Senate Bill sb1338c1

    Florida Senate - 2006                  CS for SB's 1338 & 1794

    By the Committee on Environmental Preservation; and Senators
    Constantine and Baker




    592-2270-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Wekiva Onsite Sewage

  3         Treatment and Disposal System Compliance Grant

  4         Program; creating the program in the Department

  5         of Health; providing purposes; authorizing

  6         certain property owners in certain areas of the

  7         Wekiva basin to apply for grants for certain

  8         purposes; providing grant limitations;

  9         providing for the grant as a rebate of costs

10         incurred; requiring documentation of costs;

11         requiring the department to adopt rules to

12         administer the grant program; providing an

13         effective date.

14  

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

16  

17         Section 1.  Wekiva Onsite sewage treatment and disposal

18  system Compliance Grant Program.--

19         (1)  The Wekiva Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal

20  System Compliance Grant Program is established in the

21  Department of Health, to be administered by the department.

22  The purpose of the program is to provide grants to low-income

23  property owners in the Wekiva Study Area or the Wekiva River

24  Protection Area using onsite disposal systems to assist the

25  property owners in complying with rules for onsite sewage

26  treatment and disposal systems developed by the Department of

27  Health, the Department of Environmental Protection, or the St.

28  Johns River Water Management District to enforce compliance

29  with onsite sewage treatment and disposal system standards.

30  The grant program shall become effective upon final adoption

31  

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                  CS for SB's 1338 & 1794
    592-2270-06




 1  of department rules and shall apply to costs incurred on or

 2  after such date.

 3         (2)  Any property owner in the Wekiva Study Area or the

 4  Wekiva River Protection Area having an income less than or

 5  equal to 200 percent of the federal poverty level who is

 6  required by rule of the Department of Health, the Department

 7  of Environmental Protection, or the St. Johns River Water

 8  Management District to alter, repair, or modify any existing

 9  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system to a

10  nitrogen-reducing performance-based treatment system on such

11  property may apply to the Department of Health for a grant to

12  assist such owner with the cost of compliance.

13         (3)  The amount of the grant is limited to the cost

14  differential between the replacement of a comparable existing

15  onsite sewage treatment and disposal system and that of an

16  upgraded nitrogen-reducing performance-based treatment system,

17  but may not exceed $10,000 per property.

18         (4)  The grant shall be in the form of a rebate to the

19  property owner for costs incurred in complying with

20  requirements for onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems.

21  The property owner shall provide to the Department of Health

22  in the grant application documentation of costs incurred in

23  complying with requirements for such system.

24         (5)  The Department of Health shall adopt rules

25  providing forms, procedures, and requirements for applying for

26  and disbursing grants including bid requirements and for

27  documenting compliance costs incurred.

28         (6)  The Department of Health, in coordination with the

29  Department of Environmental Protection and the St. Johns River

30  Water Management District, shall continue to evaluate, by any

31  means the department deems appropriate, the level of nitrogen

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






    Florida Senate - 2006                  CS for SB's 1338 & 1794
    592-2270-06




 1  deposited in the Wekiva Study Area caused by onsite sewage

 2  treatment and disposal systems.

 3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 4  law.

 5  

 6          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 7                    Senate Bills 1338 and 1794

 8                                 

 9  The committee substitute combines SB 1338 and SB 1794 and
    establishes a Wekiva Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal
10  System Compliance Grant Program in the the Department of
    Health. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to
11  low-income property owners in the Wekiva Study Area or the
    Wekiva River Protection Area to assist the property owners in
12  complying with rules for onsite sewage treatment and disposal
    systems developed by the Department of Health.
13  
    The amount of the grant is limited and may not exceed $10,000
14  per property. The grant is in the form of a rebate to the
    property owner for certain costs incurred in complying with
15  requirements for onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems.

16  The Department of Health, in coordination with the Department
    of Environmental Protection and the St. Johns River Water
17  Management District, shall continue to evaluate the level of
    nitrogen deposited in the Wekiva Study Area caused by onsite
18  sewage treatment and disposal systems.

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