HB 379 — Underground Facilities
by Rep. Leek and others (CS/SB 446 by Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee and Senators Passidomo and Stargel)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee (EP)
The bill (Chapter 2017-102, L.O.F.) amends ch. 556, F.S., the “Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act” by:
- Requiring an excavator that causes contact with or damage to any pipe or other underground facility to immediately report the contact or damage by calling 911 if any natural gas or other hazardous substance or hazardous material regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has escaped;
- Requiring a member operator to file a report with the Sunshine State One-Call of Florida (SSOCF) system of all events it has received notice of through the system which have resulted in damages to its underground facilities. The report must be submitted at least on an annual basis or more frequently at the option and sole discretion of the member operator and must include, if known, the cause, nature, and location of the damage;
- Providing that, if a citation is issued by a state law enforcement officer, 80 percent of the civil penalty collected by the clerk of the court for the citation will be distributed to the governmental entity whose employee issued it; and
- Requiring the Sunshine State One-Call of Florida (SSOCF) board of director’s annual progress report to the Legislature and the Governor on the participation by municipalities and counties in the one-call notification system, to include a summary of the damage reporting data received by the system for the preceding year and any analysis of the data by the board.
These provisions were approved by the Governor and take effect July 1, 2017.
Vote: Senate 37-0; House 114-1