In 1988, the Legislature created a large grant program to help counties and municipalities develop recycling and education programs, along with lesser grants for waste tire programs and to help small counties manage solid waste.  The Department adopted Chapter 62-716 to implement all of these grants programs.  Over time, funding for the recycling and education grants declined, and a few years ago the Legislature stopped funding them altogether.  This rule chapter is being amended to delete obsolete references to grants that no longer exist.

At about the same time that the recycling and education grants were being phased out, the Innovative Grants were being introduced.  From 1998 through 2001, the Legislature authorized these grants a year at a time as a line item in its budget.  In 2002, the program was finally codified in Section 403.7095, Florida Statutes.  The Department has administered the Innovative Grants program on an ad hoc basis since 1998.  This was partly because the status of the program was uncertain from year to year, and partly because of the need to spend time developing policies and processes that would effectively implement a statute that lacked clear standards. T his rule chapter is being amended to incorporate those policies and processes through rulemaking.

Rule Development Workshop

A rule development workshop will be held on April 11, 2007, starting at 9:30 am, at the Orlando Public Library, Albertson Room, 101 E. Central Boulevard, Orlando, Florida.

• 62-716 Workshop Draft (for April 11, 2007 workshop)  [WORD]
• 62-716 Workshop Draft (for April 11, 2007 workshop)  [PDF]

For additional information or to submit comments about the proposed amendments, please contact:

Ron Henricks, Environmental Administrator
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mail Station 4570
2600 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

Voice   850-245-8717 
Fax      850-245-8803
E-mail  Ron.Henricks@dep.state.fl.us