CS for CS for SB 1590 - Coastal Management

• Establishes a four-tier scoring system with specific weights (Tier 1: 20%, Tier 2: 45%, Tier 3: 20%, Tier 4: 15%) for the Department of Environmental Protection to determine annual beach erosion control project funding priorities, replacing previous criteria.

• Redefines "significant change" in project funding as changes exceeding $500,000 or 25% of the original allocation, and requires the department to maintain quarterly-updated active project lists on its website with 18-month funding availability for approved projects.

• Revises inlet management project criteria to include sand bypassing, infrastructure improvements, and dredging modifications, and requires designating at least 10% of statewide beach management appropriations or the percentage of local inlet management requests, whichever is greater, for the three highest-ranked inlet projects.

• Consolidates the comprehensive long-term beach management plan to include a strategic beach management plan, a critically eroded beaches report, and a statewide long-range budget plan with a 3-year work plan, requiring public meetings before finalization.

• Allocates a minimum of 7.6% or $50 million annually from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for projects that preserve and repair state beaches through fiscal year 2025-2026, using the same calculation formula as spring restoration funding.