SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. HB 1363, 1st Eng.
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 123030
                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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       05/02/2003 05:36 PM         .                    
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11  Senator Fasano moved the following amendment:
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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         Between lines 1056 and 1057,
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16  insert:  
17         Section 14.  Pilot project for Pasco County; countywide
18  standards for black water and customer service.--
19         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a
20  pilot program in Pasco County regarding monopoly water
21  utilities which is intended to allow Pasco County the ability
22  to respond to consumer criticisms regarding black water and
23  other consumer complaints dealing with customer service. It is
24  also the intent of the Legislature to maintain a statewide
25  uniform system of regulation with respect to the establishment
26  of water quality standards. Therefore, the Legislature
27  recognizes that only the Department of Environmental
28  Protection, the Public Service Commission, and the
29  Environmental Protection Agency are authorized to establish
30  water quality criteria requirements. Nonetheless, it is
31  recognized that technology may be available to assist in
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    10:02 AM   05/02/03                               h1363c-11j03

SENATE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 1363, 1st Eng. Amendment No. ___ Barcode 123030 1 lessening black water problems. It is also recognized that 2 monopoly water utilities have established varying degrees of 3 customer service programs that are designed to respond to 4 consumer complaints regarding customer service. 5 (2) If Pasco County is receiving black water or other 6 customer service complaints from a significant number of those 7 customers serviced by a monopoly water utility, the chairman 8 of the county commission may establish a monopoly water 9 utility ad hoc committee consisting of the chairman of the 10 county commission, two utility representatives from monopoly 11 water utilities, two customer representatives, the county 12 health officer, and two independent scientific experts in 13 water chemistry. The committee shall be in existence for no 14 more than a 2-year period, and its function shall be: 15 (a) To review and evaluate customer service complaints 16 and, if deemed necessary, recommend to the county commission 17 the establishment of uniform customer service criteria to be 18 applied by all monopoly water utilities; 19 (b) To review and evaluate black water concerns 20 expressed by customers serviced by a monopoly water utility if 21 similar complaints have also been filed with the Public 22 Service Commission; and 23 (c) If deemed necessary, recommend to the county 24 commission the propriety of requiring new technology or new 25 uniform minimum technology standards for use by monopoly water 26 utilities in the treatment of black water and customer service 27 responsiveness. The ad hoc committee may evaluate a monopoly 28 water utility's operational protocol only insofar as it 29 relates to customer service. The ad hoc committee may not 30 recommend standards that deal with the financial aspects of a 31 water utility or standards or criteria relating to water 2 10:02 AM 05/02/03 h1363c-11j03
SENATE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 1363, 1st Eng. Amendment No. ___ Barcode 123030 1 quality which would either conflict with or be more stringent 2 than water quality standards presently imposed by the Public 3 Service Commission, the Department of Environmental 4 Protection, or the Environmental Protection Agency. However, 5 the ad hoc committee may recommend the establishment of local 6 technological standards or methods of treatment relating to 7 the esthetics of black water or other minimum standards 8 regarding general responsiveness to customer service 9 complaints. Such technological standards relating to black 10 water must be economically, technologically, and 11 environmentally feasible. The ad hoc committee shall consult 12 with the Public Service Commission, the Department of 13 Environmental Protection, or the Environmental Protection 14 Agency as necessary. 15 (3) On the recommendation of the ad hoc committee, the 16 county commission may choose to adopt additional technological 17 standards designed to resolve black water issues which are not 18 required by the Public Service Commission, the Department of 19 Environmental Protection, or the Environmental Protection 20 Agency and may also choose to adopt other minimum standards 21 for customer service responsiveness. Upon the adoption of any 22 such standards, each monopoly water utility shall be informed 23 of those new standards and shall be given 3 months to submit 24 to the county a plan for compliance with those standards. The 25 county shall allow for a reasonable time to bring such systems 26 into compliance with the new standards. Notwithstanding any 27 other provisions of this section, the county commission may 28 not adopt standards that deal with the financial aspects of a 29 monopoly water utility or standards or criteria relating to 30 water quality as applied to a monopoly water utility which 31 would either conflict with or be more stringent than water 3 10:02 AM 05/02/03 h1363c-11j03
SENATE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 1363, 1st Eng. Amendment No. ___ Barcode 123030 1 quality standards or criteria presently imposed by the Public 2 Service Commission, the Department of Environmental 3 Protection, or the Environmental Protection Agency. The 4 county's decision to adopt any technological or customer 5 service standards is agency action only for the purposes of 6 this act and is subject to chapter 120, Florida Statutes. Any 7 affected monopoly water utility, consumer, or state agency may 8 challenge, pursuant to chapter 120, Florida Statutes, the 9 county's decision to adopt such standards as not complying 10 with the provisions contained in this section, and the county 11 shall refer the petition to the Division of Administrative 12 Hearings. Any decision of an administrative law judge is final 13 agency action, subject to appeal pursuant to section 120.68, 14 Florida Statutes. If there is no challenge to the decision of 15 the county commission to impose additional standards as 16 provided for in this section or the county prevails in an 17 administrative challenge to the proposed standards, the full 18 amount of any reasonable and prudent costs incurred in 19 complying with the county requirements are recoverable by a 20 monopoly water utility under section 367.081(4)(b), Florida 21 Statutes. 22 Section 15. Section 14 of this act is intended to 23 supersede the provisions of chapter 367, Florida Statutes, to 24 the extent that they are inconsistent with section 14 of this 25 act. 26 Section 16. Section 14 of this act shall take effect 27 July 1, 2003, and shall stand repealed July 1, 2005. 28 29 (Redesignate subsequent sections.) 30 31 4 10:02 AM 05/02/03 h1363c-11j03
SENATE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 1363, 1st Eng. Amendment No. ___ Barcode 123030 1 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 2 And the title is amended as follows: 3 On line 110, after the semicolon, 4 5 insert: 6 providing for a pilot project for Pasco County 7 to facilitate county response to certain 8 consumer complaints; providing legislative 9 intent; allowing the chairman of the board of 10 county commissioners to establish a monopoly 11 water utility ad hoc committee for a prescribed 12 period; providing for the membership and duties 13 of the ad hoc committee; allowing the county 14 commission to adopt additional technological 15 standards to address issues relating to black 16 water; requiring that utilities receive notice 17 of the standards and that they submit a 18 compliance plan to the county; prohibiting 19 county commissions from adopting standards that 20 relate to the finances of a monopoly water 21 utility or that conflict with specified 22 standards imposed by other regulatory bodies; 23 providing procedures for challenging standards 24 adopted by the county; providing for a monopoly 25 water utility to recover certain costs of 26 compliance with the county requirements; 27 providing that such provisions supersede 28 conflicting provisions of ch. 367, F.S.; 29 providing for future repeal; 30 31 5 10:02 AM 05/02/03 h1363c-11j03