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Septic Tank Inspection Requirement May Be Delayed
November 5, 2010
Republican legislative leaders said Thursday they want to delay the implementation of a new septic tank inspection requirement for six months to give lawmakers time to revisit it following complaints about its cost.
The inspection requirement, passed earlier this year as part of legislation (SB 550) meant to help keep springs clean, has been criticized by rural lawmakers who said the cost will present a hardship.
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville and Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna have already said they’ll file legislation in the spring seeking to repeal it.
But in the meantime, incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said Thursday that lawmakers could pass legislation during a one-day veto special session later this month to delay the requirement until July.
Beginning January 1, the bill as it stands would require inspections of the state’s 2.6 million septic tanks once every five years by 2016.
“I am grateful for the leadership of President Designate Mike Haridopolos and Speaker Designate Dean Cannon for recognizing the concerns of the citizens of Florida and especially Northwest Florida,” Gaetz said in a statement. “By delaying the implementation of this harmful mandate, it will give Representative Coley and me the opportunity to present the case for the complete repeal in March.”
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Pictured top: Incoming legislative leaders Sen. Mike Haridopolos and Rep. Dean Cannon address the press Thursday in Tallahassee. Photos by John Kennedy for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
20 Responses to “Septic Tank Inspection Requirement May Be Delayed”
With my surprise I received a call from a septic tank company in another county. They suggesed I purchase their product at 3 payments of $49.75 to go ahead and clean my septic tank so I would pass the new state Septic Tank law. I asked the caller how she got my name. She stated her company had purchased a list of names. I asked her who sold her company this list? She would not tell me. I would like to know who is selling names of property owners that own septic tanks? This should be against the law. Besides I am on a no call list. How much more is the state going to drain property owners during these hard times?
Not too long ago, I had my septic tank overhauled or whatever they did. I know they put in larger pipes. They sure made a mess, and did not clean up afterwards. Also, the owner operator was seeing how close he could get to his workers with the big machinery. He was practicing for some contest.
After I moved here the tank was replaced because a power line truck fell in it.. The govt. needs to go after the septic tank companies, not the citizens. I had read up on septic systems before the septic co. came out. I had read how this is SUPPOSED to be done. I can tell you that the length of time is would take to actually do it correctly is MUCH more than the 30 minutes it took to “install” the new tank. It doesn’t do any good trying to be responsible citizens, when the “professionals” don’t do their job correctly. Someone needs to check out how the Septic Tank Companies do there job.
The government becomes more and more criminal. This is NOT the America in which I grew up.
If septic companies are already calling, watch out for scams…….
This is blantantly a law aimed at making septic tank companies rich, securing jobs for state and county employees, and forcing current tank owners to convert to a local wastewater collection provider, such as you guessed it, Escambia County Utilities Authority now known as Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. You would think after bilking the taxpayers for their multimillion dollar plant, that would be enough, nope, they want it all, this is the type of legislation they are busy in Tallahassee working on all the time behind closed doors. For the last 20 years they have been finding ways to attack the small utilities and private well in Northwest Fl., they want the water in this area in northern Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties so bad, they will try any trickery to get it. Wake up Northwest Fl, the Giant is on the prowl and looking for something to eat, we had better make sure we hold our politicians liable and keep this bill off the books.
I have already had 2 calls from “Septic Tank Companies” asking me about my septic tank and I don’t even own the home I live in.
How did these companies get my phone#? I just told them I don’t need their service and ended the call, but was amazed that all of a sudden I am getting calls from companies.
Is there anyone else out there getting these calls?
Its nothing more than do it
IF they want to.
I have four houses and two mobile homes that will have to be inspected. My parents worked all their lives for these things. We have paid a ton of taxes thru the years on our properties. If they want inspections let the property taxes pay for it. Everyone’s property value went down but not the taxes and I’m for the fire protection, we do need to support our fire departments they do great work when we need them. Some of the people who passed the bill have no clue of the everyday living. Yes, the bill needs to be stopped.
Jim-what state do you live in, I’d love to read more about your state’s program and regulations? Water treatment plants are very expensive to build and to operate, and that cost burden belongs to the taxpayers. There are now so many contaminants that the treatment process isn’t removing from the water when it is treated, such as pharmaceutical drugs and many bacteria and heavy metals, that is causing health concerns for the public. The pharmaceutical problem could be resolved if there were a drug disposal program of some sort that would allow citizens to take old or unwanted medication to pharmacies for disposal in medical waste containers so that they can be disposed of properly instead of being flushed down into the waste water system, whether it is septic or city service it still ends up in the streams and waterways and treatment plants.
It was announced 3 or 4 weeks ago that the septic system clauses of the bill was going to be looked at again, so why all the microphones and another announcement now??
Thanks Jim the best info. I heard here. You should run for office.
Repeal this unnecessary law. If we need our septic tank cleaned we will do it. What are the alternatives? NONE! We will never see a sewer line in our area.
If these politicians remotely have a brain in their heads, they will listen to the voters complaints and get this inspection requirement delayed and done away with. How many more different scenereos are these politicians going to find in order to come up with money out of our pockets, not theirs to pay for all the stupid decisions and mistakes that Congress has made these last 5 years?
ENOUGH ALREADY…geeze, give us a break!
In my state many areas said people are not taking care of their systems so they have been writing laws that tanks be pumped every 2 years which doubles/triples the cost of pumping and used environmental and health concerns as the reason. In our neighborhood we got in front of it before they can write those laws; we negotiated with the septic contractors as a group.
We got one failing system replaced at half price and all the other systems are getting risers/lids, and filters for the tank and washing machines at cost which makes them code compliant and reduces failures. We pay $50 a year to have a contractor inspect our tanks and only pump if needed (they make more on the inspections than pumping).
Now when they try mandating inspections/pumping or want to build a treatment plant and hand us a bill for $30,000 to $60,000 (they sell these plants by NOT telling you the total costs) we can tell them, “We are already taking care of the problem and are not going to let you spend millions of our tax dollars on something we don’t need.”
Don’t expect someone sitting in an office or with a hidden agenda (a multimillion dollar treatment plant and the development that goes with it) to look out for YOUR best interests, but you need to do it smart and do it yourself.
REPEAL THIS STUPID AND ILL-CONCEIVED BILL!
Here’s a thought: if they want to inspect septic tanks, how about inspecting all those old leaky sewer lines all over the state of Florida?????
Email and call your representatives and let them know how you feel about this! A signed petition will go to Don Gaetz shortly. If you don’t want a bad law then work to remove it! As the old saying goes” the squeaky wheel gets the oil”. Sometimes the voters need to be a “squeaky wheel”!
Don’t just delay it, and study it , kill it.
When something works they figure out how to mess it up. Less Gov. Less Gov.
We voted a bunch of socialist leaning folks out of office. I have faith that the message we sent will be heard by all politicians. This may be the first test…
“… could pass legislation during a one-day veto special session…” Yea, and I have some ocean front property in Arizona that I’ll sell you real cheap too. In other words, don’t count on it and get your check books ready.