Legislative intent.

The Legislature finds that:

(1) Florida is endowed with varied natural resources that provide recreational, environmental, and economic benefit to the people of this state. The extraction of phosphate is important to the continued economic well-being of the state and to the needs of society. While it is not possible to extract minerals without disturbing the surface areas and producing waste materials, mining is a temporary land use. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that mined lands be reclaimed to a beneficial use in a timely manner and in a manner which recognizes the diversity among mines, mining operations, and types of lands which are mined.

(2) The rules developed by the department for the regulation of mandatory land reclamation should be consistent with the goals of the state to simplify and coordinate regulation. The department shall enter into memoranda of understanding to eliminate duplication, to simplify the processing of reclamation applications, and to maximize the effectiveness of the regulatory process.