CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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 4                                                                

 5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW

 6

 7

 8

 9

10                                                                

11  The Committee on Community Affairs offered the following:

12

13         Amendment (with title amendment) 

14  Remove from the bill:  Everything after the enacting clause

15

16  and insert in lieu thereof:

17         Section 1.  Paragraph (g) of subsection (4) of section

18  381.0065, Florida Statutes, is amended and a new paragraph (r)

19  is created to read:

20         381.0065  Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems;

21  regulation.--

22         (4)  PERMITS; INSTALLATION; AND CONDITIONS.--A person

23  may not construct, repair, modify, abandon, or operate an

24  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system without first

25  obtaining a permit approved by the department. The department

26  may issue permits to carry out this section.  A construction

27  permit is valid for 18 months from the issuance date and may

28  be extended by the department for one 90-day period under

29  rules adopted by the department.  A repair permit is valid for

30  90 days from the date of issuance.  An operating permit is

31  valid for 1 year from the date of issuance and must be renewed

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  annually.  If all information pertaining to the siting,

 2  location, and installation conditions or repair of an onsite

 3  sewage treatment and disposal system remains the same, a

 4  construction or repair permit for the onsite sewage treatment

 5  and disposal system may be transferred to another person, if

 6  the transferee files, within 60 days after the transfer of

 7  ownership, an amended application providing all corrected

 8  information and proof of ownership of the property.  There is

 9  no fee associated with the processing of this supplemental

10  information.  A person may not contract to construct, modify,

11  alter, repair, service, abandon, or maintain any portion of an

12  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system without being

13  registered under part III of chapter 489.  A property owner

14  who personally performs construction, maintenance, or repairs

15  to a system serving his or her own owner-occupied

16  single-family residence is exempt from registration

17  requirements for performing such construction, maintenance, or

18  repairs on that residence, but is subject to all permitting

19  requirements.

20         (g)1.  The department may grant variances in hardship

21  cases which may be less restrictive than the provisions

22  specified in this section.  If a variance is granted and the

23  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system construction

24  permit has been issued, the variance may be transferred with

25  the system construction permit, if the transferee files,

26  within 60 days after the transfer of ownership, an amended

27  construction permit application providing all corrected

28  information and proof of ownership of the property and if the

29  same variance would have been required for the new owner of

30  the property as was originally granted to the original

31  applicant for the variance.  There is no fee associated with

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  the processing of this supplemental information.  A variance

 2  may not be granted under this section until the department is

 3  satisfied that:

 4         a.  The hardship was not caused intentionally by the

 5  action of the applicant;

 6         b.  No reasonable, cost-effective, affordable, or

 7  economically justifiable alternative exists for the treatment

 8  of the sewage; and

 9         c.  The discharge from the onsite sewage treatment and

10  disposal system will not adversely affect the health of the

11  applicant or the public or significantly degrade the

12  groundwater or surface waters.

13

14  Where soil conditions, water table elevation, and setback

15  provisions are determined by the department to be

16  satisfactory, special consideration must be given to those

17  lots platted before 1972.

18         2.  The department shall appoint and staff a variance

19  review and advisory committee, which shall meet monthly to

20  recommend agency action on variance requests. The committee

21  shall make its recommendations on variance requests at the

22  meeting in which the application is scheduled for

23  consideration, except for an extraordinary change in

24  circumstances or when the applicant requests an extension. The

25  committee shall consider the criteria in subparagraph 1. in

26  its recommended agency action on variance requests and shall

27  also strive to allow property owners the full use of their

28  land where possible. The committee board consists of the

29  following:

30         a.  The Division Director for Environmental Health of

31  the department or his or her designee.

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1         b.  A representative from the county health

 2  departments.

 3         c.  A representative from the home building industry

 4  recommended by the Florida Home Builders Association.

 5         d.  A representative from the septic tank industry

 6  recommended by the Florida Septic Tank Association.

 7         e.  A representative from the Department of

 8  Environmental Protection.

 9         f.  A representative from the real estate industry who

10  is also a developer in this state who develops lots using

11  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems, recommended by

12  the Florida Association of Realtors.

13         g.  A representative from the public food service

14  industry whose business uses an onsite sewage treatment

15  disposal system, recommended by the Florida Restaurant

16  Association.

17

18  Members shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, with such

19  appointments being staggered so that the terms of no more than

20  two members expire in any one year.  Members shall serve

21  without remuneration, but if requested, shall may be

22  reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses as provided in s.

23  112.061.

24         (r)  In the siting of system drainfields, guttering

25  shall not be required on residential dwelling units for

26  systems located greater than 5 feet from the foundation of a

27  house.  If guttering is used on residential dwelling units,

28  the downspouts shall be directed away from the drainfield.

29         Section 2.  Section 381.0068, Florida Statutes, is

30  amended to read:

31         381.0068  Technical review and advisory panel.--

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1         (1)  The Department of Health shall, by July 1, 1996,

 2  establish and staff a technical review and advisory panel to

 3  assist the department with rule adoption.

 4         (2)  The primary purpose of the panel is to assist

 5  enhance the department's the department in rulemaking and

 6  decisionmaking by drawing on the expertise of representatives

 7  from several groups that are affected by have an interest in

 8  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems. The panel shall

 9  also review and comment on any legislation proposed by the

10  department relating to onsite sewage treatment and disposal

11  systems and may also consider and comment on any existing or

12  proposed state policy or issue related to such systems.  If

13  requested by the panel, the chair shall transmit or

14  communicate a vote of the panel regarding the panel's position

15  on any issue or any existing or proposed rule or state policy,

16  including proposed legislation, to any affected person or the

17  Legislature.  The chair may also take such other action as is

18  appropriate to allow the panel to function. At a minimum, the

19  technical review and advisory panel shall consist of a soil

20  scientist; a professional engineer registered in this state

21  who is recommended by the Florida Engineering Society and who

22  has work experience in onsite sewage treatment and disposal

23  systems; two representatives from the home-building industry

24  recommended by the Florida Home Builders Association,

25  including one who is a developer in this state who develops

26  lots using onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; a

27  representative from the county health departments who has

28  experience permitting and inspecting the installation of

29  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems in this state; a

30  representative from the real estate industry who is

31  recommended by the Florida Association of Realtors; a consumer

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    hgr0003                     11:41 am         04475-ca  -310133




                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  representative with a science background; two representatives

 2  of the septic tank industry recommended by the Florida Septic

 3  Tank Association, including one who is a manufacturer of

 4  onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; and a

 5  representative from the environmental health profession who is

 6  recommended by the Florida Environmental Health Association

 7  and who is not employed by a county health department.

 8  Members are to be appointed for a term of 2 years.  The panel

 9  may also, as needed, be expanded to include ad hoc, nonvoting

10  representatives who have topic-specific expertise.  All rules

11  proposed by the department which relate to onsite sewage

12  treatment and disposal systems must be presented to the panel

13  for review and comment prior to adoption.  The panel's

14  position on proposed rules shall be made a part of the

15  rulemaking record that is maintained by the agency, and shall

16  be admissible into the record of any proceeding challenging a

17  rule.  The panel shall select a chair, who shall serve for a

18  period of 1 year and who shall direct, coordinate, and execute

19  the duties of the panel. The panel shall also solicit input

20  from the department's variance review and advisory committee

21  before taking action on submitting any comments to the

22  department concerning proposed rules.  The panel's comments

23  must include any dissenting points of view concerning proposed

24  rules.  The panel shall hold meetings as it determines

25  necessary to conduct its business, except that the chair, a

26  quorum of the voting members of the panel, or the department

27  may call meetings.  The department shall keep minutes of all

28  meetings of the panel. The minutes must record all votes on

29  proposed rules and must describe the panel's general

30  discussions and comments, as well as minority points of view

31  regarding votes on such proposed rules. Panel members shall

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  serve without remuneration, but if requested, shall may be

 2  reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses as provided in s.

 3  112.061.

 4         Section 3.  The first $1.9 million deposited to the

 5  Solid Waste Management Trust Fund each fiscal year through the

 6  2028-29 fiscal year shall be transferred to the State Housing

 7  Trust Fund administered by the Florida Housing Finance

 8  Corporation on behalf of the Department of Community Affairs.

 9  Said amount is hereby appropriated annually for that period to

10  the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to be used to pay for

11  local government infrastructure primarily related and

12  necessary to housing or to pay the debt service on revenue

13  bonds issued for such purposes by the Florida Housing Finance

14  Corporation.  Such amounts may be pledged by the corporation

15  for purposes of securing said bonds and revenue may also be

16  used to pay administrative costs of the corporation, not to

17  exceed 3% in connection with such program.  Such projects

18  shall include:  Homosassa Wastewater Treatment System; Jasper

19  Wastewater Services; Suwannee Wastewater Improvement Project;

20  Town of Brooker Drinking Water Well; Carrabelle Wastewater

21  Collection System; Labelle Wastewater Improvement; Astor Area

22  Wastewater System; Bushnell Wastewater System; Arroya Parkway

23  Wastewater System; South Walton Wastewater Treatment Facility;

24  Skyview Utility Wastewater Treatment Project; South Dade

25  Stormwater Treatment; City of Sanibel Wastewater Treatment

26  Project; City of Frostproof Wastewater Treatment; and West

27  Miami Sewer System.

28         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

29  law.

30

31

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                  Bill No. HB 4475

    Amendment No. 01 (for drafter's use only)





 1  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

 2  And the title is amended as follows:

 3         On page 1, lines 2-15

 4  remove from the title of the bill:  all of said lines

 5

 6  and insert in lieu thereof:

 7         An act relating to wastewater treatment

 8         systems; amending s. 381.0065, F.S.;  revising

 9         guidelines and procedures for granting

10         variances for such systems; revising membership

11         of the department's variance review and

12         advisory committee; providing criteria for use

13         of guttering; amending s. 381.0068, F.S.;

14         revising duties and procedures of the

15         department's technical review and advisory

16         panel; providing for the transfer of a certain

17         amount from the Solid Waste Trust Fund to the

18         State Housing Trust Fund for the purposes of

19         funding wastewater treatment systems; providing

20         an effective date.

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