| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Wekiva Onsite Disposal System |
| 3 | Compliance Grant Program; creating the program in the |
| 4 | Department of Health; providing purposes; authorizing |
| 5 | certain property owners in certain areas of the Wekiva |
| 6 | basin to apply for grants for certain purposes; providing |
| 7 | grant limitations; providing for annual adjustments of the |
| 8 | amount of the grants; providing for the grant as a rebate |
| 9 | of costs incurred; requiring documentation of costs; |
| 10 | requiring the department to adopt rules to administer the |
| 11 | grant program; providing an appropriation; providing an |
| 12 | effective date. |
| 13 |
|
| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
|
| 16 | Section 1. Wekiva Onsite Disposal System Compliance Grant |
| 17 | Program.-- |
| 18 | (1) The Wekiva Onsite Disposal System Compliance Grant |
| 19 | Program is established in the Department of Health, to be |
| 20 | administered by the department. The purpose of the program is to |
| 21 | provide grants to low-income property owners in the Wekiva Study |
| 22 | Area or the Wekiva River Protection Area using onsite disposal |
| 23 | systems to assist the property owner in complying with rules for |
| 24 | onsite disposal systems developed by the Department of Health, |
| 25 | the Department of Environmental Protection, or the St. Johns |
| 26 | River Water Management District to enforce compliance with |
| 27 | onsite disposal system standards. |
| 28 | (2) Any property owner in the Wekiva Study Area or the |
| 29 | Wekiva River Protection Area having an income less than or equal |
| 30 | to 200 percent of the federal poverty level who is required by |
| 31 | rule of the Department of Health, the Department of |
| 32 | Environmental Protection, or the St. Johns River Water |
| 33 | Management District to construct, reconstruct, alter, repair, or |
| 34 | modify any new or existing onsite disposal system on such |
| 35 | property may apply to the Department of Health for a grant to |
| 36 | assist the owner with the cost of compliance. |
| 37 | (3) The amount of the grant is limited to $10,000 per |
| 38 | property and shall be increased each calendar year by the change |
| 39 | in the annual average of the "materials and components for |
| 40 | construction" series of the producer price index, as calculated |
| 41 | and published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau |
| 42 | of Statistics, from the previous calendar year. |
| 43 | (4) The grant shall be in the form of a rebate to the |
| 44 | property owner for costs incurred in complying with requirements |
| 45 | for onsite disposal systems. The property owner shall provide to |
| 46 | the Department of Health in the application for a grant |
| 47 | documentation of costs incurred in complying with requirements |
| 48 | for such systems. |
| 49 | (5) The Department of Health shall adopt rules providing |
| 50 | forms, procedures, and requirements for applying for and |
| 51 | disbursing grants under this section and for documenting |
| 52 | compliance costs incurred. |
| 53 | Section 2. The sum of $ is appropriated from the |
| 54 | General Revenue Fund to the Department of Health of which $ |
| 55 | is to the department to administer the Wekiva Onsite Disposal |
| 56 | System Compliance Grant Program and $ is to provide |
| 57 | grants to applicants under the program. |
| 58 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |