1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to honeybees; amending s. 586.10, F.S.; |
3 | revising the powers and duties of the Department of |
4 | Agriculture and Consumer Services for purposes of the |
5 | Florida Honey Certification and Honeybee Law; specifying |
6 | that the department has exclusive authority over |
7 | regulations, inquiries, and complaints relating to |
8 | beekeeping, apiaries, and apiary locations; providing an |
9 | effective date. |
10 |
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11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
12 |
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13 | Section 1. Section 586.10, Florida Statutes, is amended to |
14 | read: |
15 | 586.10 Powers and duties of department.- |
16 | (1) The department has shall have the powers and duties |
17 | to: |
18 | (a)(1) Administer and enforce the provisions of this |
19 | chapter. |
20 | (b)(2) Adopt Promulgate rules necessary to the enforcement |
21 | of this chapter. |
22 | (c)(3) Adopt Promulgate rules relating to standard grades |
23 | for honey and other honeybee products. |
24 | (d)(4) Enter upon any public or private premise or carrier |
25 | during regular business hours for the purpose of inspection, |
26 | quarantine, destruction, or treatment of honeybees, used |
27 | beekeeping equipment, unwanted races of honeybees, or regulated |
28 | articles. |
29 | (e)(5) Declare a honeybee pest or unwanted race of |
30 | honeybees to be a nuisance to the beekeeping industry as well as |
31 | any honeybee or other article infested or infected therewith or |
32 | that has been exposed to infestation or infection in a manner |
33 | believed likely to communicate the infection or infestation. |
34 | (f)(6) Declare a quarantine against any area, place, or |
35 | political unit within this state or other states, territories, |
36 | or foreign countries, or portion thereof, in reference to |
37 | honeybee pests or unwanted races of honeybees and prohibit the |
38 | movement within this state from other states, territories, or |
39 | foreign countries of all honeybees, honeybee products, used |
40 | beekeeping equipment, or other articles from such quarantined |
41 | places or areas which are likely to carry honeybee pests or |
42 | unwanted races of honeybees if the quarantine is determined, |
43 | after due investigation, to be necessary in order to protect |
44 | this state's beekeeping industry, honeybees, and the public. In |
45 | such cases, the quarantine may be made absolute or rules may be |
46 | adopted prescribing the method and manner under which the |
47 | prohibited articles may be moved into or within, sold in, or |
48 | otherwise disposed of in this state. |
49 | (g)(7) Enter into cooperative arrangements with any |
50 | person, municipality, county, or other department of this state |
51 | or any agency, officer, or authority of other states or the |
52 | United States Government, including the United States Department |
53 | of Agriculture, for inspection of honeybees, honeybee pests, or |
54 | unwanted races of honeybees and products thereof and the control |
55 | or eradication of honeybee pests and unwanted races of |
56 | honeybees, and contribute a share of the expenses incurred under |
57 | such arrangements. |
58 | (h)(8) Carry on investigations of methods of control, |
59 | eradication, and prevention of dissemination of honeybee pests |
60 | or unwanted races of honeybees. |
61 | (i)(9) Inspect or cause to be inspected all apiaries in |
62 | the state at such intervals as it may deem best and to keep a |
63 | complete, accurate, and current list of all inspected apiaries |
64 | to include the: |
65 | 1.(a) Name of the apiary. |
66 | 2.(b) Name of the owner of the apiary. |
67 | 3.(c) Mailing address of the apiary owner. |
68 | 4.(d) Location of the apiary. |
69 | 5.(e) Number of hives in the apiary. |
70 | 6.(f) Pest problems associated with the apiary. |
71 | 7.(g) Brands used by beekeepers where applicable. |
72 | (j)(10) Collect or accept from other agencies or |
73 | individuals specimens of arthropods, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, |
74 | or other organisms for identification. |
75 | (k)(11) Confiscate, destroy, or make use of abandoned |
76 | beehives or beekeeping equipment. |
77 | (l)(12) Require the identification of ownership of |
78 | apiaries. |
79 | (m)(13) Enter into a compliance agreement with any person |
80 | engaged in purchasing, assembling, exchanging, processing, |
81 | utilizing, treating, or moving beekeeping equipment or |
82 | honeybees. |
83 | (n)(14) Make and issue to beekeepers certificates of |
84 | registration and inspection, following proper inspection and |
85 | certification of their honeybee colonies. |
86 | (2)(15) If the department determines that a beekeeper or |
87 | honeybee product processor is selling or offering for sale or is |
88 | distributing or offering to distribute honeybees, honeybee |
89 | products, or beekeeping equipment in violation of this chapter |
90 | or rules adopted under this chapter, or has aided or abetted in |
91 | the violation, the department may revoke or suspend her or his |
92 | certificate of inspection or the use of any certificate or |
93 | permit issued by the department. |
94 | (3)(16) The department may refuse the certification of any |
95 | honeybees, honeybee products, or beekeeping equipment when it is |
96 | determined that an unwanted race of honeybees exists, or |
97 | honeybee pests exist on honeybees, honeybee products, or |
98 | beekeeping equipment, or that the condition of the apiary |
99 | inhibits a thorough and efficient inspection by the department. |
100 | (4)(17) The department is authorized to conduct, |
101 | supervise, or cause the fumigation, destruction, or treatment of |
102 | honeybees, including unwanted races of honeybees, honeybee |
103 | products, and used beekeeping equipment or other articles |
104 | infested or infected by honeybee pests or unwanted races of |
105 | honeybees or so exposed to infection or infestation that it is |
106 | reasonably believed that infection or infestation could exist. |
107 | (5)(18) The department may require the removal from this |
108 | state of any honeybees or beekeeping equipment which has been |
109 | brought into the state in violation of this chapter or the rules |
110 | adopted under this chapter. |
111 | (6) The department has the exclusive authority to regulate |
112 | beekeeping, apiaries, and apiary locations and to dispense with |
113 | any inquiry or complaint relating to beekeeping, apiaries, or |
114 | apiary locations. |
115 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |