On June 26, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed House Bill 165: Sampling of Beach Waters and Public Bathing Spaces (AKA the Safe Waterways Act).

This bill was introduced by Reps. Peggy Gossett-Seidman and Lindsay Cross and passed both the House and the Senate this session, with strong support from SCCF.

This beneficial bill had been three years in the making and was designed to improve public notification of potential hazards as it relates to swimming at beaches and “public bathing places” — the legal term used for designated public swimming areas. It required timely and visible public notice of water quality impairments from sources such as malfunctioning sewage treatment plants, septic tank leaks, and animal waste.

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In his veto letter, Gov. DeSantis objected to the amount of authority that would have been given to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) to close beaches over the authority of local jurisdictions in the event that the DOH determines the water is unsafe for swimming. 

“We are disappointed this good public safety and water quality bill was vetoed but we look forward to working with the bill sponsors and our other clean water partners next year to readdress and reintroduce this bill,” said SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis.

Public Notification that Would Have Been Required by HB 165

• Municipalities and counties would have been required to notify the Florida Department of Health (DOH) of any incident that negatively impacts the quality of beach waters or public swimming places within their respective jurisdictions within 24 hours.
• Municipalities and counties would have had to post and maintain health advisory signs around affected beach waters and public bathing places that they own.
• Public boat docks, marinas, and piers would have been required to notify the jurisdictional municipality or county of any incident that negatively impacts the quality of beach waters where they’re located within 24 hours (or the next business day).
• The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would have been responsible for posting and maintaining health advisory signs around affected beach waters and public bathing places owned by the state.
• The DOH would have been required to coordinate with DEP and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission as necessary to implement the signage requirements of the bill. Signage would need to be posted and maintained in compliance with this subsection until the health advisory is no longer in effect.