Florida SB 1294: Biosolids Management

Bill Text

1294 
Biosolids Management 
2026-02-25T07:43:45Z 
Prohibiting the land application of bulk Class AA biosolids fertilizer and compost products from exceeding the appropriate agronomic rate; requiring the owner or operator of certain land application sites to maintain application records for a specified timeframe and make such records available to the Department of Environmental Protection upon request; requiring the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, on a specified basis and beginning on a specified date, to publish and make publicly available recommended agronomic rates for the reuse of bulk Class AA biosolids fertilizer and compost products; prohibiting Class AA biosolids fertilizer products and certain Class AA biosolids compost products from being marketed or distributed for agricultural land application unless specified requirements are met, etc. 
Committee Substitute 3 
2026 
S 
2026-11-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c3 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for CS for SB 1294 

 By the Committee on Rules; the Appropriations Committee on 
 Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; the Committee 
 on Environment and Natural Resources; and Senator Bradley 

 595-03181-26 20261294c3 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to biosolids management; amending s. 
 3 403.0855, F.S.; prohibiting the land application of 
 4 bulk Class AA biosolids fertilizer and compost 
 5 products from exceeding the appropriate agronomic 
 6 rate; specifying requirements for the management of 
 7 the land application of bulk Class AA biosolids 
 8 fertilizer and biosolids compost products at or below 
 9 the agronomic rate; defining the term “agronomic 
 10 rate”; prohibiting the bulk land application of 
 11 biosolids when such bulk application constitutes 
 12 disposal; defining the term “disposal”; requiring the 
 13 owner or operator of certain land application sites to 
 14 maintain application records for a specified timeframe 
 15 and make such records available to the Department of 
 16 Environmental Protection upon request; specifying 
 17 requirements for such records; specifying that the 
 18 department must require that written notification of 
 19 such recordkeeping requirements be provided to the 
 20 owner or operator of such land at the time bulk Class 
 21 AA biosolids are distributed for land application; 
 22 providing that such recordkeeping requirements do not 
 23 apply to certain biosolids; specifying requirements 
 24 for the distribution of such biosolids; requiring the 
 25 department to initiate rulemaking by a specified date; 
 26 requiring the University of Florida Institute of Food 
 27 and Agricultural Sciences, on a specified basis and 
 28 beginning on a specified date, to publish and make 
 29 publicly available recommended agronomic rates for the 
 30 reuse of bulk Class AA biosolids fertilizer and 
 31 compost products; specifying requirements for such 
 32 recommendations; prohibiting Class AA biosolids 
 33 fertilizer products and certain Class AA biosolids 
 34 compost products from being marketed or distributed 
 35 for agricultural land application unless specified 
 36 requirements are met; prohibiting Class AA biosolids 
 37 from being used for agricultural land application 
 38 unless certain requirements are met; providing an 
 39 effective date. 
 40 
 41 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 42 
 43 Section 1. Subsections (7) through (14) are added to 
 44 section 403.0855, Florida Statutes, to read: 
 45 403.0855 Biosolids management.— 
 46 (7)(a) Land application of bulk Class AA biosolids 
 47 fertilizer and biosolids compost products may not exceed the 
 48 appropriate agronomic rate. Land application of bulk Class AA 
 49 biosolids fertilizer and biosolids compost products at or below 
 50 the agronomic rate must be managed so that beneficial reuse, 
 51 rather than biosolids disposal, is the primary objective as 
 52 evidenced by the manner and circumstances of the application. As 
 53 used in this subsection, the term “agronomic rate” means the 
 54 nutrient application rate established using generally accepted, 
 55 science-based nutrient management principles, including 
 56 recommendations published by the University of Florida Institute 
 57 of Food and Agricultural Sciences, which considers plant 
 58 nutrient requirements; site-specific characteristics, including 
 59 soil conditions; characteristics of the biosolids fertilizer or 
 60 biosolids compost products, including nutrient release rates and 
 61 soil amendment functions; other nutrient inputs applied to the 
 62 site; and the protection of groundwater and surface water 
 63 resources. 
 64 (b) Bulk land application of biosolids, including Class AA 
 65 biosolids, to the extent that such bulk land application 
 66 constitutes disposal, is prohibited, and violations are subject 
 67 to chapter 403. As used in this subsection, the term “disposal”