Florida Senate - 2022                              CS for SB 604
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; and
       Senator Berman
       
       
       
       
       592-02785-22                                           2022604c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Safe Waterways Act; amending s.
    3         514.023, F.S.; requiring, rather than authorizing, the
    4         Department of Health to adopt and enforce certain
    5         rules; requiring, rather than authorizing, the
    6         department to issue health advisories under certain
    7         circumstances; requiring the department to notify a
    8         municipality or county if the department issues a
    9         health advisory against swimming on the basis of
   10         elevated bacteria levels in a public bathing place
   11         within the municipality’s or county’s jurisdiction;
   12         requiring the department to adopt by rule a certain
   13         health advisory sign; providing requirements for the
   14         sign; requiring the sign to be posted in a specified
   15         manner and maintained until subsequent testing shows
   16         the water’s bacteria levels meet the department’s
   17         standards; providing that municipalities and counties
   18         are responsible for maintaining the health advisory
   19         signs for affected beach waters and public bathing
   20         places that they own; providing that the department is
   21         responsible for maintaining the health advisory signs
   22         for affected beach waters and public bathing places
   23         owned by the state; authorizing the department to
   24         coordinate with the Department of Environmental
   25         Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation
   26         Commission to implement such signage requirements;
   27         requiring the department to monitor the affected beach
   28         waters and public bathing places for compliance with
   29         the signage requirements; providing an effective date.
   30          
   31  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   32  
   33         Section 1. Section 514.023, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   34  read:
   35         514.023 Sampling of beach waters; and public bathing
   36  places; health advisories; signage.—
   37         (1) As used in this section, the term “beach waters” means
   38  the waters along the coastal and intracoastal beaches and shores
   39  of this the state, and includes salt water and brackish water.
   40         (2) The department shall may adopt and enforce rules to
   41  protect the health, safety, and welfare of persons using the
   42  beach waters and public bathing places of this the state. The
   43  rules must establish health standards and prescribe procedures
   44  and timeframes for bacteriological sampling of beach waters and
   45  public bathing places.
   46         (3) The department shall may issue health advisories if the
   47  quality of beach waters or a public bathing place fails to meet
   48  standards established by the department. The issuance of health
   49  advisories related to the results of bacteriological sampling of
   50  beach waters and public bathing places is preempted to the
   51  state.
   52         (4)(a) When the department issues a health advisory against
   53  swimming in beach waters or a public bathing place on the basis
   54  of finding elevated levels of fecal coliform, Escherichia coli,
   55  or enterococci bacteria in a water sample, the department must
   56  shall concurrently notify the municipality or county in which
   57  the affected beach waters or public bathing place is are
   58  located, whichever has jurisdiction, and the local office of the
   59  Department of Environmental Protection, of the advisory.
   60         (b) The local office of the Department of Environmental
   61  Protection must shall promptly investigate wastewater treatment
   62  facilities within 1 mile of the affected beach waters or public
   63  bathing place to determine if a facility experienced an incident
   64  that may have contributed to the contamination and provide the
   65  results of the investigation in writing or by electronic means
   66  to the municipality or county, as applicable.
   67         (c)The department shall adopt by rule a sign to be used
   68  when it issues a health advisory against swimming in affected
   69  beach waters or public bathing places due to elevated levels of
   70  fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, or enterococci bacteria in the
   71  water. The sign must include the following language: “THIS WATER
   72  BODY HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO BE
   73  CONTAMINATED WITH FECAL BACTERIA. RESTORATION IN COMPLIANCE WITH
   74  STATE WATER QUALITY STANDARDS IS REQUIRED. THIS WATER BODY
   75  PRESENTS A RISK OF INFECTION OR ILLNESS. AVOID SWIMMING AND USE
   76  CAUTION TO AVOID INGESTING THE WATER OR EXPOSING OPEN WOUNDS.
   77  SECTION 514.023, FLORIDA STATUTES.” The department shall require
   78  health advisory signs to be displayed in conspicuous areas
   79  around affected beach waters and public bathing places until
   80  subsequent testing of the water shows that the bacteria levels
   81  meet the department’s standards.
   82         (d)Municipalities and counties are responsible for
   83  maintaining health advisory signs in affected beach waters and
   84  public bathing places that they own. The department is
   85  responsible for maintaining health advisory signs in affected
   86  beach waters and public bathing places owned by the state. The
   87  department may coordinate with the Department of Environmental
   88  Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to
   89  implement the signage requirements of this paragraph.
   90         (e)The department shall monitor affected beach waters and
   91  public bathing places for compliance with the signage
   92  requirements of this subsection, ensuring that signage is posted
   93  appropriately until the bacteria contamination is resolved.
   94         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.