Florida Statutes
Part VI - Water Supply; Water Treatment Plants (Ss. 403.850-403.892)
403.861 - Department; powers and duties.

(1) Administer and enforce the provisions of this act and all rules and orders adopted, issued, or made effective hereunder.
(2) Enter into agreements, contracts, or cooperative arrangements, under such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, with other local, state, federal, or interstate agencies; municipalities; political subdivisions; educational institutions; or other organizations or persons.
(3) Receive financial and technical assistance from the Federal Government and other public or private agencies.
(4) Participate in related programs conducted by federal agencies, other states, interstate agencies, or other public or private agencies or organizations.
(5) Establish adequate fiscal controls and accounting procedures to assure proper disbursement of, and accounting for, funds appropriated or otherwise provided for the purpose of carrying out provisions of this act.
(6) Delegate those responsibilities and duties deemed appropriate for the purpose of administering requirements of this act.
(7) Issue permits for constructing, altering, extending, or operating a public water system, based upon the size of the system, type of treatment provided by the system, or population served by the system, including issuance of an annual operation license.
(a) The department may issue a permit for a public water system based upon review of a preliminary design report or plans and specifications, a completed permit application form, and other required information as set forth in department rule, including receipt of an appropriate fee. The department may require a fee in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of viewing and acting upon any application for the construction and operation of a public water supply system and the costs of surveillance and other field services associated with any permit issued, but the amount in no case shall exceed $15,000. The fee schedule shall be adopted by rule based on a sliding scale relating to the size, type of treatment, or population served by the system that is proposed by the applicant.
(b) Each public water system that operates in this state shall submit annually to the department an operation license fee, separate from and in addition to any permit application fees required under paragraph (a), in an amount established by department rule. The amount of each fee shall be reasonably related to the size of the public water system, type of treatment, population served, amount of source water used, or any combination of these factors, but the fee may not be less than $50 or greater than $7,500. Public water systems shall pay annual operation license fees at a time and in a manner prescribed by department rule.

(8) Initiate rulemaking to increase each drinking water permit application fee authorized under s. 403.087(7) and this part and adopted by rule to ensure that such fees are increased to reflect, at a minimum, any upward adjustment in the Consumer Price Index compiled by the United States Department of Labor, or similar inflation indicator, since the original fee was established or most recently revised.
(a) The department shall establish by rule the inflation index to be used for this purpose. The department shall review the drinking water permit application fees authorized under s. 403.087(7) and this part at least once every 5 years and shall adjust the fees upward, as necessary, within the established fee caps to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index or similar inflation indicator. In the event of deflation, the department shall consult with the Executive Office of the Governor and the Legislature to determine whether downward fee adjustments are appropriate based on the current budget and appropriation considerations. The department shall also review the drinking water operation license fees established pursuant to paragraph (7)(b) at least once every 5 years to adopt, as necessary, the same inflationary adjustments provided for in this subsection.
(b) The minimum fee amount shall be the minimum fee prescribed in this section, and such fee amount shall remain in effect until the effective date of fees adopted by rule by the department.

(9) Adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of this act.
(10) Review and approve record drawings prior to allowing operation of any new, altered, or extended public water system for which a valid permit has been issued under subsection (7).
(11) Establish and maintain laboratories for radiological, microbiological, and chemical analyses of water samples from public water systems, if the department determines that an additional laboratory capability beyond that provided by the Department of Health is necessary.
(12) Plan, develop, and coordinate program activities for the management and implementation of the state primary and secondary drinking water regulations, including taking sanitary surveys.
(13) Collect and disseminate information and conduct educational and training programs relating to drinking water and public water systems.
(14) Conduct data management activities to maintain essential records needed for administration of the public water system supervision program and for submission to the administrator, including the maintenance of an inventory for all public water systems.
(15) Establish and collect fees for conducting state laboratory analyses as may be necessary, to be collected and used by either the department or the Department of Health in conducting its public water supply laboratory functions.
(16) Require suppliers of water to collect samples of water as required by state primary drinking water regulations, to submit such samples to an appropriate laboratory for analysis, and to keep sampling records as required under the federal act and make such records available to the department upon request.
(17) Require suppliers of water to submit periodic operating reports and testing data which the department determines are reasonably necessary to ascertain the adequacy of water supply systems. The information may include raw water data to determine whether additional treatment will be required to ensure that water at the consumer’s tap meets applicable drinking water standards and action levels.
(18) Issue such orders as may be necessary to effectuate the intent and purposes of this act.
(19) Assist state and local agencies in the determination and investigation of suspected waterborne disease outbreaks, including diseases associated with chemical contaminants.
(20) Encourage public involvement and participation in the planning and implementation of the state public water system supervisory plans.

(21)(a) Upon issuance of a construction permit to construct a new public water system drinking water treatment facility to provide potable water supply using a surface water that, at the time of the permit application, is not being used as a potable water supply, and the classification of which does not include potable water supply as a designated use, the department shall add treated potable water supply as a designated use of the surface water segment in accordance with s. 403.061(30)(b).
(b) For existing public water system drinking water treatment facilities that use a surface water as a treated potable water supply, which surface water classification does not include potable water supply as a designated use, the department shall add treated potable water supply as a designated use of the surface water segment in accordance with s. 403.061(30)(b).

History.—s. 12, ch. 77-337; s. 165, ch. 79-400; s. 46, ch. 86-186; s. 40, ch. 91-305; s. 107, ch. 98-200; s. 170, ch. 99-8; s. 6, ch. 2001-270; s. 20, ch. 2008-150; s. 35, ch. 2016-1; s. 71, ch. 2019-3; s. 49, ch. 2020-150.