FL H1187

Creates the Carbon Sequestration Task Force adjunct to the Department of Environmental Protection, composed of 10 members including the Secretary of Environmental Protection, Commissioner of Agriculture, Chief Resilience Officer, and representatives from universities, the National Estuary Program, environmental nonprofits, and agricultural landowners, with appointments due by August 1, 2024.

Directs the task force to inventory terrestrial and aquatic environments suitable for carbon sequestration, develop standardized methodology for establishing baseline carbon levels, recommend short- and long-term benchmarks, identify existing carbon markets, and evaluate potential funding mechanisms.

Requires an interim report to the Secretary of Environmental Protection by October 1, 2025, and a final findings and recommendations report to the Governor and Legislature by October 1, 2026, with the task force terminating on April 30, 2027.

Appropriates $350,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Operating Trust Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to provide administrative and support services to the task force.

Declares legislative findings that urban sprawl and coastal development have led to losses of natural and agricultural lands, harming wetlands, coral reefs, seagrasses, and shellfish aquaculture, and that a statewide program is needed to incentivize landowners to continue carbon-sequestering land uses.