PEST ERADICATION IN URBANIZED AREAS

F.S. Ch. 593

in effect

F.S. 593.20 Emergency aerial application of pesticides in urban areas; duties of department.

To carry out its duties with respect to emergency responses to plant pest infestations when the eradication programs involve the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall: (1) Use a pesticide previously approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for that eradication purpose. (2) Provide a system for dissemination of information to the public about infestations of pests that are the subject of such eradication programs. The system shall disseminate information relating to the pest; the pesticide selected to eradicate that pest; the generally accepted effects, if any, of the pesticide on the human population and the environment in the area in which an aerial eradication program will be conducted; recommended safety precautions; and the alternative methods of responding to the pest infestation, if any.

F.S. 593.21 Monitoring of health complaints by Department of Health; hotline; rulemaking authority.

At any time when the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is conducting an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the Department of Health shall monitor health problems that result from chemical exposure about which complaints are made to physicians and health care facilities. The Department of Health shall provide a toll-free hotline on which persons may register complaints and shall make a record of all calls received on that line. In consultation with the Department of Health, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall adopt by rule standards for determining when the use of a particular pesticide should be discontinued.

F.S. 593.22 Notice and information.

Before the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services begins an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the department shall notify the public in the area in which the pesticide is to be applied of its impending action. Notice must be given at least 48 hours before beginning the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area. The department shall use all reasonable methods to disseminate information required under this section as widely as possible. Information to be disseminated includes, but is not limited to: a copy of any Environmental Protection Agency permit or other permit under which the pesticide will be applied, and the source, including the date of publication, of any technical information, if available, about the pesticide which is included in the notice; the projected area over which the pesticide will be applied; the predicted duration of the application period; and the number of the Department of Health’s toll-free hotline. When the emergency response to a plant pest infestation requires the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area for a period longer than 1 week, the department shall notify the public in the area of the program’s continuation. The department shall notify the public in the area when an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which requires the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area is terminated.

F.S. 593.23 Provision of physicians and health care facilities by Department of Health.

The Department of Health shall provide physicians and health care facilities in an area in which the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is conducting an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area with technical assistance relating to health problems that may result from chemical exposure. The Department of Health shall provide the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of physicians and health care facilities in the area in which the eradication program will be conducted which specialize in health problems resulting from chemical exposure.

F.S. 593.24 Technical assistance by Department of Health; health advisory committee.

The Department of Health shall provide technical assistance to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services when the latter department is carrying out an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area and shall establish a health advisory committee. The committee shall consist of seven members and shall include the State Health Officer, the local health officer, the poison information center director, a toxicologist from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a person representing a state teaching hospital, a physician practicing in the area, and an epidemiologist from the Department of Health. The duties of the health advisory committee are to serve as a resource, under the supervision of the Department of Health, to the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in carrying out their duties under this act; duties of the health advisory committee include, but are not limited to, review of the aggregate information collected from physician and hotline calls.

F.S. 593.25 Definition.

As used in this act, the term “urbanized area” means land that is zoned for purposes other than agricultural purposes and that has a residential density of two or more units per acre.

Source: FL Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/Chapter593/AllFetched: 7/8/2026