(1) May employ persons and purchase machinery to directly supervise, construct, maintain, and operate the works and improvements described in the water control plan, or may contract with others for the supervision, construction, maintenance, and operation of such works and improvements either as a whole or in part. Contracts for the construction of district facilities must be awarded under s. 255.20 and applicable general law.

(2) May clean out, straighten, open up, widen, or change the course and flow, alter or deepen any canal, ditch, drain, river, watercourse, or natural stream; and concentrate, divert, or divide the flow of water in or out of said district; construct and maintain main and lateral ditches, canals, levees, dikes, dams, sluices, revetments, reservoirs, holding basins, floodways, pumping stations, and siphons, and may connect same, or any of them, with any canals, drains, ditches, levees, or other works that may have been heretofore, or which may be hereafter constructed by the Department of Environmental Protection or jurisdictional water management district, and with any natural stream, lake, or watercourse in or adjacent to said district.

(3) May build and construct any other works and improvements deemed necessary to preserve and maintain the works in or out of said district; acquire, construct, operate, maintain, use, purchase, sell, lease, convey, or transfer real or personal property, including pumping stations, pumping machinery, motive equipment, electric lines and all appurtenant or auxiliary machines, devices, or equipment.

(4) May contract for the purchase, construction, operation, maintenance, use, sale, conveyance and transfer of the said pumping stations, machinery, motive equipment, electric lines and appurtenant equipment, including the purchase of electric power and energy for the operation of the same.

(5) May construct or enlarge, or cause to be constructed or enlarged, any and all bridges that may be needed in or out of said district, across any drain, ditch, canal, floodway, holding basin, excavation, public highway, railroad right-of-way, track, grade, fill or cut; construct roadways over levees and embankments; construct any and all of said works and improvements across, through or over any public highway, railroad right-of-way, track, grade, fill or cut, in or out of said district; remove any fence, building or other improvements, in or out of said district.

(6) Shall have the right to hold, control and acquire by donation or purchase and if need be, condemn any land, easement, railroad right-of-way, sluice, reservoir, holding basin or franchise, in or out of said district, for right-of-way, holding basin for any of the purposes herein provided, or for material to be used in constructing and maintaining said works and improvements for implementation of the district water control plan.

(7) May condemn or acquire, by purchase or grant, for the use of the district, any land or property within or without said district not acquired or condemned by the court as identified in the engineer’s report, and shall follow the procedure set out in chapter 73. Such powers to condemn or acquire any land or property within or without the district shall also be available for implementing requirements imposed on those districts subject to s. 373.4592.

(8) May adopt resolutions and policies to implement the purposes of this chapter.

(9) May assess and collect reasonable fees for the connection to and use of the works of the district.

(10) May implement and authorize the comprehensive water control activities, including flood protection, water quantity management, and water quality protection and improvement, described in the water control plan.

(11) May construct and operate facilities for the purpose of controlling and preventing the spread or introduction of agricultural pests and diseases.

(12) May construct, manage, or authorize construction and management of resource-based recreational facilities that may include greenways, trails, and associated facilities.

History.—s. 26, ch. 6458, 1913; s. 1, ch. 7897, 1919; RGS 1123; CGL 1476; s. 1, ch. 14714, 1931; ss. 25, 27, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 11, ch. 72-291; s. 1, ch. 85-154; s. 9, ch. 94-115; s. 124, ch. 94-356; s. 6, ch. 97-40; s. 5, ch. 98-329; s. 7, ch. 2000-308; s. 9, ch. 2001-275; s. 1, ch. 2005-238.