Florida Senate - 2012                              CS for SB 604
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Agriculture; and Senator Dean
       
       
       
       
       575-01522-12                                           2012604c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to limited certification for urban
    3         landscape commercial fertilizer application; amending
    4         s. 482.1562, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
    5         requiring persons who hold a limited certification to
    6         follow certain best management practices; providing an
    7         exemption from certain local government ordinances;
    8         requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
    9         Services to provide specified information to other
   10         local and state governmental agencies; providing the
   11         department with certain enforcement authority;
   12         providing a requirement for related penalties, fines,
   13         and administrative actions; providing an effective
   14         date.
   15  
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Present subsections (1) through (10) of section
   19  482.1562, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (2)
   20  through (11), respectively, a new subsection (1) is added to
   21  that section, and present subsections (2), (8), and (10) of that
   22  section are amended, to read:
   23         482.1562 Limited certification for urban landscape
   24  commercial fertilizer application.—
   25         (1) The Legislature finds that the implementation of best
   26  management practices for commercial fertilizer application to
   27  urban landscapes is a critical component of the state’s efforts
   28  to minimize potential impacts to water quality.
   29         (3)(2) Beginning January 1, 2014, any person applying
   30  commercial fertilizer to an urban landscape must be certified
   31  under this section. A person certified under this section must
   32  follow best management practices for commercial fertilizer
   33  application to urban landscapes as established by the Department
   34  of Environmental Protection. A person certified under this
   35  section is exempt from local government ordinances that address
   36  the fertilization of urban turfs, lawns, and landscapes.
   37         (9)(8) The department shall may provide information
   38  concerning the certification status of persons certified under
   39  this section to other local and state governmental agencies. The
   40  department is encouraged to create an online database that lists
   41  all persons certified under this section.
   42         (11)(10) The department has enforcement authority over
   43  persons certified under this section and may adopt rules to
   44  administer this section. All penalties, fines, and
   45  administrative actions must be consistent with this chapter.
   46         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.