Florida Senate Bill 550 has hit the fan.

The bill, passed by the Legislature in April and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist in June, requires septic tank inspections every five years at the owners’ expense, beginning Jan. 1. Cost estimates range from a few hundred dollars for the inspection, which requires the tanks to be pumped out, to as much as $15,000 if the tank and drain field must be replaced.

The inspections program will be administered by the Florida Department of Health, but the law requires private contractors — septic system companies — to do the inspections.

For more on this story, check out the Sept. 30 edition of the Navarre Press, or subscribe online.

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