Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1556
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-01142-22                                           20221556__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to golf course best management
    3         practices certification; creating s. 403.9339, F.S.;
    4         directing the Department of Environmental Protection
    5         to work and cooperate with the turfgrass science
    6         program at the University of Florida Institute of Food
    7         and Agricultural Sciences to administer a
    8         certification for golf course best management
    9         practices and provide and approve certification
   10         training and testing programs; providing certification
   11         and recertification requirements; providing that such
   12         certification exempts persons from certain local
   13         testing and local ordinance regulations; providing an
   14         exception; authorizing the department to share
   15         certification information with local and state
   16         governmental entities; encouraging the department to
   17         create an online certification registry; directing the
   18         department to adopt rules; providing an effective
   19         date.
   20          
   21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   22  
   23         Section 1. Section 403.9339, Florida Statutes, is created
   24  to read:
   25         403.9339Golf course best management practices
   26  certification.—
   27         (1)To provide a means of documenting and ensuring
   28  compliance with best management practices for fertilizer
   29  application to golf courses, the department shall work with the
   30  turfgrass science program at the University of Florida Institute
   31  of Food and Agricultural Sciences to administer a certification
   32  for golf course best management practices.
   33         (2)The department, in cooperation with the turfgrass
   34  science program at the University of Florida Institute of Food
   35  and Agricultural Sciences, shall:
   36         (a)Provide training and testing programs in golf course
   37  best management practices and may issue certificates
   38  demonstrating satisfactory completion of the training.
   39         (b)Approve training and testing programs in golf course
   40  best management practices that are equivalent to or more
   41  comprehensive than the programs provided by the department under
   42  paragraph (a). Such programs must be reviewed and reapproved by
   43  the department if significant changes are made.
   44         (3)To obtain a golf course best management practices
   45  certification, an applicant must submit to the department:
   46         (a)A copy of the training certificate issued by the
   47  department under subsection (2).
   48         (b)A certification fee of at least $50 but not more than
   49  $100. Until the fee is set by department rule, the fee for
   50  certification is $50.
   51         (4)(a)A golf course best management practices
   52  certification issued under this section expires 4 years after
   53  the date of issuance. Upon expiration of the certification, or
   54  after a grace period of not more than 30 days after the
   55  expiration date, a recertification may be issued.
   56         (b)Before applying for recertification, an applicant must
   57  complete 8 classroom hours of acceptable continuing education,
   58  of which at least 2 hours must address fertilizer best
   59  management practices.
   60         (5)To obtain a golf course best management practices
   61  recertification, an applicant must submit to the department:
   62         (a)Proof of having completed the 8 classroom hours of
   63  continuing education pursuant to subsection (4).
   64         (b)A recertification fee of at least $50 but not more than
   65  $100. Until the fee is set by department rule, the
   66  recertification fee is $50.
   67         (6)A person certified under this section is exempt from:
   68         (a)Additional local testing.
   69         (b)Local ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use
   70  blackout periods or restrictions, unless a state of emergency is
   71  declared.
   72         (7)(a)The department may provide the certification status
   73  of persons certified under this section to local and state
   74  governmental entities.
   75         (b)The department is encouraged to create a registry of
   76  persons certified under this section on its website.
   77         (8)The department shall adopt rules to administer this
   78  section.
   79         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.