(1) The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail is hereby created as part of the Florida Greenways and Trails Program.
(2) The department shall establish the initial starting and ending points by latitude and longitude for the trail segments described in subsection (3) within 180 days after the effective date of this act. Except for the Big Bend Historic Saltwater Paddling Trail, segment 6, the department has the exclusive authority to officially name and locate the remaining 25 trail segments. The department shall name and locate the segments based on logical geographical boundaries, safety to trail users, ease of management, desires of local communities and user groups, and other factors that assist in the overall success of the trail system. The department may adjust the location of any trail segment; give official recognition to specific sites along the trail route; publish official trail guides and literature in cooperation with other governmental and private entities; and resolve conflicts that may arise between competing and conflicting parties over trail issues. The Florida Greenways and Trails Council may advise the department on all matters relating to the paddling trail.
(3) The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail shall be composed of 26 segments that start at the Florida-Alabama border on the west and end at the Florida-Georgia border on the east. The general geographic locations of the segments are:
(a) Segment 1: Pensacola/Fort Pickens.
(b) Segment 2: Choctawhatchee Bay.
(c) Segment 3: Panama City Beach/St. Andrews Bay.
(d) Segment 4: St. Joseph Bay/Apalachicola Bay.
(e) Segment 5: Alligator Harbor/Ochlockonee Bay.
(f) Segment 6: Big Bend Historic Saltwater Paddling Trail.
(g) Segment 7: Crystal Bay/St. Martin’s.
(h) Segment 8: Pinellas.
(i) Segment 9: Tampa Bay/Longboat Key.
(j) Segment 10: Sarasota/Venice.
(k) Segment 11: Charlotte Harbor.
(l) Segment 12: Sanibel/Estero Bay.
(m) Segment 13: Rookery Bay/Ten Thousand Islands.
(n) Segment 14: Everglades National Park.
(o) Segment 15: Florida Keys.
(p) Segment 16: Biscayne Bay.
(q) Segment 17: Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale.
(r) Segment 18: Pompano Beach/Lake Worth.
(s) Segment 19: Palm Beach/Loxahatchee.
(t) Segment 20: Hobe Sound/Ft. Pierce.
(u) Segment 21: Vero Beach/Indian River Saltwater.
(v) Segment 22: Merritt Island/Mosquito Lagoon.
(w) Segment 23: Tomoka/Flagler.
(x) Segment 24: Anastasia/Guana River.
(y) Segment 25: Jacksonville/St. Johns River.
(z) Segment 26: Nassau/Fort Clinch.
History.—s. 9, ch. 2005-87; s. 39, ch. 2010-5.