Florida HB 495: Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification

Bill Text

CS/HB 495 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb495-01-c1
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to golf course best management 2
practices certification; transferring, renumbering, 3
and amending s. 403.9339, F.S.; providing a short 4
title; providing legislative findings and intent 5
regarding golf course best management practices 6
certification; defining the term "department"; 7
conforming cross-references; providing for a type two 8
transfer of the Golf Course Best Management Practices 9
Certification program in the Department of 10
Environmental Protection to the Department of 11
Agriculture and Consumer Services; providing an 12
effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 403.9339, Florida Statutes, is 17
transferred, renumbered as section 604.75, Florida Statutes, and 18
amended to read: 19
604.75 403.9339 Golf course best management practices 20
certification.— 21
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section shall be known and may be 22
cited as the "Golf Course Best Management Practices 23
Certification Act." 24
(2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature finds 25

CS/HB 495 2026

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that, due to the foundational agricultural nature of golf 26
courses and since the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 27
Services oversees best management practices programs for sod 28
growing operations and for the green industry, it is appropriate 29
for the department to oversee golf course best management 30
practices certification. 31
(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term 32
"department" means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 33
Services. 34
(4)(1) To provide a means of documenting and ensuring 35
compliance with best management practices for fertilizer 36
application to golf courses, the turfgrass science program at 37
the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural 38
Sciences, in coordination with the department, shall administer 39
a certification for golf course best management practices. 40
(5)(2) The turfgrass science program, in cooperation with 41
the department, shall: 42
(a) Provide training and testing programs in golf course 43
best management practices and may issue certificates 44
demonstrating satisfactory completion of the training. 45
(b) Approve training and testing programs in golf course 46
best management practices that are equivalent to or more 47
comprehensive than the programs provided by the turfgrass 48
science program under this subsection paragraph (a). Such 49
programs must be reviewed and reapproved by the turfgrass 50

CS/HB 495 2026

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science program if significant changes are made. 51
(6)(3) To obtain a golf course best management practices 52
certification, an applicant must submit to the turfgrass science 53
program a copy of the training certificate issued under 54
subsection (5) subsection (2). 55
(7)(4) A golf course best management practices 56
certification issued under this section expires 4 years after 57
the date of issuance. Upon expiration of the certification, or 58
after a grace period of not more than 30 days after the 59
expiration date, a recertification may be issued. 60
(8)(5) To obtain a golf course best management practices 61
recertification, an applicant must submit to the turfgrass 62
science program proof of having completed 8 classroom hours of 63
continuing education, of which at least 2 hours must address 64
fertilizer best management practices. 65
(9)(6) A person certified under this section is exempt 66
from: 67
(a) Additional local training. 68
(b) Local ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use 69
blackout periods or restrictions, unless a state of emergency is 70
declared. The certified person must continue to coordinate with 71
the local government to ensure that he or she adheres to the 72
comprehensive best management practices for that specific 73
community. 74
(10)(7) This section does not exempt a person certified 75

CS/HB 495 2026

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under this section from complying with the rules and 76
requirements for basin management action plans set forth in s. 77
403.067(7) if the golf course is located in an area within a 78
basin management action plan. 79
(11)(a)(8)(a) The turfgrass science program may provide 80
the certification status of persons certified under this section 81
to local and state governmental entities. 82
(b) The turfgrass science program is encouraged to create 83
a registr