The Florida Senate

376.80  Brownfield program administration process.--

(1)  A local government with jurisdiction over the brownfield area must notify the department of its decision to designate a brownfield area for rehabilitation for the purposes of ss. 376.77-376.84. The notification must include a resolution, by the local government body, to which is attached a map adequate to clearly delineate exactly which parcels are to be included in the brownfield area or alternatively a less-detailed map accompanied by a detailed legal description of the brownfield area. If a property owner within the area proposed for designation by the local government requests in writing to have his or her property removed from the proposed designation, the local government shall grant the request. For municipalities, the governing body shall adopt the resolution in accordance with the procedures outlined in s. 166.041, except that the notice for the public hearings on the proposed resolution must be in the form established in s. 166.041(3)(c)2. For counties, the governing body shall adopt the resolution in accordance with the procedures outlined in s. 125.66, except that the notice for the public hearings on the proposed resolution shall be in the form established in s. 125.66(4)(b)2.

(2)

(a)  If a local government proposes to designate a brownfield area that is outside community redevelopment areas, enterprise zones, empowerment zones, or designated brownfield pilot project areas, the local government must conduct at least one public hearing in the area to be designated to provide an opportunity for public input on the size of the area, the objectives for rehabilitation, job opportunities and economic developments anticipated, neighborhood residents' considerations, and other relevant local concerns. Notice of the public hearing must be made in a newspaper of general circulation in the area and the notice must be at least 16 square inches in size, must be in ethnic newspapers or local community bulletins, must be posted in the affected area, and must be announced at a scheduled meeting of the local governing body before the actual public hearing. In determining the areas to be designated, the local government must consider:

1.  Whether the brownfield area warrants economic development and has a reasonable potential for such activities;

2.  Whether the proposed area to be designated represents a reasonably focused approach and is not overly large in geographic coverage;

3.  Whether the area has potential to interest the private sector in participating in rehabilitation; and

4.  Whether the area contains sites or parts of sites suitable for limited recreational open space, cultural, or historical preservation purposes.

(b)  A local government shall designate a brownfield area under the provisions of this act provided that:

1.  A person who owns or controls a potential brownfield site is requesting the designation and has agreed to rehabilitate and redevelop the brownfield site;

2.  The rehabilitation and redevelopment of the proposed brownfield site will result in economic productivity of the area, along with the creation of at least 10 new jobs, full-time or part-time, which are not associated with the implementation of the rehabilitation agreement or an agreement, between the person responsible for site rehabilitation and the local government with jurisdiction, which contains terms for the redevelopment of the brownfield site or brownfield area;

3.  The redevelopment of the proposed brownfield site is consistent with the local comprehensive plan and is a permittable use under the applicable local land development regulations;

4.  Notice of the proposed rehabilitation of the brownfield area has been provided to neighbors and nearby residents of the proposed area to be designated, and the person proposing the area for designation has afforded to those receiving notice the opportunity for comments and suggestions about rehabilitation. Notice pursuant to this subsection must be made in a newspaper of general circulation in the area, at least 16 square inches in size, and the notice must be posted in the affected area; and

5.  The person proposing the area for designation has provided reasonable assurance that he or she has sufficient financial resources to implement and complete the rehabilitation agreement and redevelopment plan.

(c)  The designation of a brownfield area and the identification of a person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation simply entitles the identified person to negotiate a brownfield rehabilitation agreement with the department or approved local government.

(3)  The local government must at the time of the adoption of the resolution notify the department of the entity that it is designating as the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation. If the agency or person who will be responsible for the coordination changes during the approval process specified in subsections (4), (5), and (6), the department or the affected approved local pollution control program must notify the affected local government when the change occurs.

(4)  Local governments or persons responsible for rehabilitation and redevelopment of brownfield areas must establish an advisory committee for the purpose of improving public participation and receiving public comments on rehabilitation and redevelopment of the brownfield area, future land use, local employment opportunities, community safety, and environmental justice. Such advisory committee should include residents within or adjacent to the brownfield area, businesses operating within the brownfield area, and others deemed appropriate. The advisory committee must review and provide recommendations to the board of the local government with jurisdiction on the proposed site rehabilitation agreement provided in subsection (5).

(5)  The person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation must enter into a brownfield site rehabilitation agreement with the department or an approved local environmental program. The brownfield site rehabilitation agreement must include:

(a)  A brownfield site rehabilitation schedule, including milestones for completion of site rehabilitation tasks and submittal of technical reports and rehabilitation plans as agreed upon by the parties to the agreement;

(b)  A commitment to conduct site rehabilitation activities under the observation of professional engineers or geologists who are registered in accordance with the requirements of chapter 471 or chapter 492, respectively. Submittals provided by the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation must be signed and sealed by a professional engineer registered under chapter 471, or a professional geologist registered under chapter 492, certifying that the submittal and associated work comply with the law and rules of the department and those governing the profession. In addition, upon completion of the approved remedial action, the department shall require a professional engineer registered under chapter 471 or a professional geologist registered under chapter 492 to certify that the corrective action was, to the best of his or her knowledge, completed in substantial conformance with the plans and specifications approved by the department;

(c)  A commitment to conduct site rehabilitation in accordance with an approved comprehensive quality assurance plan under department rules;

(d)  A commitment to conduct site rehabilitation consistent with state, federal, and local laws and consistent with the brownfield site contamination cleanup criteria in s. 376.81, including any applicable requirements for risk-based corrective action;

(e)  Timeframes for the department's review of technical reports and plans submitted in accordance with the agreement. The department shall make every effort to adhere to established agency goals for reasonable timeframes for review of such documents;

(f)  A commitment to secure site access for the department or approved local environmental program to all brownfield sites within the eligible brownfield area for activities associated with site rehabilitation;

(g)  Other provisions that the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation and the department agree upon, that are consistent with ss. 376.77-376.84, and that will improve or enhance the brownfield site rehabilitation process;

(h)  A commitment to consider appropriate pollution prevention measures and to implement those that the person determines are reasonable and cost-effective, taking into account the ultimate use or uses of the brownfield site. Such measures may include improved inventory or production controls and procedures for preventing ¹loss, spills, and leaks of hazardous waste and materials, and include goals for the reduction of releases of toxic materials;

(i)  An agreement between the person responsible for site rehabilitation and the local government with jurisdiction over the brownfield. Such agreement shall contain terms for the redevelopment of the brownfield.

(6)  Any contractor performing site rehabilitation program tasks must demonstrate to the department that the contractor:

(a)  Meets all certification and license requirements imposed by law; and

(b)  Has obtained approval for the comprehensive quality-assurance plan prepared under department rules.

(7)  The contractor must certify to the department that the contractor:

(a)  Complies with applicable OSHA regulations.

(b)  Maintains workers' compensation insurance for all employees as required by the Florida Workers' Compensation Law.

(c)  Maintains comprehensive general liability and comprehensive automobile liability insurance with minimum limits of at least $1 million per occurrence and $1 million annual aggregate, sufficient to protect it from claims for damage for personal injury, including accidental death, as well as claims for property damage which may arise from performance of work under the program, designating the state as an additional insured party.

(d)  Maintains professional liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence and $1 million annual aggregate.

(e)  Has the capacity to perform or directly supervise the majority of the work at a site in accordance with s. 489.113(9).

(8)  Any professional engineer or geologist providing professional services relating to site rehabilitation program tasks must carry professional liability insurance with a coverage limit of at least $1 million.

(9)  During the cleanup process, if the department or local program fails to complete review of a technical document within the timeframe specified in the brownfield site rehabilitation agreement, the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation may proceed to the next site rehabilitation task. However, the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation does so at its own risk and may be required by the department or local program to complete additional work on a previous task. Exceptions to this subsection include requests for "no further action," "monitoring only proposals," and feasibility studies, which must be approved prior to implementation.

(10)  If the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation fails to comply with the brownfield site rehabilitation agreement, the department shall allow 90 days for the person responsible for brownfield site rehabilitation to return to compliance with the provision at issue or to negotiate a modification to the brownfield site rehabilitation agreement with the department for good cause shown. If an imminent hazard exists, the 90-day grace period shall not apply. If the project is not returned to compliance with the brownfield site rehabilitation agreement and a modification cannot be negotiated, the immunity provisions of s. 376.82 are revoked.

(11)  The department is specifically authorized and encouraged to enter into delegation agreements with local pollution control programs approved under s. 403.182 to administer the brownfield program within their jurisdictions, thereby maximizing the integration of this process with the other local development processes needed to facilitate redevelopment of a brownfield area. When determining whether a delegation pursuant to this subsection of all or part of the brownfields program to a local pollution control program is appropriate, the department shall consider the following. The local pollution control program must:

(a)  Have and maintain the administrative organization, staff, ²and financial and other resources to effectively and efficiently implement and enforce the statutory requirements of the delegated brownfields program; and

(b)  Provide for the enforcement of the requirements of the delegated brownfields program, and for notice and a right to challenge governmental action, by appropriate administrative and judicial process, which shall be specified in the delegation.

The local pollution control program shall not be delegated authority to take action on or to make decisions regarding any brownfield on land owned by the local government. Any delegation agreement entered into pursuant to this subsection shall contain such terms and conditions necessary to ensure the effective and efficient administration and enforcement of the statutory requirements of the brownfields program as established by the act and the relevant rules and other criteria of the department.

(12)  Local governments are encouraged to use the full range of economic and tax incentives available to facilitate and promote the rehabilitation of brownfield areas, to help eliminate the public health and environmental hazards, and to promote the creation of jobs and economic development in these previously run-down, blighted, and underutilized areas.

History.--s. 4, ch. 97-277.

¹Note.--The word "a" preceding the word "loss" was deleted by the editors.

²Note.--The word "and" was inserted by the editors.