Bill > S1684

This bill authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create rules for electronic submission of forms, documents, fees, and reports, with provisions for exemptions due to hardship, and revises rules regarding leases and consent letters for special events issued by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, including their duration and associated fees. It also prohibits other local government entities from imposing their own requirements or fees for groundwater well installation and abandonment, and clarifies that development permits issued by counties or municipalities do not guarantee state or federal permits, while also addressing development permit review processes and notice requirements for denials. Additionally, the bill expands the definition of "phosphate-related expenses" to include environmental education and the maintenance of reclaimed and county-owned environmental lands, modifies provisions for special event permits on submerged lands to allow longer durations and reconfigurations, and introduces new rules for leases of sovereignty submerged lands for marinas, boatyards, and marine retailers, including discounts for public access and Clean Marina designations. It also exempts certain private residential docks from lease fees based on their size and shoreline frontage, modifies general permits for public marina facilities and mooring fields, and clarifies the process for competing water use applications and permit modifications. The bill also updates notification methods for water shortage restrictions, streamlines the regulation of water wells by centralizing permitting with water management districts or delegated local entities, and exempts certain farm ponds and activities from wetland regulations, while also providing specific exemptions for independent water control districts. Furthermore, it increases the authorized spending for preapproved advanced cleanup work and clarifies the scope of private causes of action for damages related to pollution, defines "beneficiary" for stormwater utility fees, and modifies air pollution operation permit fees and reporting requirements, including a change in the payment deadline. It also establishes new rules for the quality assurance of field procedures and laboratory methods used in water pollution compliance, allows counties and municipalities to charge beneficiaries for stormwater utility fees and collect delinquent payments, and provides legal recourse for recovered materials dealers against violations of regulations. Finally, the bill makes minor adjustments to seawall restoration regulations, creates a new permit for special events related to submerged land leases, adds interstate natural gas pipelines to an expedited permitting process, and ratifies specific lease agreements for Everglades restoration purposes.