The Florida Senate

153.12  Collection of charges.--

(1)  Upon the construction of a sewage disposal system and the financing of such construction by the issuance of sewer revenue bonds under the provisions of this chapter, the owner, tenant or occupant of each lot or parcel of land within the county which abuts upon a street or other public way containing a sanitary sewer served or which may be served by such disposal system and upon which lot or parcel a building shall have been constructed for residential or commercial use and which lot or parcel shall not already be served by, or have available to it for service, a sanitary sewer, shall, if so required by the rules and regulations of the county commission or by resolution thereof, connect such building with such sanitary sewer and shall cease to use any other method for the disposal of sewage, sewage waste or other polluting matter. All such connections shall be made in accordance with rules and regulations which shall be adopted from time to time by the county commission.

(2)  The county commission may provide in the resolution authorizing the issuance of water revenue bonds or sewer revenue bonds under the provisions of this chapter that the charges for the services furnished by any facility constructed or reconstructed by the county under the provisions of this chapter shall be included in single bills to be rendered for all the services furnished to the premises, and that if the amount of such charges so included shall not be paid within 30 days from the rendition of any bill, the county commission shall discontinue furnishing water to such premises and shall disconnect the same from the water supply system of the county. Any such resolution may include any or all of the following provisions, and may permit the county commission to adopt such resolution or take such other lawful action as shall be necessary to effectuate such provisions, and the county commission is hereby authorized to adopt such resolutions and to take such other action:

(a)  That the county may require the owner, tenant or occupant of each lot or parcel of land within the county who is obligated to pay the rates, fees or charges for the services furnished by any facility purchased, constructed or reconstructed by the county under the provisions of this chapter to make a reasonable deposit with the county commission in advance to ensure the payment of such rates, fees or charges and to be subject to application to and payment thereof if and when delinquent.

(b)  That if any rates, fees or charges for the use and services of any sewage disposal system or sewer improvements by or in connection with any premises not served by the waterworks system of the county shall not be paid within 30 days after the same shall become due and payable, the owner, tenant or occupant of such premises shall cease to dispose of sewage or industrial waste originating from or on said premises by discharge thereof directly or indirectly into the sewer system of the county until such rates, fees or charges with interest, shall be paid; that if such owner, tenant or occupant shall not cease such disposal at the expiration of such 30-day period it shall be the duty of any district, private corporation, board, body or person supplying water to or selling water for use on such premises to cease supplying water to or selling water for the use on such premises within 5 days after the receipt of notice of such delinquency from the county; and that if such district, private corporation, board, body or person shall not, at the expiration of such 5-day period, cease supplying water to or selling water for use on such premises, then the county may, unless it has theretofore contracted to the contrary, shut off the supply of water to such premises.

History.--s. 12, ch. 29837, 1955.