BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

HB 1151 (Sirois) creates a 15-member task force within the Department of Environmental Protection and specifies its members, which include a representative from the League. The bill directs the Task Force to develop recommendations for enforceable regulatory standards, a mechanism for identification and cleanup of contaminated areas, methods to address liability for contamination and responsibility for cleanup, appropriate methods and technologies for cleanup, funding sources for cleanup and remediation, methods to manage PFAS waste, appropriate testing for PFAS, and methods to eliminate workforce exposure. The bill directs the Task Force to issue an annual report to the Governor and Legislature, beginning October 2023. (O’Hara)

HB 1125 (Caruso) directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to administer an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system periodic inspection program. It requires owners of certain systems to have periodic inspections of such systems every five years and to pay for the costs of such inspections, as well as any repairs or replacements. It authorizes local governments to create grant programs for homeowners' replacement costs. It directs DEP to submit program reports to the Governor, Legislature, Chief Science Officer and the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. (O'Hara)

SB 1454 (Ausley) and HB 1081 (Skidmore) establish the Office of the Blue Economy within the Department of Economic Opportunity and provides duties of the Office. The term "blue economy" means the economic uses of ocean and coastal resources with a focus on sustainable practices and the competitive positioning of the state in a global economy affected by climate change. It includes maritime industries as well as tourism and outdoor recreational activities. It also requires the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to conduct a biennial evaluation of the blue economy for inclusion in its annual state water resources assessment. (O'Hara)

CS/CS/SB 1024 (Bradley) and CS/HB 741 (McClure) revise current law relating to net metering to avoid the consequence of ratepayers that do not use renewable energy sources from subsidizing electric service costs of other ratepayers who use net metering and renewable energy sources. The bills require the Public Service Commission to propose new net metering rules that will ensure that utility customers using renewable energy generation pay the full cost of electric service and are not subsidized by the utility's general body of ratepayers. The bills authorize certain customers who own or lease renewable generation before January 1, 2023, to remain under existing net metering rules for a period of 20 years. (O'Hara)

SB 886 (Jones) and HB 515 (Robinson, F.) require a municipal water or sewer utility that serves customers in another recipient municipality using infrastructure located in the recipient municipality to charge consumers in the recipient municipality the same rates, fees and charges as it does the consumers inside its municipal boundaries. (Branch)

CS/SB 1764 (Albritton) and CS/HB 1419 (Mariano) create the Municipal Solid Waste-to-Energy Program within the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and require the Department to provide financial assistance grants to municipal solid waste-to-energy facilities that have entered into power purchase agreements with electric utilities that include capacity payments, and the facility will no longer receive capacity payments under the agreement. The bills also direct the department to provide incentive grants to waste-to-energy facilities to assist with constructing, upgrading, or expanding a facility. The bills appropriate $100 million in recurring funds to the Department for the new program. (O’Hara)

SB 1944 (Baxley) and CS/CS/HB 1241 (Hawkins) address local governments’ contractual remedies against a solid waste or recycling vendor if the vendor fails to perform under the contract with the local government. SB 1944 prohibits local governments from seeking liquidated damages, administrative fees, or other similar charges against a solid waste management or recycling entity for action or inaction during a local, state or federal emergency. SB 1944 also caps the amount of liquidated damages, administrative fees or other similar charges that may be sought against a waste or recycling company to 50% of the amount billed to the customer for collection services at the daily rate. CS/CS/HB 1241 would prohibit a local government from assessing liquidated damages against a vendor that misses a scheduled collection during a declared emergency, so long as the vendor provides the missed collection service within 36 hours of the scheduled service. If the vendor fails to provide the collection service after 36 hours, the local government is not required to pay for that service. The bill does not apply to missed collections that are due to the fault of the vendor, and the bill does not apply to contracts or contractual provisions for the collection of storm-generated yard trash. Both bills apply to contracts executed or renewed on or after July 1, 2022. (O’Hara)

SB 1448 (Ausley) establishes the Florida Board of Tree Experts within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and requires the Board to develop or designate a licensure examination for licensed Florida arborists. The bill provides requirements for licensure as a licensed Florida arborist and a licensed tree care practitioner and provides grounds for the Board to suspend, revoke or refuse to issue or renew a permit. The bill requires a business engaged in tree care services to biennially register with the Board. (O'Hara)

HB 6003 (Eskamani) and SB 1854 (Farmer) repeal provisions of current law prohibiting local governments from recognizing or granting certain legal rights to the natural environment or granting such rights relating to the natural environment to a person or political subdivision. (O'Hara)

CS/HB 1377 (Roth) and SB 1816 (Stewart) extend the retirement date of bonds issued to fund the Florida Forever Act from 2040 to 2054. The bills require the annual appropriation from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) to the Florida Forever Trust Fund to be $100 million. SB 1816 prohibits LATF monies from being used for state agency executive direction and support services. (O’Hara)

CS/CS/SB 882 (Brodeur) and HB 761 (Truenow) require each water management district governing board, in cooperation with local governments, to develop a list of critical wetlands for acquisition using funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. The bill specifies criteria the water management districts should consider in designating a wetland for inclusion on the list. (O'Hara)

HB 621 (Fine) and SB 1162 (Broxson) prohibit specified state agencies and water management districts from disbursing state funds (including grants) for local government infrastructure, water and resiliency projects if the local government transfers its utility revenues (other than the costs of administrative and support services under a cost allocation plan) for use in providing general government functions and services. (Branch)

SB 832 (Stewart) and HB 561 (Goff-Marcil) require onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems to be inspected once every five years and require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to administer the inspection program and requirements. The bills also require DEP to assess the efficacy of projects listed within a basin management action plan having a total cost exceeding $1 million. (O'Hara)

SB 380 (Rodriguez) and HB 463 (Melo) prohibit state and regional agencies from adopting or enforcing state and regional programs to regulate greenhouse gas emissions without specific legislative authorization. (O'Hara)

CS/CS/HB 967 (Truenow) and CS/SB 1556 (Gruters) direct the Department of Environmental Protection to work with the turfgrass science program at UF/IFAS to administer certification for golf course best management practices for fertilization and provide and approve training and testing programs. Certified persons would be exempt from additional local government training requirements and exempt from local ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use blackout periods or restrictions unless a state of emergency is declared. The bills provide for DEP to share information about certified persons with governmental entities and create an online registry. (O’Hara)

SB 932 (Rodriguez, A.) and HB 729 (Aloupis) require comprehensive plans and plan amendments that apply to any land within, or within 2 miles of, the Everglades Protection Area to follow the state coordinated review process for state agency compliance review under Part II, Chapter 163, Florida Statutes. The bill also requires the Department of Environmental Protection to coordinate with the affected local governments on mitigation measures for plans or plan amendments that would impact Everglades restoration. (O'Hara)

SB 548 (Polsky) and HB 491 (Skidmore) address a variety of energy and renewable energy issues. It establishes a tax credit for electricity produced from a renewable energy source located on a farm operation and authorizes the state to lease manmade stormwater systems for floating solar energy systems. The bill requires the state to adopt rules for a renewable and energy efficiency portfolio standard. (O'Hara)

HB 1257 (Casello) and SB 1666 (Polsky) prohibit the use of Class B firefighting foam (contains PFAS) beginning in 2023. The bills provide exceptions for the use of Class B foam in response to fire prevention or in an emergency firefighting operation. (O'Hara)

CS/SB 1210 (Albritton) and CS/HB 909 (Payne) specify that the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection has exclusive jurisdiction in setting standards or procedures for evaluating environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for the presence of contaminants on land that is classified as agricultural and is being converted to a nonagricultural use.  The bills prohibit the Secretary from delegating such authority to a city, county, or another unit of local government through a local pollution control program. (O’Hara)

HB 6027 (Sabatini) amends current law relating to the open burning of debris from agricultural, silvicultural, land-clearing or tree-cutting activities, which is regulated and authorized by the Florida Forest Service. Currently, the law specifies the debris must originate onsite. HB 6027 would remove the onsite requirement, which would authorize the open burning of debris originating offsite as well as onsite. (O'Hara)