Division of Technical Services; geological functions.

(1) PERSONNEL.—The Department of Environmental Protection shall, through the Division of Technical Services, establish the Florida Geological Survey and employ such suitable persons as in the judgment of the department may be necessary to conduct the geological survey of the state.

(2) DISBURSEMENTS; SURVEY EXPENSES.—For the purpose of expeditiously and thoroughly carrying out the geological survey, there shall be included a sufficient appropriation in the annual General Appropriations Act. The amount annually appropriated, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be expended for the salaries and for the contingent expenses of the survey, including compensation of all temporary and permanent assistance; travel expenses of the division, purchase of materials, or other necessary expenses for outfit; expenses incurred in providing for the transportation, arrangement, and proper exhibition of the geological and other collections made under the provisions of this law and for postage, stationery, and printing and the printing and engraving of maps and sections to illustrate the annual reports.

(3) STATE GEOLOGIST.—The geological functions of the division shall be under the direction of a full-time professional geologist who is registered in this state, who shall be of established reputation, and who shall be known as the State Geologist.

(4) DUTIES.—The Florida Geological Survey shall make periodic reports of the progress of its surveys and explorations of minerals, water supply, and other natural resources of the state and shall include in such reports a full description of such surveys and explorations, occurrences and location of mineral and other deposits of value, surface and subterranean water supply, and the best and most economical method of development, together with analyses of sediments, minerals, and mineral waters, with maps, charts, and drawings of the same.

(a) The State Geologist and his or her professional staff shall conduct field and laboratory investigations of the geologic structure of this state; the nature and composition of the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and economic minerals; the nature of physiographic features; and other aspects of geology and hydrology which may lead to a better understanding of the geology of this state, with special reference to the practical bearing of the subjects of such investigations on the well-being of this state and the citizens of this state.

(b) The State Geologist shall provide technical assistance to, and consult and cooperate with, the general public; other agencies of federal, state, and local government; and industry. The State Geologist shall also consider scientific, educational, and economic questions related to the geology and hydrology of the state which are of value to the people of this state.

(c) The State Geologist shall prepare and publish Florida Geological Survey reports, with necessary illustrations and maps, which provide general and detailed descriptions of the geology and earth resources of this state, shall maintain a comprehensive research library, open to the public, of published and unpublished geological information, and shall otherwise disseminate geological information to the citizens of this state.

(d) The department may contract with the government of the United States, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or with this state or any county, municipality, district authority, or political subdivision of this state, or with any private person, to assist in providing this state with geologic information or to accomplish the purposes of this act. The department may receive and accept from any federal agency, state agency, or other public body grants or loans for or in aid of the purposes of this act, and the department may receive and accept aid, contributions, or loans from any other source of money, property, labor, or other thing of value to be held, used, and applied only for the purposes for which such aid, grants, or loans were made.

(e) The Florida Geological Survey shall cooperate or coordinate with, or act as a clearinghouse for, other agencies funded by the state who contribute to the study or revision of geologic interpretations and nomenclature. The State Geologist, through the Division of Technical Services, shall designate areas as “state geological sites” or “state invertebrate paleontological sites” pursuant to the provisions of this section, which areas are determined to be of great and continuing significance to the scientific study and public understanding of the geological history of this state. No privately owned site shall be so designated without the express written consent of the private surface and mineral owners of the site. The State Geologist shall provide written notice to the surface and mineral owners and occupants of a site designated by the State Geologist as a state geological or invertebrate paleontological site. Once such a site has been so designated, no person may conduct geological or paleontological field investigations on the site without first securing a consent letter from the division.

(f) The State Geologist shall cooperate or coordinate with various federal agencies, including, but not limited to, the United States Geological Survey, Bureau of Mines, and the Minerals Management Service, and various state and local agencies to collect and maintain data on the economic mineral industry of this state. Data shall include commodities mined, amount extracted, reserves, market and market trends, estimated value, and any other parameters determined necessary by the State Geologist to comply with this section. Such information shall be periodically updated and company data may be maintained confidential subject to the same requirements as that required by the federal agency of jurisdiction or, if no specific language exists in federal law, the confidential period shall not exceed 10 years.

(g) The Florida Geological Survey shall prepare, maintain, and make available, in both paper and electronic or computer-based formats, maps identifying the location in latitude and longitude of all oil field wells and gas field wells, oil test wells and gas test wells, nonoil test wells and nongas test wells, and stratigraphic test wells, and seismic line recording points, or any other deep, geologic information that may provide useful subsurface information for industry and other public agencies. When available, fluid levels in any oil, gas, or other test well shall be measured or obtained from the operator or owner and shall be tested for water chemistry. The department may use for such tasks such funds from the Petroleum Exploration and Production Bond Trust Fund as may be appropriated by the Legislature.

(5) COLLECTION OF GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS.—The Division of Technical Services shall, through the geological staff, make collections of specimens illustrating the geological and mineral features of the state, including lands beneath the sovereign water of this state. The staff shall operate and maintain a central, statewide repository for such specimens, for well cuttings and cores and related surface and subsurface samples, and associated supplemental data.

(6) NOTIFYING OWNER OF DEPOSITS LOCATED.—The State Geologist and his or her assistants, when they discover any mineral deposits or other geologic substance of value, shall make a reasonable attempt to notify the owner of the land upon which such deposits occur.