FL H1575

OPPAGA must conduct a study on the prevalence and effects of lead in drinking water at all state-funded public facilities, including lead piping amounts, health impacts, maintenance costs, and the cost of providing ANSI-certified point-of-use water filters, with results due to the Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2026; the study provision is repealed June 30, 2026, unless reenacted.

The Department of Environmental Protection's water quality improvement grant program is amended to add projects located in FEMA-designated special flood hazard areas as a new prioritization criterion.

The Department of Health must develop training programs for health care professionals on diagnosing and treating harmful algal bloom-related illnesses, and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission must deploy a red tide early warning system model by July 1, 2027.

Water management districts must collaboratively develop a comprehensive plan to prevent and mitigate blue-green algal blooms by July 1, 2027, after which each district, county, and municipality must provide an implementation schedule with completion timelines and fiscal impacts.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the South Florida Water Management District must monitor and reevaluate best management practices and TMDLs for Lake Okeechobee nitrogen levels every 12 months beginning July 1, 2026, and DEP and the St. Johns River Water Management District must do the same for the Upper St. Johns River Basin, with joint reports to the Governor and Legislature every 24 months beginning July 1, 2028.