(1) Upon the request of the department, the Department of Transportation shall provide information to the department on abandoned and to-be-abandoned railroad rights-of-way.
(2) The Department of Transportation and the department shall coordinate their evaluations of potential acquisitions and their acquisition priorities with respect to abandoned railroad rights-of-way in order to avoid competing for the same corridors.
(3) After the Department of Transportation acquires abandoned railroad rights-of-way for future transportation purposes, the Department of Transportation shall lease such rights-of-way to a public agency or private organization for interim public greenway or trail use if:

(a) The public agency or private organization has requested use of the right-of-way for interim public recreational trail use;

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 260.0161

  • Department: means the Department of Environmental Protection. See Florida Statutes 260.013
  • Greenway: means a linear open space established along either a natural corridor, such as a riverfront, stream valley, or ridgeline, or over land along a railroad right-of-way converted to recreational use, a canal, a scenic road, or other route; any natural or landscaped course for pedestrian or bicycle passage; an open space connector linking parks, nature reserves, cultural features, or historic sites with each other and populated areas; or a local strip or linear park designated as a parkway or greenbelt. See Florida Statutes 260.013
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) The public agency or private organization agrees in writing to assume all liability and management responsibilities as defined by the Department of Transportation; and
(c) The use of the right-of-way as a recreational trail does not interfere with the ultimate transportation purposes of the property as determined by the secretary of the Department of Transportation.
(4) If the Department of Transportation determines that an abandoned railroad right-of-way which has been leased for interim recreational trail use is needed for transportation purposes, the Department of Transportation shall work with the leasing agency to accommodate, when feasible, the existing trail use in conjunction with the use of the right-of-way for transportation.