FRWA 2023 Legislative Report |
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Florida lawmakers pass a $117 Billion Budget
The 2023 Legislative Session came to a close at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 5 – “sine die”. The $117 billion-dollar budget includes a $1.3 billion tax package and represents a 5.5% increase over the current year’s budget. That equates to a $6 billion-dollar increase, which includes $508.8 million for drinking water, wastewater & stormwater revolving loan programs; set forth below are key provisions of the budget:
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Increased Reserves & Debt Reduction
$10.9 billion Total Reserves
- $5.3 billion General Revenue Unallocated
- $4.1 billion Budget Stabilization Fund
- $1.4 billion added to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund
- $200 million to retire outstanding state debt
Compensation & Benefits
- 5% Pay Increase for all State Employees
- Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy increase of up to $75 per month
Hurricane Relief and Recovery
- Hurricane Ian and Nicole Recovery Grant Program - $350 million
- Beach Recovery and Renourishment - $106 million
Education
- Education Capital Outlay - $1.3 billion
- School Readiness Program - $1.1 billion
- Voluntary Prekindergarten Program - $427 million
Health and Human Services
- Expand KidCare Access - $20.6 million
- Opioid Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery from Opioid Settlement Funds - $173.5 million
- Community-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Block Grants - $156.3 million
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Criminal and Civil Justice
- DOC Education Expansion - $39.3 million
- State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (S.A.F.E.) In Florida Program - $20 million
Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development
- Small Business Credit Initiatives - $170.9 million
- Florida Hometown Heroes Program - $100 million
- GR State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) - $252 million TF
- State Apartment Incentive Loan Program (SAIL) - $259 million TF
- Inflation Loan Program for SAIL - $100 million GR
Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
- Rural and Family Lands Protection Program - $100 million
- Citrus Protection and Research - $49.5 million
- Everglades Restoration - $574.6 million
- Water Quality Improvements - $1 billion
- Flood and Sea-Level Rise Program - $300 million
- Springs Restoration - $50 million
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The Florida Rural Water Association (FRWA) also scored a major legislative victory with the passage of SB 162 – Water and Wastewater Facility Operators. The bill, sponsored by Senator Jay Collins (R-14), provides water utilities with more options when hiring critical and essential workers around the state. The FRWA crafted the legislation, found bill sponsors, lobbied the bill and defended its position in committees between the House and the Senate. We had other groups and associations join the effort and many of our members provided grassroots support via letter writing campaigns and phone calls to select elected officials. This was a big win for the Association, water & wastewater consumers in Florida and will lead to future legislative endeavors. more
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$12.5 Billion Landmark Settlement
3M Over PFAS Damages is Next Win for Water Systems
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DUNCAN, OKLAHOMA – The National Rural Water Association is proud to announce another settlement in the litigation against manufacturers of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate ("PFAS"). Coming just weeks after the announcement of settlements with DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva, an agreement has been reached with 3M to pay $12.5 billion in damages for their role in PFAS manufacturing.
The settlement with 3M Company is subject to approval by Judge Richard M. Gergel, who was assigned in December 2018 to oversee the ongoing multi-district litigation (MDL) proceedings.
PFAS, also known as the "forever chemicals," are manmade, synthetic compounds that research has shown pose significant risks to the environment and human health. 3M was the only company to manufacture and sell aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) containing perfluorooctane sulfonic acid or "PFOS," a particularly insidious type of PFAS that studies have linked to an increased risk of cancer and other serious health conditions.
NRWA has created the PFAS Cost Recovery Program to help systems with PFAS treatment costs. If your system has already signed up for the program, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC will be in contact with you with next steps, which may involve more testing. If your system has not registered for the program, we encourage you to contact Napoli Shkolnik PLLC to represent your system as a trusted attorney who will fight for compensation to overcome the financial impacts of PFAS. NRWA has retained the firm to represent the Association and our members. more
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Tropical Storm Bret
• As of 11:00 AM EDT, Tropical Storm Bret was located about 235 miles west of St. Vincent and was moving westward at 21 mph.
• This motion is expected to continue through the weekend as Bret moves over the eastern and central Caribbean Sea during the next couple of days.
• Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph, and gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days. Bret is expected to dissipate over the central Caribbean Sea by Sunday.
• Bret poses no threat to Florida.
Tropical Storm Cindy
• As of 11:00 AM EDT, Tropical Storm Cindy was located about 915 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west-northwestward at 16 mph.
• A general west-northwestward motion is expected to continue over the next few days. On the forecast track, Cindy is expected to remain well east and northeast of the northern Leeward Islands through early next week.
• Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 50 mph, and some additional strengthening is forecast over the next day or so followed by gradual weakening afterward.
• Cindy poses no direct threat to Florida over the next 5-7 days, at least.
Florida Outlook
• Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms will continue through the afternoon and evening, in which some may become strong to severe during the peak heating hours of the day.
• Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms will be capable of producing frequent lightning, damaging wind gusts (45-60 mph), frequent lightning, and heavy downpours.
• Abundant moisture and saturated grounds will give way to an increased risk for localized flooding over the next couple of days – Marginal to Slight Risk (level 1-2 of 4) for Flash Flooding.
• A Flood Watch remains in effect for the Panhandle, Big Bend, and Nature Coast through this evening in anticipation of additional rounds of heavy and intense downpours will occur over already very saturated grounds.
• Additional watches and warnings may be issued as conditions warrant as scattered showers are anticipated to continue through the evening; please ensure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts!
• The next name on the list is Don.
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Millions of homes across the United States have service lines made of lead, a toxic metal that is especially dangerous to young developing brains. The only long-term solution to protect public health is to remove these lead pipes and replace them with PVC pipes.
The cost of replacement can be high, which is one reason why lead pipes haven't been replaced across the board. There are federal grants and funding that have aided in reducing the burden on utilities and consumers. As of April 2023, EPA officials estimate that there are roughly 9.2 million lead service lines in the US.
Service line inventories are the foundation from which water systems take action to address a significant source of lead in drinking water - lead service lines (LSLs). Establishing an inventory of service line materials and identifying the location of LSLs is a key step in getting them replaced and protecting public health. Lead service line replacement (LSLR) is not dependent on knowing the location of all LSLs; in fact, simultaneously developing an inventory while conducting LSLR can have many benefits. For example, systems can save costs by replacing LSLs when crews find them onsite during service line investigations. Systems can also leverage the opportunity for LSLR by seeking customer consent and private property access during service line investigation. Replacing LSLs in a safe and prompt manner while crews are in the field for inventory development provides an opportunity for public health benefits for consumers by more quickly eliminating this potential source of lead exposure from drinking water.
Given the many benefits of LSLR, EPA encourages water systems to begin LSLR as soon as possible, regardless of the stage of their inventory development.
You may be able to use the graphics below to explain questions that may arise regarding lead service lines:
The above information is an effort to assist our members with proactive messaging to your customers. The links are information that you can use in your communications with your customers.
Please contact FRWA at frwa@frwa.net with your suggestions/comments on information that you would like to see covered.
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The 2022 CCR Report Template is posted on our website. To access the information, click here. Please contact the water circuit rider in your area if you need additional assistance by calling FRWA at 850.668.2746.
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NATIONAL NEWS
The 2023 hurricane season is unlike any other with forecasters putting all faith in El Niño A feverish tropical Atlantic Ocean is doing things so rare even veteran hurricane experts are thunderstruck by its behavior this storm season, and curious — or anxious — about what will happen next. more
We’ve Pumped So Much Groundwater That We’ve Nudged The Earth’s Spin By pumping water out of the ground and moving it elsewhere, humans have shifted such a large mass of water that the Earth tilted nearly 80 centimeters (31.5 inches) east between 1993 and 2010 alone, according to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, AGU’s journal for short-format, high-impact research with implications spanning the Earth and space sciences. more
Senate Fails to Override Biden Veto of EPA Rule Change - The Messenger the Senate failed Wednesday to override President Joe Biden’s veto of a bill that would have lowered vehicle emission standards. more
Stakeholder Comment on Draft PFAS Legislation This bipartisan package seeks to improve the mitigation and remediation of PFAS contamination. The EPW Committee is seeking stakeholder comments on the draft legislation by Monday, July 3, 2023. more
PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Found in Blood of Pet Dogs, Horses | Health - The Independent New research on horses and dogs found elevated levels of PFAS “forever chemicals,” establishing horses as sentinel species. more
NRWA Rural Water Magazine Summer 2023 Highlights: Energy Efficiency, Cybersecurity, Case Studies more
Rural Water Checklist for Energy Efficiency What is your first thought when you hear the words "energy efficiency"? If you're like most people, it could be those yellow stickers that you find on appliances come to mind. more
Cybersecurity Risk Management: An Alternative Approach This nation faces ongoing cybersecurity attacks that threaten its critical infrastructure. This is true in the water and wastewater sector, and perhaps especially so in rural water systems. Despite providing a life-sustaining resource for the community, these systems are afforded only limited resources to mitigate cybersecurity risks. more
EPA to Award More than $650000 to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Support ... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $10.6 million in grant funding to help coastal and Great Lakes communities protect the health of beachgoers this summer. more
Active Shooter Preparedness Webinar July 12, 2023 @ 12 pm CST The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) invites the Water & Wastewater Sector community to join a two-hour security webinar. This webinar provides information and best practices that supports and enhances the emergency action planning capabilities of your organization. more
EPA Webinar: Understanding Water Treatment Chemical Supply Chains and the Risk of
Disruptions June 20, 2023 | 2:00 pm CDT This webinar will describe the impacts of chemical supply chain disruptions on the Water Sector and the conditions that lead to these disruptions, including case studies of disruptions that have occurred in recent years. more
EPA Region 7 to Present City of Fort Dodge, Iowa, with $500K Check for Brownfields Grant On Friday, June 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 will present a $500,000 ceremonial check to the City of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The city will host the ceremony at the City Council Chambers. more
NRWA Well-Represented in Congressional Hearings Over the recent weeks, representatives of National Rural Water Association (NRWA) have been invited to testify before House and Senate Committees regarding issues facing the water and wastewater industry. more
Joint Guide to Securing Remote Access Software Released by CISA and Partners This joint guide informs organizations how to detect and defend against malicious actors abusing this software by providing common exploitations and associated tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). more
STATE NEWS
Tropical Storm Cindy forms as Tropical Storm Bret enters Caribbean, hurricane center says Tropical Storm Cindy formed late Thursday in the Atlantic while Tropical Storm Bret made its way into the Caribbean overnight, according to the National Hurricane Center. more
With $648K From The State, Century To Begin $1.3 Million Water Well Replacement | North Escambia The Town of Century does not yet know where half the money will come from as they move forward to replace a water well that exclusively serves Century Correctional Institution. more
City to receive almost $55 million in state money | Palm Coast Observer Palm Coast will receive $54.55 million in state appropriations this year. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state's $116.5 billion budget on June 15, approving multiple allocations for Palm Coast. more
DEP Accepting Comments on Proposed Springs Resotration Funding Projects for Fiscal Year 2023-24 The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is accepting comments on the springs restoration projects under consideration for funding in Fiscal Year 2023-24. more
Newberry Assistant City Manager wins national award - Alachua Chronicle Two Florida public power leaders were recognized today by the American Public Power Association (APPA) for their contributions to the public power industry and their service to their communities. more
Central sewer program delayed in Martin County due to cost concerns | WPTV Martin County commissioners agreed to delay by 60 days the approval of a new sewer system for the Port Salerno and New Monrovia communities. more
Florida Boosts Rural Infrastructure Fund | Planetizen News A new Florida law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis will expand the state’s Rural Infrastructure Fund program, awarding over $15 million to five rural communities, according to an article by Samantha Neely in the Fort Myers News-Press. more
Zephyrhills to stop development amidst water supply concerns | ABC Action News This used to be the retirement Community city and now it’s the average age of 30-45 years that are moving into town,” he said. more
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This Week in Water History |
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The diagram on the left was a sketch of the invention filter in 1881. We apologize for the quality of the photo.
June 21, 1881: “Patrick Clark, of Rahway, NJ, received a patent for a ‘Process of Cleaning Filter-Beds;’ “…the novelty of the process consists in the employment of jets of water for the purpose of agitating a bed of sand or other suitable granular material which forms the upper part of the filter bed. By this means the silt and other impurities are separated from the sand, and, being of inferior specific gravity, rise above the filter bed, and are removed preferably by a natural current of water in which, when practicable, the apparatus will be immersed”; assigned to Newark Filtering Company (incorporated by Clark, John W. Hyatt, Albert Westervelt in December 1880); origin of modern rapid filter; June 21, 1881 – John W. Hyatt also received a patent for a “Filter”; could be cleaned mechanically; assigned to Newark Filtering Company; prototype for rapid filtration concept.”
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2970 Wellington Circle | Tallahassee FL 32309 | 850.668.2746 | Contact Us
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