| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to fertilizer; amending s. 403.9336, F.S.; |
| 3 | deleting legislative findings relating to the |
| 4 | implementation by local governments of certain fertilizer |
| 5 | management practices; amending s. 403.9337, F.S.; deleting |
| 6 | authority for certain counties and municipalities to adopt |
| 7 | fertilizer management practices more stringent than |
| 8 | standards of a specified model ordinance; amending ss. |
| 9 | 570.07 and 576.181, F.S.; requiring the Department of |
| 10 | Agricultural and Consumer Services to regulate the sale, |
| 11 | composition, formulation, packaging, use, application, and |
| 12 | distribution of fertilizer; preempting such regulation of |
| 13 | fertilizer to the state and the department; specifying |
| 14 | that such regulation of fertilizer by counties, |
| 15 | municipalities, and other political subdivisions is void; |
| 16 | authorizing county and municipal governments to enforce |
| 17 | the model ordinance; providing an effective date. |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Section 1. Section 403.9336, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 22 | to read: |
| 23 | 403.9336 Legislative findings.-The Legislature finds that |
| 24 | the implementation of the Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly |
| 25 | Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes (2008), which was developed |
| 26 | by the department in conjunction with the Consumer Fertilizer |
| 27 | Task Force, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, |
| 28 | and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural |
| 29 | Sciences, will assist in protecting the quality of Florida's |
| 30 | surface water and groundwater resources. The Legislature further |
| 31 | finds that local conditions, including variations in the types |
| 32 | and quality of water bodies, site-specific soils and geology, |
| 33 | and urban or rural densities and characteristics, may |
| 34 | necessitate the implementation of additional or more stringent |
| 35 | fertilizer management practices at the local government level. |
| 36 | Section 2. Section 403.9337, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 37 | to read: |
| 38 | 403.9337 Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly Fertilizer |
| 39 | Use on Urban Landscapes.-Except as otherwise provided in ss. |
| 40 | 570.07(41) and 576.181(5): |
| 41 | (1) All county and municipal governments are encouraged to |
| 42 | adopt and enforce the Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly |
| 43 | Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes or an equivalent requirement |
| 44 | as a mechanism for protecting local surface and groundwater |
| 45 | quality. |
| 46 | (2) Each county and municipal government located within |
| 47 | the watershed of a water body or water segment that is listed as |
| 48 | impaired by nutrients pursuant to s. 403.067, shall, at a |
| 49 | minimum, adopt the department's Model Ordinance for Florida- |
| 50 | Friendly Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes. A local government |
| 51 | may adopt additional or more stringent standards than the model |
| 52 | ordinance if the following criteria are met: |
| 53 | (a) The local government has demonstrated, as part of a |
| 54 | comprehensive program to address nonpoint sources of nutrient |
| 55 | pollution which is science-based, and economically and |
| 56 | technically feasible, that additional or more stringent |
| 57 | standards than the model ordinance are necessary in order to |
| 58 | adequately address urban fertilizer contributions to nonpoint |
| 59 | source nutrient loading to a water body. |
| 60 | (b) The local government documents that it has considered |
| 61 | all relevant scientific information, including input from the |
| 62 | department, the institute, the Department of Agriculture and |
| 63 | Consumer Services, and the University of Florida Institute of |
| 64 | Food and Agricultural Sciences, if provided, on the need for |
| 65 | additional or more stringent provisions to address fertilizer |
| 66 | use as a contributor to water quality degradation. All |
| 67 | documentation must become part of the public record before |
| 68 | adoption of the additional or more stringent criteria. |
| 69 | (3) Any county or municipal government that adopted its |
| 70 | own fertilizer use ordinance before January 1, 2009, is exempt |
| 71 | from this section. Ordinances adopted or amended on or after |
| 72 | January 1, 2009, must substantively conform to the most recent |
| 73 | version of the model fertilizer ordinance and are subject to |
| 74 | subsections (1) and (2), as applicable. |
| 75 | (3)(4) This section does not apply to the use of |
| 76 | fertilizer on farm operations as defined in s. 823.14 or on |
| 77 | lands classified as agricultural lands pursuant to s. 193.461. |
| 78 | Section 3. Subsection (16) of section 570.07, Florida |
| 79 | Statutes, is amended, present subsection (41) is renumbered as |
| 80 | subsection (42), and a new subsection (41) is added to that |
| 81 | section, to read: |
| 82 | 570.07 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; |
| 83 | functions, powers, and duties.-The department shall have and |
| 84 | exercise the following functions, powers, and duties: |
| 85 | (16) To enforce the state laws and rules relating to: |
| 86 | (a) Fruit and vegetable inspection and grading.; |
| 87 | (b) Pesticide spray, residue inspection, and removal.; |
| 88 | (c) Registration, labeling, inspection, and analysis of |
| 89 | commercial stock feeds and commercial fertilizers.; |
| 90 | (d) Classification, inspection, and sale of poultry and |
| 91 | eggs.; |
| 92 | (e) Registration, inspection, and analysis of gasolines |
| 93 | and oils.; |
| 94 | (f) Registration, labeling, inspection, and analysis of |
| 95 | pesticides.; |
| 96 | (g) Registration, labeling, inspection, germination |
| 97 | testing, and sale of seeds, both common and certified.; |
| 98 | (h) Weights, measures, and standards.; |
| 99 | (i) Foods, as set forth in the Florida Food Safety Act.; |
| 100 | (j) Inspection and certification of honey.; |
| 101 | (k) Sale of liquid fuels.; |
| 102 | (l) Licensing of dealers in agricultural products.; |
| 103 | (m) Administration and enforcement of all regulatory |
| 104 | legislation applying to milk and milk products, ice cream, and |
| 105 | frozen desserts.; |
| 106 | (n) Recordation and inspection of marks and brands of |
| 107 | livestock.; and |
| 108 | (o) Regulation of fertilizer, including the sale, |
| 109 | composition, formulation, packaging, and distribution thereof. |
| 110 | (p) Regulation of the use and application of fertilizer. |
| 111 | (q)(o) All other regulatory laws relating to agriculture. |
| 112 |
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| 113 | In order to ensure uniform health and safety standards, the |
| 114 | adoption of standards and fines in the subject areas of |
| 115 | paragraphs (a)-(o) (a)-(n) is expressly preempted to the state |
| 116 | and the department. Any local government enforcing the subject |
| 117 | areas of paragraphs (a)-(o) (a)-(n) must use the standards and |
| 118 | fines set forth in the pertinent statutes or any rules adopted |
| 119 | by the department pursuant to those statutes. In order to ensure |
| 120 | uniform health safety standards and fines in the regulation of |
| 121 | the use and application of fertilizer, all county or municipal |
| 122 | governments may enforce the Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly |
| 123 | Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes as provided in s. 403.9337 |
| 124 | within their respective jurisdictions. |
| 125 | (41) The department has exclusive authority to regulate |
| 126 | the sale, composition, formulation, packaging, use, application, |
| 127 | and distribution of fertilizer under chapter 576. This |
| 128 | subsection expressly preempts such regulation of fertilizer to |
| 129 | the state and the department. Such regulation of fertilizer by a |
| 130 | county, municipality, or other political subdivision is void, |
| 131 | regardless of when adopted. |
| 132 | Section 4. Subsection (5) is added to section 576.181, |
| 133 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 134 | 576.181 Administration; rules; procedure; preemption.- |
| 135 | (5) The department has exclusive authority to regulate the |
| 136 | sale, composition, formulation, packaging, use, application, and |
| 137 | distribution of fertilizer. This subsection expressly preempts |
| 138 | such regulation of fertilizer to the state and the department. |
| 139 | Such regulation of fertilizer by a county, municipality, or |
| 140 | other political subdivision is void, regardless of when adopted. |
| 141 | All county or municipal governments may enforce the Model |
| 142 | Ordinance for Florida-Friendly Fertilizer Use on Urban |
| 143 | Landscapes as provided in s. 403.9337 within their respective |
| 144 | jurisdictions. |
| 145 | Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |