House Bill 0329e1

                                        CS/HB 329, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public utilities; creating

  3         s. 180.136, F.S.; requiring notice of proposed

  4         increases in certain water or sewer utility

  5         service rates, charges, or fees; specifying

  6         such notice is in addition to other notice and

  7         meeting requirements; amending s. 367.171,

  8         F.S.; requiring application of certain

  9         provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act

10         to certain county rate proceedings; providing

11         an effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Section 180.136, Florida Statutes, is

16  created to read:

17         180.136  Water or sewer utilities; notice.--Before a

18  local government water or sewer utility increases any rate,

19  charge, or fee for water or sewer utility service, the utility

20  shall provide notice of the proposed increase to each customer

21  of the utility through the utility's billing process.  The

22  notice shall state the date, time, and place of the meeting of

23  the governing board of the local government at which such

24  increase will be considered. The notice required in this

25  section is in addition to any notice and public meeting

26  requirements for ordinance adoption as provided by general

27  law.

28         Section 2.  Subsection (8) of section 367.171, Florida

29  Statutes, is amended to read:

30         367.171  Effectiveness of this chapter.--

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






                                        CS/HB 329, First Engrossed



  1         (8)  Each county which is excluded from the provisions

  2  of this chapter shall regulate the rates of all utilities in

  3  that county which would otherwise be subject to regulation by

  4  the commission pursuant to s. 367.081(1), (2), (3), and (6).

  5  The county shall not regulate the rates or charges of any

  6  system or facility which would otherwise be exempt from

  7  commission regulation pursuant to s. 367.022(2).  For this

  8  purpose the county or its agency shall proceed as though the

  9  county or agency is the commission. The provisions of ss.

10  120.569 and 120.57 shall apply to all proceedings conducted by

11  a county or an agency of the county under the authority of

12  this chapter.

13         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

14  law.

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