The Florida Senate

403.781  Legislative intent.--The legislative intent of ss. 403.78-403.7893 is to establish a centralized and coordinated permitting process for the location, construction, operation, and maintenance of statewide multipurpose hazardous waste facilities, which necessarily involve several broad interests of the public addressed through the subject matter jurisdiction of several agencies. The Legislature recognizes that statewide multipurpose hazardous waste facilities will have an effect upon the welfare of the population. Recognizing the need to ensure adequate availability, in an orderly, timely, and continuing fashion, of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal capacity for hazardous wastes generated in this state, the centralized and coordinated permitting process established by ss. 403.78-403.7893 is intended to further the legislative goal of ensuring through available and reasonable methods that the location, construction, operation, and maintenance of statewide multipurpose hazardous waste facilities produce minimal adverse effects on the environment and public health, safety, and welfare. It is the intent of ss. 403.78-403.7893 to fully balance the need for statewide multipurpose hazardous waste facilities with the broad interests of the public in order to effect a reasonable balance between the need for the facility as a means of providing adequate hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal capacity and the impact on the public and the environment resulting from the location, construction, operation, and maintenance of statewide multipurpose hazardous waste facilities. The Legislature intends that the provisions of chapter 120 apply to ss. 403.78-403.7893 and to proceedings pursuant to it except as otherwise expressly exempted. Nothing in ss. 403.78-403.7893 shall be deemed to supersede the department's authority to administer federally delegated or approved permit programs in accordance with the terms of such programs.

History.--s. 4, ch. 89-285; s. 5, ch. 94-321.