695, 88
notwithstanding the provisions of any other general or special 89
law to the contrary, and subject to the provisions of s. 90
373.503(3). 91
(1) The amount of money to be raised by said tax levy 92
shall be determined by the adoption of an annual budget by the 93
district board of governors, and the average millage for the 94
basin shall be that amount required to raise the amount called 95
for by the annual budget when applied to the total assessment of 96
the basin as determined for county taxing purposes. However, no 97
such tax shall be levied within the basin unless and until the 98
annual budget and required tax levy shall have been approved by 99
formal action of the basin board, and no county in the district 100
HB 1161 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 VE S
shall be taxed under this provision at a rate to exceed 1 mill. 101
(2) The taxes provided for in this section shall be 102
extended by the county property appraiser on the county tax roll 103
in each county within, or partly within, the basin and shall be 104
collected by the tax collector in the same manner and time as 105
county taxes, and the proceeds therefrom paid to the district 106
for basin purposes. Said taxes shall be a lien, until paid, on 107
the property against which assessed and enforceable in like 108
manner as county taxes. The property appraisers, tax collectors, 109
and clerks of the circuit court of the respective counties shall 110
be entitled to compensation for services performed in connection 111
with such taxes at the same rates as apply to county taxes. 112
(3) It is hereby determined that the taxes authorized by 113
this subsection are in proportion to the benefits to be derived 114
by the several parcels of real estate within the basin from the 115
works authorized herein. 116
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 117