1997 Florida Code
TITLE XXXV AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND ANIMAL INDUSTRY
Chapter 590 Forest Protection  
590.02   Division powers, authority, and duties; law enforcement; liability; building structures.

590.02  Division powers, authority, and duties; law enforcement; liability; building structures.--

(1)  The Division of Forestry, in connection with the enforcement of this chapter and other forest and forest fire laws, shall have the following powers, authority, and duties:

(a)  To enforce the provisions of this chapter and other forest fire and forest protection laws of this state;

(b)  To prevent, detect, suppress, and extinguish forest fires in this state and to do all things necessary in the exercise of such powers, authority, and duties;

(c)  To provide forest firefighting crews, who shall be under the control and direction of forest rangers and other designated agents of the division;

(d)  To appoint district foresters, assistant district foresters, investigators, forest rangers, and other employees who may, at the division's discretion, be certified as forestry firefighters pursuant to s. 633.35(4);

(e)  To develop a training curriculum for forestry firefighters which shall contain a minimum of 280 hours, including 40 hours of structural fire training conducted by the Florida State Fire College of the Division of State Fire Marshal;

(f)  To use the resources of the division on state-owned parks and historic memorials wherever located within the state to prevent and suppress fires, to cut firelines, to establish regional firefighting crews who shall be authorized to suppress fires on state-owned park lands, and, subject to approval of the Executive Office of the Governor, to use funds not otherwise appropriated for the purchase of the necessary equipment for combating fires in state parks;

(g)  To make rules to accomplish the purposes of this chapter; and

(h)  To provide forest protection services to the public on a request basis and to set and charge reasonable fees for performance of those services. Moneys collected from such fees shall be deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund of the division.

(2)  Forest rangers, and the firefighting crews under their control and direction, may enter upon any lands for the purpose of preventing and suppressing forest fires and to enforce the provisions of this chapter and other forest fire and forest protection laws of this state.

(3)  Forest rangers, employees of the division, and all persons and federal and state agencies which are under contract or agreement with the division to assist in firefighting operations as well as persons, federal or state agencies, firms, companies, or corporations called upon by forest rangers or other authorized employees of the division to assist in firefighting under the direction or supervision of employees of the division may, in the performance of their duties, set backfires, dig trenches, cut firelines, and carry on all customary activities in the fighting of forest fires without incurring liability to any person.

(4)  The department may build structures, notwithstanding chapters 216 and 255, not to exceed a cost of $50,000 per structure from existing resources on forest lands, federal excess property, and unneeded existing structures. These structures must meet all applicable building codes.

History.--s. 14, ch. 17029, 1935; CGL 1936 Supp. 4151(10-ss); s. 1, ch. 26915, 1951; s. 1, ch. 57-55; ss. 2, 3, ch. 67-371; ss. 14, 31, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 77-70; s. 1, ch. 79-91; s. 142, ch. 79-190; s. 231, ch. 79-400; s. 1, ch. 80-40; s. 1, ch. 81-111; s. 2, ch. 83-178; s. 2, ch. 86-59; s. 3, ch. 88-321; s. 1, ch. 92-187; s. 8, ch. 92-290; s. 103, ch. 92-291; s. 23, ch. 96-231; s. 9, ch. 97-220.