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: 25 403.9339 Golf 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.