Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1556
By Senator Gruters
23-01142-22 20221556__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to golf course best management
3 practices certification; creating s. 403.9339, F.S.;
4 directing the Department of Environmental Protection
5 to work and cooperate with the turfgrass science
6 program at the University of Florida Institute of Food
7 and Agricultural Sciences to administer a
8 certification for golf course best management
9 practices and provide and approve certification
10 training and testing programs; providing certification
11 and recertification requirements; providing that such
12 certification exempts persons from certain local
13 testing and local ordinance regulations; providing an
14 exception; authorizing the department to share
15 certification information with local and state
16 governmental entities; encouraging the department to
17 create an online certification registry; directing the
18 department to adopt rules; providing an effective
19 date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Section 403.9339, Florida Statutes, is created
24 to read:
25 403.9339 Golf course best management practices
26 certification.—
27 (1) To provide a means of documenting and ensuring
28 compliance with best management practices for fertilizer
29 application to golf courses, the department shall work with the
30 turfgrass science program at the University of Florida Institute
31 of Food and Agricultural Sciences to administer a certification
32 for golf course best management practices.
33 (2) The department, in cooperation with the turfgrass
34 science program at the University of Florida Institute of Food
35 and Agricultural Sciences, shall:
36 (a) Provide training and testing programs in golf course
37 best management practices and may issue certificates
38 demonstrating satisfactory completion of the training.
39 (b) Approve training and testing programs in golf course
40 best management practices that are equivalent to or more
41 comprehensive than the programs provided by the department under
42 paragraph (a). Such programs must be reviewed and reapproved by
43 the department if significant changes are made.
44 (3) To obtain a golf course best management practices
45 certification, an applicant must submit to the department:
46 (a) A copy of the training certificate issued by the
47 department under subsection (2).
48 (b) A certification fee of at least $50 but not more than
49 $100. Until the fee is set by department rule, the fee for
50 certification is $50.
51 (4)(a) A golf course best management practices
52 certification issued under this section expires 4 years after
53 the date of issuance. Upon expiration of the certification, or
54 after a grace period of not more than 30 days after the
55 expiration date, a recertification may be issued.
56 (b) Before applying for recertification, an applicant must
57 complete 8 classroom hours of acceptable continuing education,
58 of which at least 2 hours must address fertilizer best
59 management practices.
60 (5) To obtain a golf course best management practices
61 recertification, an applicant must submit to the department:
62 (a) Proof of having completed the 8 classroom hours of
63 continuing education pursuant to subsection (4).
64 (b) A recertification fee of at least $50 but not more than
65 $100. Until the fee is set by department rule, the
66 recertification fee is $50.
67 (6) A person certified under this section is exempt from:
68 (a) Additional local testing.
69 (b) Local ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use
70 blackout periods or restrictions, unless a state of emergency is
71 declared.
72 (7)(a) The department may provide the certification status
73 of persons certified under this section to local and state
74 governmental entities.
75 (b) The department is encouraged to create a registry of
76 persons certified under this section on its website.
77 (8) The department shall adopt rules to administer this
78 section.
79 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.