Long time environmental champion hands off legislation to Sen. Evelyn Lynn
TALLAHASSEE – His tenure in the state Senate may be ending, but his battle to repeal the legislature’s latest fee mandate on almost 3 million Floridians will continue, thanks to Senator Evelyn Lynn (R-Daytona Beach), Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee) announced Thursday.
“While I’m disappointed that the legislative leadership ignored my attempts to undo this latest tax in a special session, I applaud Senator Lynn for picking up the fight,” said Sen. Lawson. “She sees, as I do, that the last thing the people of this state need, especially in such dire economic times, is another mandate from Tallahassee extracting more dollars despite promises to leave their wallets alone.”
Senator Lynn agreed. “At a time when Floridians are struggling to find employment we should not be adding to their financial burden,” she said.
At issue is legislation originally intended to protect Florida’s springs from potentially leaking septic systems passed during the 2010 legislative session. In the final moments of the bill’s last committee stop, however, Senate Bill 550 was dramatically expanded through a last-minute amendment. What began as a protection bill limited in scope, broadened exponentially, sweeping almost 3 million septic tank owners throughout Florida, regardless of proximity to a spring, into a mandatory inspection program. The inspections, costing approximately $500, will be performed by those employed in the septic tank industry, leaving homeowners with no protections from unscrupulous contractors. Typically, the same individuals performing the inspections are the ones carrying out the repair or replacement work, which their inspections mandated. The inspections could lead to forced septic system replacements, which, by some estimates, can run as high as $14,000.
Finally, the legislation, which the governor signed and the Department of Health is readying to implement commencing in January, requires similar inspection of any home for sale with a septic system, potentially triggering a costly replacement prior to closing.
Despite assurances from the bill’s sponsor that the amendment would have limited financial impact on Florida homeowners, Senator Lawson quickly discovered the true expense and began efforts to repeal that portion of the bill.
Dubbing it the “Septic Industry Protection Act,” Senator Lawson also chastised the septic tank contractors’ advocacy group for gloating over its success in passing legislation strictly for the industry’s benefit due to campaign contributions and lobbyists’ influence.
As word spread over the bill’s impending financial impact and lawmakers learned that the fine print had earlier been finessed, Senator Lynn contacted Senator Lawson to renew the drive for repeal.
“Senator Lynn is known for her fierce determination in doing what’s right for the people of Florida,” said Senator Lawson. “In her hands, I know that she will pass a repeal of this terrible amendment, and return the focus of the bill to where it should be, namely protecting the springs rather than one industry’s guaranteed profits.”
http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments
No comments:
Post a Comment