| 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 |
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| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Section 1. 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. |