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Under Fire: New Law Requires Septic Tank Inspections
August 11, 2010
A new Florida law that requires septic tank inspections is coming under fire as being too expensive in a tight economy.
Florida Senator Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee and a candidate for Congress, sent a letter to Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, asking that legislation to repeal the requirement be brought up if lawmakers return later this year to address economic issues.
Most homes in North Escambia, except those in Century, have septic tanks. Lawson claims the new septic tank inspections could set homeowners back as much as $500 every five years.
“Tallahassee simply cannot impose such a high financial burden on homeowners at this time,” he said. “To do so would likely push a great many of them over the edge.”
There are 2.6 million known septic tanks in the state and the Department of Health said at least 15 percent aren’t adequately keeping sewage out of groundwater. Constantine said only 17,000 were inspected last year. The new requirement would be phased in starting next year, but many people wouldn’t be required to have an inspection for a few years.
Lawson said he is worried that most people on septic systems live in rural areas, and many of them tend to be poor.
“We hear the Republicans talking a lot about government ‘living within its means,’” Lawson said. “They need to stop forcing Florida homeowners to live beyond theirs.”
The sponsor of the springs legislation, Sen. Lee Constantine, said inspections, which will be phased in, will cost less because of the requirement – which will cause inspection companies to jump in number, with the resulting competition driving prices down. A number of them will likely be aggressive in offering deals to get the business, he said.
“We will be protecting Florida waters, that is something people are forgetting about – so we continue to have economic development and growth,” said Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs.
By David Royse
The News Service Florida
Comments
45 Responses to “Under Fire: New Law Requires Septic Tank Inspections”
Petition? Does anyone have one to repeal this “law”? I will be the first one to sign! I purchased my home over a year ago in Florida, believing that would be my retirement nest and ALL I have experienced since moving to this state is one big government con man after another telling me I have to pay and pay and pay and now this! Having owned property in the West and the Northeast throughout my life, I can without reservation say that Florida is a SWAMP in many more ways than the obvious. I am on a fixed income and do NOT want my front yard dug up for an “inspection” of my septic system…thank you..if you want to dig it up YOU PAY FOR IT!!!!!!!!!
Let’s DO something please…….
you got to be kidding. during a bad economic time where people are trying to get a job and just survive, plus all the seniors we have on fixed incomes..we cant let this happen..when the house is inspected but the family cant afford to fix it at that time..what happens..they wont be allowed to live in their house they work so many years to have..this stinks for sure…lets stop this and remember the people that are doing this..and not vote for them…
My friends, please let our reps know how stupid and invasive this new law is. After all, who is going to take care of your property better than you, the lawmakers? I will be sending a letter to all involved, such as my congressmen (or in my case congresswomen), senitor and so on. You should to. Good luck and get writing.
They will send the SWAT team to your house to enforce not having the $35 per year tax stamp for the septic tank. Never vote for an incumbant. We must get our government back and feed these demented legislaters into a meat grinder.
You cannot rehabilitate or change this thinking. Remove and replace!
I see most of the Democrats are blaming the Republicans for this asinine law. I am a registered Republican and have been since the early fifties, I always thought that the Republicans were the most intelligent of the two parties. However I cannot imagine the most illiterate of the Democrats voting for such a stupid unfair discriminatory law as this one. Many of the rural folk are striving frantically to keep their head above water now in this failed economy! And to have some inept politicians burden them with such a boondoggle as this is just totally uncaring and unreasonable.This law must be repealed! And perhaps “we the people” ought to demand a referendum vote on every law that passes the legislators, if they are so indifferent to the plight those whom they are hired to serve. This law is so bad it had to be enacted with very few of those affected by it knowing it was even being considered! Picking the pockets of the country folks is a poor way to attempt to stir up the economy. WE DO NEED TO KNOW THE NAMES OF EVERY ONE WHO APPROVES OF THIS BOONDOGGLE!
What kind of inspection?? Going through the top of the eptic tak will only show if the leech field is draining properly or show there is too much sediment that needs to be removed. This WILL NOT show if the fluid are getting into the water system.. Sounds like a typical knee-jerk reaction for the tree-huggers.
If you taxpayers think this is awful,check out the numeric nutrient criteria limits imposed by EPA for wastewater facilities only in the state of Florida.And how many millions it is going to cost,this figure is astronomical,singling out Florida,with really no solution to meet this requirement.People, this is one of the biggest mistakes ever by our inept leaders!
In other words scream at everyone who will listen people.
This whole issue is CRAP!
Seriously
I want a list of all who voted for this stupid rip off so as to make sure the general public knows who put this in place with not a word about it in the news . just make certain it will be held against each of them in the next election.
I am glad to see that almost all agree that we don’t need septic tank inspection every 5 years. Most people take care of their own when it needs it. The ones that don’t probably don’t have the funds to have it done. This would just be another burden on all of us that live in rural areas. We are all already stretched to the limit in these hard economic times. The people need to let their voices be herd. Send e-mails, tell friends, and do everything in their power to let the politicians know that we don’t need this law.
Inspections will inevitably lead to costly work on the your system. Pump it, clean it, test it, reline it, sanitize it, stop leaks, replace spray fields, replace it, improve it, enhance it, re-pipe it, re-locate it, re-inspect it, etc… This is a money maker for a friend of Constantine and it will inevitably lead to unnecessary repairs and higher fees and governmental intrusion. What was he thinking? Why was he thinking?
Gas stations were recently required to replace their tanks with double lined ones; septics will be next. Of course we need to assure reasonably safety. But a law that requires open-ended inspections will absolutely lead to more issues and philosophical concerns.
You none thinkers who see this as a “service” are too shallow to see what is really going to happen. The inspectors will need to become educated or trained…who pays for that? What standards? Whose standards? Is this a new Florida industry? Prices will only RISE; not fall. It’s a gold mine for entrepreneurs who have NO STATE GUIDELINES for fees and services.
Constantine needs stay out of other peoples crap. Is he the precursor of a new crap police patrol? What motivates people like this to make others spend their money in such an ill-conceived, undefined, open-ended manner? This guy needs to go back to the drawing board or stay home for our benefit!
Heard about this law from someone in Leon County and researched it on the inet and found this site. THIS LAW STINKS! But, I believe some good comes out of bad so maybe, just maybe, enough folks will be UPSET by this devious tax that they will get off their laurels and work to remove the sewage (any legislator voting yes on this law) from our representative government body.
First, contact all your local County Commissioners to protest, and if enough folks do that in your county, they might just send a letter of their own to the State.
Second, acquire a list of all the “yes” legislators’ names and send each one your personal opposition to this legislation and advise each you take your voting very seriously.
Third, contact as many friends and family members to inform them of this law, and ask them to do the same.
The government belongs to ALL the people, so take it back by being involved.
Another move by our “No Big Government, No More Taxes” Republican controlled Legislature.
Let’s see
Is there any other thing as a government that we can use to make
people pull more money from their pockets.
sewage in the ground water
baa hum bug
SEWAGE IN OUR GOVERNMENT NOW THERES THE TRUTH………
William, how about a roll call on who voted for this from our area? Did Greg Evers vote for this?
Just what we need more government. God help us!
A Tax is a Tax, and when 1 JAN 11 rolls around we’ll see EVERYONE’s taxes take a big hike – so much for campaign promises.
Call it an “Inspection Fee” or call it a “Pretty Bird”, but if the State makes homeowners pay it whether they want to or not, and it is a “TAX”…any day now I hope that voters learn a little insight, but I am frequently disappointed in that hope…public education is the greatest disappointment of all and the root cause of an “educated and informed electorate” electing people clearly unqualified and undeserving to hold high office.
What stinks about this (pun intended) is that some of us are on septic because our county didn’t want to spend the money to make sanitary sewer lines available to us. I live in a relatively new neighborhood (less than ten years old) and tapping onto sanitary sewer wasn’t and still isn’t an option for us because there are no sanitary sewer lines near us.
I really can’t see how requiring septic tank owners to get an inspection every five years will keep the cost down. All about supply and demand – if companies know that people *have* to have the inspections they will charge whatever they want to charge because they know that people will have to pay it.
Sen. Lee Constantine lives in Altamonte Springs approximately 25 miles from Disney World, he most likely will never see places like Bratt, Bluff Springs, Walnut Hill, Bogia, Two Egg, Byrneville,Jay, etc. He is on a septic system and is not really concerned about what one has to pay out of pocket as long as it is not coming from his pocket. We can all make a difference by getting out and vote.
jj
The legislators should be inspected, they are more full of crap than the septic systems.
$500 covers 5 years. And yes sewage bills run about $30-50 on average. I myself am on septic and don’t mind having an inspection, but the last one I had two years ago—was only $250…… So where are they getting the figure of $500???? I believe we should be having septic inspections as to keep the waters as safe as possible, I would like for them to still be safe when I have grandkids. We have a fixed income, but not everything in life is free, you do have to maintain the things you buy–septic included. They are supposed to be pumped every 5 years anyway, but it seems the only time anyone pumps it is when it is already leaking out everywhere and the toilet no longer flushes….. Eeeewwwww…..
Mr Mayfield. No one pays to pump out or repair my septic tank but me, We (owners) are responsible for them. I used to be on sewage at our old house but never saw something like that on my bill.
Plus I have never heard of someones septic tank leaking into the public water supply or recreational waters, as often as reports for ther City of Pensacola sewage. Especially near Texar.
They just want us to pay for sewage when we are not even connected. Which is completely wrong. NO SEWAGE SERVICE, NO CHARGE!!
Would you want to have pay a land line phone tax knowing you only use a cell phone? No of course you would not.
THIS is the kind of political activism I can endorse— visual, visceral, and it makes a valid point by fusing the subject w/the object.
MM on August 11th, 2010 2:08 pmIf the Florida legislators pass this, I say we all take a dump on the Capital steps in protest of this new tax / regulation / fee.
If the Florida legislators pass this, I say we all take a dump on the Capital steps in protest of this new tax / regulation / fee.
It’s not a tax. This new law privatizes what is now a government service, and you can bet that NOBODY is paying enough taxes to pay for the health department to receive $500 for each and every septic tank that they inspect. Does the health department inspector have an incentive to find or create a problem with your septic tank because he could make another $1000 to do so? Of course not. I’ve had my septic system inspected before, and it took less than 15 minutes. So now, the guy that is going to inspect the systems is also the guy that’s gonna fix it. Nice.
JustAnOldSoldier wrote: – just look at what’s ahead for all of us when the Federal Tax cut expire
All of us, Soldier? No. A tax rate on people with TAXABLE income (after deductions) of over $250,000 will expire. That the top 3%. You pay your share of the cost of running this country, why can’t they?
Just to keep everybody on the same page, it says every five years, that’s 60 months. If it were $500 each time as Lawson’s upper limit claims, that would be the equivalent of $8.33 per month. Somebody local would start inspections at a lower rate, don’t know how much lower, but they would.
David wondering
at what the inspection would involve
REGARDING:
“The governor was infuriated and immediately struck down the law. ”
Governor can veto bill when presented to him, not after it becomes a law. It was a bad law, though. I remember having a vehicle rejected but they had to write in what they were flunking it for. All the required systems were working perfectly.
Who will benefit. The septic tank operaters who are already in business. I seriously doubt anyone will go to all the trouble and start up costs to buy the pumper trucks just to cash in on this” Bonanza” Talk to your tank people and they will tell you they should be pumped every 5 years anyway.
$500.00 a year is $41.67 a month.
Why would “companies” be doing these inspections? Currently the county health departments inspect septic tanks and leach fields. That would be because the Republicans have created another rabbit hole for us to cram our money down that will go to a private nest that connects to all the other rabbit holes they have dug, that’s why. Oh, and when sewage from a septic system leaks into ground water the problem is the leach field, correct? The republican party has allowed itself to become servants to Mammon (money/wealth/greed), or perhaps it is that servants to Mammon have taken positions in the republican party. They have run our state government into debt higher than we can count and they intend to do the same thing to us. If they are so concerned about ground water, one would think that they would first address the biggest contributor to that problem which is storm water runoff. They have darn near allowed the entire state to be paved, then they sit around scratching their heads trying to figure out where all the storm water runoff is coming from.
I won’t question the dubious parentage of State Senator Lee Constantine, but I do question his ability to predict the future.
This is a TAX on people that are too rural to be hooked into an city sewage system or cannot afford to hook into one.
One Hundred dollars a year, five hundred every five. Did they think we wouldn’t notice? And TAXES rarely get less expensive – just look at what’s ahead for all of us when the Federal Tax cut expire in the middle of this second Great Depression (A Recession under 0bama is a Depression and he’s the “Root Cause”).
Increasing taxes in THIS economy for any reason is ludicrious, and counter-productive. This is a small picture of what the Environmentalist Wackos, the RINOS, and the Democrats have in store for us if they win in November.
And it took a Too-Tan-Charlie Tuna to sign the bill into law. If he gets into the Senate all we’ll get is tax, tax, tax and spend, spend, spend. Enough is enough.
Repeal this TAX on hard working Floridians!
Repeal it NOW!
I would like to say upto 500.00 a year comes out to 8.33 per month to ensure septic systems are working properly. I don’t know about anyone else but when I let my children swim in a lake, I like the peace of mind that they are not swimming in fesces. How much is that worth? With less than 25% of Florida’s population on septic, it maybe a better idea to look at saving tax payers money that by evaluating the sewer systems connected to utilities. I know my sewer bill is greater than 45.00 dollars per month. There is a mechanism in the bill to help the poor that are on septic.
Yes I do remember those hidious vehicle inspections, and this too is flippin stupid!! Some of the comments made that only poor people have septic tanks it so discrimatory that someone needs to be slapped with a libel suit.
Who proposed the law?
What does it actually say?
Why was there no mention of it in the news when it was being debated?
the big picture here is someones got a brother in law who is in the septic tank business and times are a litle hard on the family bizniz, so lets create a money train for me and my brother in law. probly only a certian type truck and crew can be used!! just so happens they own that certian type equipment…aint nothing new in govt. corruption!!!!!!!!
would someone please post the statute number of this law so i can read it. tried to find it but was not successful. from the above article, the law sounds like a regressive tax imposed only on rural residents that have septic systems. many elderly people living on fixed (and really fixed) incomes can not come up with money for septic tank inspections every few years. on the surface, this sounds like bad legislation that was lobbied for by septic tank contractors and others who wish to line thier pockets on the backs of a few tax paying people that do not want to live in a crowded city. i hope after i read the law it makes sense but on the surface it does not sound like it will.
Most of you that are 30 years or more will remember when we had that awful vehicle inspection. Well do you remember that an aide brought the Governors RV down for an annual inspection and it failed miserably. Seems the shops were finding all sort of things wrong with the vehicles so they could run the bill as high as possible and they had the authority to ground the vehicle. Well guess what! The governor was infuriated and immediately struck down the law. Now wait till one of these legislators or the governor has a problem with a septic tank at their hideaway or hunting camp and you will see this disgusting law fall beside the wayside.
Sen. Constantine isn’t clueless about the economy, but he apparently thinks the general public is. Terri Sanders is right. Someone will start a business and benefit directly from this legislation. The senator’s suggestion that a government requirement will drive down prices is his poor attempt at “political spin”. Who decided to set the inspection fee at $500? What is that amount based on? Let’s say it takes 2 men with 1 truck for the inspection. The work takes 4 hours. (That sounds like a long time to me, but hey, we’re being generous here because it’s the taxpayers’ money.) Let’s pay these men $25/hour (again, very generous for this county). That’s $200 for labor. If the workers drive from a shop in Pensacola, let’s estimate 100 miles round-trip at the current IRS approved mileage rate of 50 cents per mile. That’s $50 for truck charges. The inspection paperwork is returned to the office where it has to be forwarded to some reporting agency. Let’s say that takes another hour and we’ll pay the office clerk $25/hour (laughable in this county). We’re still only up to a total of $275. If the work crew completes more than 1 inspection per day, they don’t really need to charge the full mileage amount for each customer, so their cost will actually be lower than estimated above, but hey, it’s taxpayer money, right?
I would like a list of everyone that voted for this. This way we can make sure that they are not re-elected next term. The only way to stop such crap as this is to make some major changes in government.
Another way for someone in governemnt to provide opportunities for someone they know to start up a lucrative business and make $$$$ off of those of us in the rural areas.Personally I think as a conservation issue the state ought to subsudize us to buy disntergrating toilets which use no water,put off no effluents.Conservation at it’s best.
We are going to punished for not being on sewage. Just because we are not putting money in their pockets, they are going to get it from us this way.
So what are they going to do for us in return? What is in it for us? Absolutely nothing of course.
SCAM SCAM SCAMMERS !!!!!
people will start using–outside on ground if can’t afford this. what is wrong here. people r struggling now. rich get richer,poor get poorer. no wonder people r going over the deep end.
OUTDOOR TOILETS, what a concept. Used one for many years. Do not believe that septic tanks is polluting the ground water, compared to the factories pollutants, concrete & asphalt streets and highways, oil companies, gas stations, farms, dairies, etc.
Is it against the law to own an use an OUTDOOR TOILET? [ Probably need permit and inspection before use. ]
Would save millions and millions and millions gallons of good clean water.
JUST A THOUGHT.
Most of the instances where they pass a law requiring certain permits, inspections,insurances, etc. the price never goes down because the companies providing the service know people must have it. Sooner or later the citizen must come knocking. I cannot recall an instance when legislating a requirement has caused the price for that item or service to drop.
Our Republican led legislature has done it again. Save the rich,sacrifice the poor and middle class.
“The sponsor of the springs legislation, Sen. Lee Constantine, said inspections, which will be phased in, will cost less because of the requirement – which will cause inspection companies to jump in number, with the resulting competition driving prices down. A number of them will likely be aggressive in offering deals to get the business, he said”
.This is fundamentally wrong. The law of “supply and deman” dictates that the prices will be forced upward. These people are totally clueless how the economy works. This alone is one reason why the debt by Govt. is so out of hand. No economic sense. BTW, a single person living alone places 1/4th of the demand on a septic system than a family of 4. This means the inspections should be done based on usage and not on a mandated greedy time limitation.
I am sick and tired of the Government telling me what I must do and to be extorted for more of my hard earned bucks. This is bad legislation unless you are a plumber.
more tax, more big government! more companies will not automatically drop prices due to competition but possibly raise prices as the article said most tanks are in rural areas. $500 is a bit steep