Bill Text: FL S0934 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Stormwater Management Permits
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-17 - Chapter No. 2013-176 [S0934 Detail]
Download: Florida-2013-S0934-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2013 Legislature CS for SB 934 2013934er 1 2 An act relating to stormwater management permits; 3 amending s. 373.4131, F.S.; deleting an obsolete 4 reference; requiring that rules for environmental 5 resource permitting provide for conceptual permits and 6 associated general permits for a municipality or 7 county that creates a stormwater management master 8 plan for urban infill and redevelopment areas or 9 community redevelopment areas; specifying requirements 10 for a conceptual permit; providing an effective date. 11 12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13 14 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 373.4131, Florida 15 Statutes, is amended to read: 16 373.4131 Statewide environmental resource permitting 17 rules.— 18 (1)(a)No later than October 1, 2012,The department shall 19 initiate rulemaking to adopt, in coordination with the water 20 management districts, statewide environmental resource 21 permitting rules governing the construction, alteration, 22 operation, maintenance, repair, abandonment, and removal of any 23 stormwater management system, dam, impoundment, reservoir, 24 appurtenant work, works, or any combination thereof, under this 25 part. 26 (a)(b)The rules mustshallprovide for statewide, 27 consistent regulation of activities under this part and must 28shallinclude, at a minimum: 29 1. Criteria and thresholds for requiring permits. 30 2. Types of permits. 31 3. Procedures governing the review of applications and 32 notices, duration and modification of permits, operational 33 requirements, transfers of permits, provisions for emergencies, 34 and provisions for abandonment and removal of systems. 35 4. Exemptions and general permits that do not allow 36 significant adverse impacts to occur individually or 37 cumulatively. 38 5. Conditions for issuance. 39 6. General permit conditions, including monitoring, 40 inspection, and reporting requirements. 41 7. Standardized fee categories for activities under this 42 part to promote consistency. The department and water management 43 districts may amend fee rules to reflect the standardized fee 44 categories but are not required to adopt identical fees for 45 those categories. 46 8. Application, notice, and reporting forms. To the maximum 47 extent practicable, the department and water management 48 districts shall provide for electronic submittal of forms and 49 notices. 50 9. An applicant’s handbook that, at a minimum, contains 51 general program information, application and review procedures, 52 a specific discussion of how environmental criteria are 53 evaluated, and discussion of stormwater quality and quantity 54 criteria. 55 (b) The rules must provide for a conceptual permit for a 56 municipality or county that creates a stormwater management 57 master plan for urban infill and redevelopment areas or 58 community redevelopment areas created under chapter 163. Upon 59 approval by the department or water management district, the 60 master plan shall become part of the conceptual permit issued by 61 the department or water management district. The rules must 62 additionally provide for an associated general permit for the 63 construction and operation of urban redevelopment projects that 64 meet the criteria established in the conceptual permit. The 65 following requirements must also be met: 66 1. The conceptual permit and associated general permit must 67 not conflict with the requirements of a federally approved 68 program pursuant to s. 403.0885 or with the implementation of s. 69 403.067(7) regarding total maximum daily loads and basin 70 management action plans. 71 2. Before a conceptual permit is granted, the municipality 72 or county must assert that stormwater discharges from the urban 73 redevelopment area do not cause or contribute to violations of 74 water quality standards by demonstrating a net improvement in 75 the quality of the discharged water existing on the date the 76 conceptual permit is approved. 77 3. The conceptual permit may not expire for at least 20 78 years unless a shorter duration is requested, and must include 79 an option to renew. 80 4. The conceptual permit must describe the rate and volume 81 of stormwater discharges from the urban redevelopment area, 82 including the maximum rate and volume of stormwater discharges 83 as of the date the conceptual permit is approved. 84 5. The conceptual permit must contain provisions regarding 85 the use of stormwater best management practices and must ensure 86 that stormwater management systems constructed within the urban 87 redevelopment area are operated and maintained in compliance 88 with s. 373.416. 89 (c) The rules mustshallrely primarily on the rules of the 90 department and water management districts in effect immediately 91 prior to the effective date of this section, except that the 92 department may: 93 1. Reconcile differences and conflicts to achieve a 94 consistent statewide approach. 95 2. Account for different physical or natural 96 characteristics, including special basin considerations, of 97 individual water management districts. 98 3. Implement additional permit streamlining measures. 99 (d) The application of the rules mustshallcontinue to be 100 governed by the first sentence of s. 70.001(12). 101 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.