(1) DEFINITIONS.—“Construction aggregate materials” means crushed stone, limestone, dolomite, limerock, shell rock, cemented coquina, sand for use as a component of mortars, concrete, bituminous mixtures, or underdrain filters, and other mined resources providing the basic material for concrete, asphalt, and road base.
(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—The Legislature finds that there is a strategic and critical need for an available supply of construction aggregate materials within the state and that a disruption of the supply would cause a significant detriment to the state’s construction industry, transportation system, and overall health, safety, and welfare. In addition, the Legislature recognizes that construction aggregate materials mining is an industry of critical importance to the state and that the mining of construction aggregate materials is in the public interest.
(3) LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISIONMAKING.—A local government may not approve or deny a proposed land use zoning change, comprehensive plan amendment, land use permit, ordinance, or order regarding construction aggregate materials without considering any information provided by the Department of Transportation regarding the effect such change, amendment, permit decision, ordinance, or order would have on the availability, transportation, cost, and potential extraction of construction aggregate materials on the local area, the region, and the state. The failure of the Department of Transportation to provide this information shall not be a basis for delay or invalidation of the local government action. A local government may not impose a moratorium, or combination of moratoria, of more than 12 months’ duration on the mining or extraction of construction aggregate materials, commencing on the date the vote was taken to impose the moratorium. January 1, 2007, shall serve as the commencement of the 12-month period for moratoria already in place as of July 1, 2007.
(4) EXPEDITED PERMITTING.—Due to the state’s critical infrastructure needs and the potential shortfall in available construction aggregate materials, limerock environmental resource permitting and reclamation applications filed after March 1, 2007, are eligible for the expedited permitting processes contained in s. 403.973. Challenges to state agency action in the expedited permitting process for establishment of a limerock mine in this state under s. 403.973 are subject to the same requirements as challenges brought under s. 403.973(14)(a), except that, notwithstanding s. 120.574, summary proceedings must be conducted within 30 days after a party files the motion for summary hearing, regardless of whether the parties agree to the summary proceeding. 