CS/HB 1173 - Water and Wastewater Summary

• Creates new statute requiring Division of Bond Finance to review allocation of private activity bonds for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

• Exempts sales and leases to investor-owned water and wastewater utilities from sales and use tax if the corporation's primary function is to construct, maintain, or operate a water or wastewater system in Florida.

• Exempts persons who resell water service to tenants or individually metered residents from utility regulation if fees do not exceed actual purchase price plus 9 percent for meter reading and billing costs.

• Authorizes Florida Public Service Commission to create utility reserve funds for infrastructure repair and replacement, expand automatic rate adjustment categories (including testing costs, permit fees, and biosolids disposal), and limit utility recovery of rate case expenses to 50 percent of reasonable costs.

• Allows commission to review water quality and wastewater service on its own motion or based on customer complaints, and expands eligibility for Water Pollution Control Financing Corporation loans to for-profit and investor-owned utilities.

• Effective date: July 1, 2015.