FL H0945

Authorizes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Department of Environmental Protection, to provide assistance to landowners and local governments in implementing rural land stewardship areas, with no requirement to demonstrate need based on population growth.

Allows one or more landowners to petition local governments to designate lands classified as agricultural, rural, or open space as rural land stewardship areas, which must be at least 10,000 acres and located outside municipalities and urban service areas.

Establishes a system of transferable stewardship credits created from sending areas and usable only on designated receiving areas for implementing innovative planning and development strategies; credits cease to exist if land is removed from the stewardship area.

Provides incentives for landowners in sending areas to enter into stewardship agreements, including opportunities for transferable mitigation credits, extended permits, recreational leases, compensation for specified land management activities, and option agreements for sale to public entities.

Prohibits the state land planning agency from adopting rules relating to rural land stewardship areas and repeals rules 9J-5.026 and 9J-11.023, Florida Administrative Code; effective July 1, 2011.