Septic Tank Inspection Update – March 24, 2012
Posted by NCF912Project
HB 1263, a bill which included an amendment to repeal the statewide septic tank inspection program was passed on the last day of the Florida Legislative session. It has been reported that this is a complete repeal, but Section 381.00651 (2) says: a county or municipality that contains a first magnitude spring shall, by no later than January 1, 2013 either adopt an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system evaluation and assessment program that meets the requirements of this section, or…adopt a resolution opting out of the requirements. This will require a 60% majority vote and “indicate an intent on the part of such local government not to adopt an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system evaluation and assessment program.”
Most of our North Central Florida counties have a first magnitude spring, including Alachua, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison and Suwannee.
Please contact your County Commission, City Council, etc. and ask that they begin to work on this as soon as possible. A lady with our organization also found some information that may also affect septic tank inspections; this information will be coming soon!
SB 820 Passes Budget Committee – on to the Full Senate
Posted by NCF912Project
Thanks to everyone who made phone calls to Senator Alexander and other members of the budget committee in order to get SB 820 on the agenda. It was passed by this committee (March 1st) by a vote of 19 – 2. We will have to watch carefully to be sure that it makes it to the floor of the Senate (a problem last year). This bill is not a total repeal of the Septic Tank Inspection part of SB 550 which was passed 2 years ago. It will require counties that have a first magnitude spring to opt out of an inspection program. We will have to work with our individual counties when the time comes.
You can read this bill at: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/0820/BillText/c2/HTML and
Track the bill at: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/0820
Septic Tank Inspection Repeal Alert
Posted by NCF912Project
SB 820, which is the closest bill we have had to repeal the Mandatory Septic Tank Inspection law has made it through all of its committees except for the Budget Committee. They will be meeting on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 3:45 p.m.
Please contact Senator J. D. Alexander (850) 487-5044 and ask him to please put SB 820 on Tuesday’s agenda in the Budget Committee for the 2.5 million people in Florida who own septic tanks.
For more information on this bill, go to:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/0820; read the full context of the bill, sign up to track it so that you can see where it is at any given time in the legislative process.
Septic Tank Inspection Repeal Bill
Posted by NCF912Project
There are several bills in committee that may Repeal the Septic Tank Inspection part of SB 550. Please take a few minutes to look the bills over, especially the one sponsored by Senator Dean, and let the appropriate Senators/Representatives know what your opinion is!
Go to: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/178 to view the information on these bills.
Mandatory Septic Tank Inspection Repeal Bill
Posted by NCF912Project
SB 114: Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems
GENERAL BILL by Evers; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Montford; Gaetz
Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems; Deleting legislative intent relating to onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; eliminating provisions directing the Department of Health to create and administer a statewide septic tank evaluation program; eliminating procedures and criteria for the evaluation program; eliminating provisions authorizing the department to collect an evaluation report fee; eliminating provisions relating to disposition of fee proceeds and a revenue-neutral fee schedule; repealing provisions relating to the grant program for the repair of onsite sewage treatment disposal systems identified pursuant to the evaluation program, to conform, etc.
This bill has been referred to the Health Regulation; Environmental Preservation and Conservation; and Budget Committees. It has to pass through these committees before it can be voted on by the full Senate. Please go to www.flsenate.gov ; click on committees and look for the three committees mentioned above. Contact the chairperson and ask them to put this on an agenda in the near future.
Update on Septic Tank Inspection Repeal
Posted by NCF912Project
I received this from someone in Senator Storms district today, I encourage everyone to do as Senator Storms has suggested so Senator Evers repeal bill will move through the committees.
“Senator Storms plans to co-sponsor the legislation (next week) and work to get it heard in its first committee of reference. Unfortunately, she does not sit on any of the committees that will hear the bill. It was referred to the Health Regulation, Environmental Preservation and Conservation and Budget Committees. I would encourage the members of your group to contact Senator Rene Garcia and encourage him to schedule the bill for its first hearing. ” This link leads to contact information for him,
http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S40
The related bills for this are H79, S114, and S178:
You can go to: www.myfloridahouse.gov and www.flsenate.gov to track the bills and find other information on upcoming committee meetings, etc. in Tallahassee.
Posted on October 22, 2011 by Sharon G.
Septic Tank Inspection Update – May 18, 2011
Posted by NCF912Project
Within 30 days of the end of Florida’s legislative session, the Governor must sign or veto the budget and laws considered and passed by the House and Senate. Governor Scott also has line item veto authority, which means he can veto any single line item or portion of the budget provisions.
There are two items of extreme importance to all septic owners. If you have not already contacted the Governor’s office asking for his support of these two items, please do so as soon as possible. We have provided a sample message, but please use your own words. PLEASE DO THIS TODAY. THANK YOU!
MESSAGE to GOVERNOR SCOTT:
Dear Governor Scott,
There are two items waiting for your signature that are of extreme importance to me and more than 2.5 million other homeowners and businesses who rely on septic systems as their basic sewage treatment method. Approval of these two items will ensure that millions of taxpayer dollars are not wasted, and that the state agency that is charged with developing a septic inspection program does so with accountability.
SB2002, Section 13, Line Items 218-227. Please approve this budget implementation provision.
The Senate and House of Representatives have amended SB550, requiring the Dept. of Health, Bureau of On-Site Sewage to develop a septic inspection implementation plan and submit the plan and its costs to the Legislative Budget Committee before spending any money on the SB550 inspection mandate. This is the first time anyone has asked this agency to be accountable for their rule-making and program plan. Given the history of this government agency to pass rules without regard to cost to the state or the taxpayer, this oversight is necessary.
SB2002, Budget Item 465 Please approve funding for Phase III of the Nitrogen Reduction Study.
The results of this essential on-going study will be available when Phase III is completed. Without this funding, not only will Phase I and II funding be wasted, but 2.5 million septic system owners all over the state will be subject to rules and regulations that have no basis in fact, and no affordable alternatives to reduce nutrients other than un-proven “performance-based” systems – whose cost to businesses and homeowners will be measured in billions. Florida Tax Watch has endorsed this expenditure as a wise investment of tax funds.
Please approve these two items. Thank you.
(Add your name and contact information)
Mailing Address and E-Mail Address for Governor Scott
Office of Governor Rick Scott
State of Florida
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee FL 32399-0001
Watching the Session Part 2
Posted by NCF912Project
After watching for 4 days, the Senate chose to not bring up any of the repeal bills for the Septic Tank Inspection Law and that will cause SB 550 to go into effect on July 1, 2011. It is my understanding that Senator Haridopolos could have brought it up for debate at any time. Senator Thrasher attempted to get it debated on Thursday evening but Senator Dean was so unprepared (either incompetent or on purpose) that he could not answer any of the other senator’s questions about his bill, SB 1698, and Senator Haridopolos recessed for the evening.
I would have thought that it would have been the first thing on the agenda when they reconvened on Friday – but no! It wasn’t mentioned again as far as I know and I attempted to listen to as much as I could and watch the updates on the senate website. Keep in mind that they have only ONE mandate under the Florida Constitution – that is to pass a budget each year; all of these other bills that they waste so much time on are normally an infringement on our rights! There were several repeal bills that should have been heard, and passed, to correct past bills that they enacted, but they didn’t have time for them, but……we now have an official state amphibian – the Barking Tree Frog!
As far as I can tell, on the Septic Tank Issue, the Florida House of Representatives did their job and passed a good repeal bill; I know they failed to do the same on some of the other issues. Full blame for the Septic Tank issue now lies on the Florida Senate and I hope we will all remember in November, 2012.
Thanks, Sharon
Watching the Session
Posted by NCF912Project
If you were watching the session, you saw Senate President Haridopolus shut down the actions on SB1698 as Senator Dean could not even answer the questions he was being asked of other senators. It was apparent he did not even know what his own amendments said. Senator Haridopolus was not a happy camper by the look on his face.
I have just talked to Senator Evers office and he has written an amendment and Senator Don Gaetz has co-sponsored it to strike all of SB1698 except the SB550 repeal portion, which will make it a companion to HB13.
So, one more task, please call your “Republican” senators and ask them to vote for Senator Greg Evers Strike All Amendment to SB1698 and if you can watch it on http://thefloridachannel.org/.
Last Week of Florida Legislative Session!
Posted by NCF912Project
Tomorrow begins the last week of the Florida Legislative Session. The Mandatory Septic Tank Inspection bills are still in limbo at this point.
Status of Current Bills:
HB13 Currently in Senate Messages, awaiting a senate bill.
Possibilities:
- Vote can be taken on HB13 as it is;
- changes or amendments can be made and sent back to the House for acceptance or rejection, then it will go back to the Senate. Time is running out for this.
- The Senate does nothing and the bill dies and without a repeal bill in the Senate SB550 will go into effect July 1, 2011
SB1698
Technically in the Budget Committee, but has not been taken up as of 04/28/11. Senator Dean’s office staff has stated that the bill has gone through a Budget Sub-committee, but no record of that is available. There have been many amendments to this bill, some of them good for homeowners, but is still a septic tank inspection program. It is my understanding that more amendments have been written, however, they have not been presented as of the writing of this alert. However, as the bill stands now it is still a mandated septic tank inspection program, only transferring responsibility to the counties with Magnitude One Springs and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) of Nitrate and bacteria in Watersheds. This takes in all but 11 counties at this time.
Possibilities:
- It can go to the floor for a vote;
- It can be attached to HB13 as an amendment, or
- SB550 portion can remain as a repeal, the inspection portion of SB1698 can be stricken and SB1698 will then match up with HB13 as a full repeal
ACTION STEP
We need to contact as many senators as possible, especially Senator Haridopolos. Please do not send e-mails as they are too busy to answer them, call or fax is the best way. You can find their contact numbers in Tallahassee and district offices at this address www.flsenate.gov . If you cannot contact all senators, please make sure you contact your senators. It is very important that we put pressure on the most powerful person in the senate, the President of the Senate Mike Haridopolos. We have to flood his office with calls on this.
WHAT TO SAY:
Remind senators that
- 35 counties wrote resolutions against septic tank inspections and SB1698 forces counties into putting the burden of this on their residents
- Ask them to accept HB13 full repeal wording and vote on it!
Special information to use with Senator Haridopolos
Please read this first:
www.flsenate.gov/Media/PressRelease/Show/Senators/2010-2012/District26/PressRelease/PressRelease20110426084405264
In this article Senator Haridopolos said, “While many states and the federal government are floundering under crushing deficit spending, we kept our promise that we would not raise taxes or fees during these difficult economic times,” President Haridopolos added. “For months, I’ve heard over and over again that we would never be able to get this done. Working as a team, the House and Senate, reached these budget allocations on behalf of all Floridians.”
Below is an example of a response to Senator Haridopolos, please use your own words!
“Senator Haridopolos, in a recent press release you stated that you kept your promise on behalf of all Floridians, not to raise taxes or fees, which is not a true statement for some Floridians who still have SB550 and potentially SB1698 looming over our heads. If you and other senators allow SB550 to remain a law or pass another septic tank ordinance such as SB1698 you are clearly singling out 2.7 million people that will be taxed and charged fees through a mandated law that infringes upon personal property rights. I urge you to repeal SB550 and to follow the example of the House of Representatives who passed HB13 as a full repeal bill and do the same in the Senate. I urge you to NOT accept legislation that includes an inspection program for septic tanks until there is scientific proof that septic tanks are polluting our waters. You, and the majority of senators have made promises that SB550 will be repealed, I hope you keep your promise as the House Members have, and that you all will understand the ramifications of not fulfilling your promises to the 2.7 million homeowners who have been singled out for unwarranted taxes and fees. Thank You,”
(If you fax, sign your name, your contact information and your city, if you call give the same information). Faxing works better if you can possibily do that.
Senator Haridopolos contact information
Melbourne Office Phone: 321-752-3131 Fax: 321-752-3133
Tallahassee Office Phone: 850-487-5056 Fax: 850-487-5844
We are also looking for volunteers to help monitor the house/senate sessions on television (if you have the Florida Channel) or watch on your computer http://thefloridachannel.org/
Many of you have not been able to make it to Tallahassee for committee meetings or session, but want to help, this is your opportunity and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
The 2011 session ends May 6, 2011. Legislators have taken the weekend off and the sessions in both houses convene again on Monday, May 2, 2011. I need volunteers who will commit to watch these sessions live on The Florida Channel. We are following two bills, one is HB13, which is the only bill moving, and it was the only full repeal bill. It has been in Messages in the Senate, but on Friday April 29, it was referred to Rules, so not sure what is happening with it, trying to find out. The other bill is SB1698 which is stuck in the Budget Committee and doesn’t appear to be moving at all, however I understand that it could still move out of that committee even though there are no more meetings scheduled. There are many things that can happen with both of these bills and I need help from some of you who will agree to spend some time watching these proceedings to be sure any movement is noted and I am alerted in case we need to get something out quickly as an action item.
Session Schedule for House:
May 2, from 11:00am – completion.
May 3-5 from 9:30am – completion.
May 6 – 9:00am until finished with session business.
Session Schedule for Senate:
May 2 – 9:00 am, lunch break, back at 1:30-5:30.
May 3, at 10:00-noon, lunch break, back at 1:30-5:30.
May 4-6 from 9:00 am-noon lunch break, back at 1:30-6:00pm.