Department of Health; public water supply duties and responsibilities; coordinated budget requests with department.
F.S. 403.862
in effect(1)
Recognizing that supervision and control of county health departments of the Department of Health is retained by the State Surgeon General, and that public health aspects of the state public water supply program require joint participation in the program by the Department of Health and its units and the department, the Department of Health shall:
(a)
Establish and maintain laboratories for the conducting of radiological, microbiological, and chemical analyses of water samples from public water systems, which are submitted to such laboratories for analysis. Copies of the reports of such analyses and quarterly summary reports shall be submitted to the appropriate department district or subdistrict office.
(b)
Require each county health department to:
1.
Collect such water samples for analysis as may be required by the terms of this act, from public water systems within its jurisdiction. The duty to collect such samples may be shared with the appropriate department district or subdistrict office and shall be coordinated by field personnel involved.
2.
Submit the collected water samples to the appropriate laboratory for analysis.
3.
Maintain reports of analyses for its own records.
4.
Conduct complaint investigation of public water systems to determine compliance with federal, state, and local standards and permit compliance.
5.
Notify the appropriate department district or subdistrict office of potential violations of federal, state, and local standards and permit conditions by public water systems and assist the department in enforcement actions with respect to such violations to the maximum extent practicable.
6.
Review and evaluate laboratory analyses of water samples from private water systems.
(c)
Require those county health departments designated by the Department of Health and approved by the department as having qualified sanitary engineering staffs and available legal resources, in addition to the duties prescribed in paragraph (b), to:
1.
Review, evaluate, and approve or disapprove each application for the construction, modification, or expansion of a public water system to determine compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. A copy of the completed permit application and a report of the final action taken by the county health department shall be forwarded to the appropriate department district office.
2.
Review, evaluate, and approve or disapprove applications for the expansion of distribution systems. Written notification of action taken on such applications shall be forwarded to the appropriate department district or subdistrict office.
3.
Maintain inventory, operational, and bacteriological records and carry out monitoring, surveillance, and sanitary surveys of public water systems to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
4.
Participate in educational and training programs relating to drinking water and public water systems.
5.
Enforce the provisions of this part and rules adopted under this part.
(d)
Require those county health departments designated by the Department of Health as having the capability of performing bacteriological analyses, in addition to the duties prescribed in paragraph (b), to:
1.
Perform bacteriological analyses of water samples submitted for analysis.
2.
Submit copies of the reports of such analyses to the appropriate department district or subdistrict office.
(e)
Make available to the central and branch laboratories funds sufficient, to the maximum extent possible, to carry out the public water supply functions and responsibilities required of such laboratories as provided in this section.
(f)
Have general supervision and control over all private water systems and all public water systems not otherwise covered or included in this part. This shall include the authority to adopt and enforce rules, including definitions of terms, to protect the health, safety, or welfare of persons being served by all private water systems and all public water systems not otherwise covered by this part.
(g)
Assist state and local agencies in the determination and investigation of suspected waterborne disease outbreaks, including diseases associated with chemical contaminants.
(h)
Upon request, consult with and advise any county or municipal authority as to water supply activities.
(2)
Funds appropriated to support activities of county health departments of the Department of Health pursuant to this act shall be deposited to the County Health Department Trust Fund and used exclusively for the purposes of this act.
(3)
The Department of Health and the department shall coordinate their respective budget requests to ensure that sufficient funding is provided to the Department of Health in order that it may carry out its public water supply functions and responsibilities as provided in this section. In the event the Department of Health lacks sufficient funds in any fiscal year to the extent that it is unable adequately to carry out its public water supply duties, an interagency agreement may be entered into between the two departments in order to remedy administratively, either through the transfer of funds or of services, the lack of sufficient public water supply funds within the Department of Health.
(4)
If the department determines that a county health department or other unit of the Department of Health is not performing its public water supply responsibilities satisfactorily, the secretary of the department shall certify such determination in writing to the State Surgeon General. The State Surgeon General shall evaluate the determination of the department and shall inform the secretary of the department of his or her evaluation. Upon concurrence, the State Surgeon General shall take immediate corrective action.
(5)
Nothing in this section shall serve to negate the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the State Surgeon General relating to the protection of the public from the spread of communicable disease, epidemics, and plagues.
(6)
No county health department may be designated and approved unless it can carry out all functions of the drinking water program. Each year, the department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, shall review approved county health departments to determine continued qualification for approved status. To receive and maintain approved status, a county health department shall meet the following criteria and other reasonable and necessary requirements established by the department for its district offices:
(a)
The staff shall be under the direction of a qualified individual who is a registered professional engineer in Florida pursuant to chapter 471.
(b)
The county health department shall have sufficient legal resources to carry out the requirements of this part.
(7)
Fees and penalties received from suppliers of water pursuant to ss. 403.860(3), (4), and (5) and 403.861(7)(a) in counties where county health departments have been approved by the department pursuant to paragraph (1)(c) shall be deposited in the appropriate County Health Department Trust Fund to be used for the purposes stated in paragraph (1)(c).
Source: FL Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/Chapter403/AllFetched: 7/8/2026