Florida Statutes
Part II - Secondary Metals Recyclers (Ss. 538.18-538.28)
538.18 - Definitions.

(1) “Appropriate law enforcement official” means the sheriff of the county in which a secondary metals recycler is located or, if the secondary metals recycler is located within a municipality, the police chief of the municipality in which the secondary metals recycler is located; however, the sheriff or police chief may designate as the appropriate law enforcement official for the county or municipality, as applicable, any law enforcement officer working within that respective county or municipality. This subsection does not limit the authority or duties of the sheriff.
(2) “Department” means the Department of Revenue.
(3) “Ferrous metals” means any metals containing significant quantities of iron or steel.
(4) “Fixed location” means any site occupied by a secondary metals recycler as owner of the site or as lessee of the site under a lease or other rental agreement providing for occupation of the site by the secondary metals recycler for a total duration of not less than 364 days.
(5) “Money” means a medium of exchange authorized or adopted by a domestic or foreign government as part of its currency.
(6) “Nonferrous metals” means metals not containing significant quantities of iron or steel, including, without limitation, copper, brass, aluminum, bronze, lead, zinc, nickel, and alloys thereof, excluding precious metals subject to regulation under part I.
(7) “Personal identification card” means a valid Florida driver license, a Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, an equivalent form of identification issued by another state, a passport, or an employment authorization issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services that contains an individual’s photograph and current address.
(8) “Purchase transaction” means a transaction in which a secondary metals recycler gives consideration for regulated metals property.
(9) “Regulated metals property” means any item composed primarily of any nonferrous metals. The term does not include aluminum beverage containers, used beverage containers, or similar beverage containers; however, the term includes stainless steel beer kegs and items made of ferrous metal obtained from any restricted regulated metals property.
(10) “Restricted regulated metals property” means any regulated metals property listed in s. 538.26(5)(b) the sale of which is restricted as provided in s. 538.26(5)(a).
(11) “Secondary metals recycler” means any person who:
(a) Is engaged, from a fixed location, in the business of purchase transactions or gathering or obtaining ferrous or nonferrous metals that have served their original economic purpose or is in the business of performing the manufacturing process by which ferrous metals or nonferrous metals are converted into raw material products consisting of prepared grades and having an existing or potential economic value; or
(b) Has facilities for performing the manufacturing process by which ferrous metals or nonferrous metals are converted into raw material products consisting of prepared grades and having an existing or potential economic value, other than by the exclusive use of hand tools, by methods including, without limitation, processing, sorting, cutting, classifying, cleaning, baling, wrapping, shredding, shearing, or changing the physical form or chemical content thereof.

(12) “Utility” means a public utility or electric utility as defined in s. 366.02 or a person, firm, corporation, association, or political subdivision, whether private, municipal, county, or cooperative, that is engaged in the sale, generation, provision, or delivery of gas, electricity, heat, water, oil, sewer service, or telephone, telegraph, radio, telecommunications, or communications service.
History.—s. 2, ch. 89-533; s. 1, ch. 90-192; s. 6, ch. 90-318; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 94, ch. 2004-5; s. 1, ch. 2008-69; s. 3, ch. 2012-179.