Press Releases
For Immediate Release
August 20, 2010
Greg Evers Announces Septic Tank Repeal As Part of "Less Talk. More Action." Policy Rollout Plan for Senate District 2
Baker, Fla. – Greg Evers, Republican Candidate for Senate District 2, today unveiled another policy priority that he vows to fight for if elected to the Florida Senate. As part of his “Less Talk. More Action.” policy rollout plan, Evers announced his intention to file legislation that would remove the Panhandle completely from septic tank inspection requirements established by a last minute amendment to Senate Bill 550 adopted during the final days of the 2010 Legislative Session.
Senate Bill 550 is due to become effective January 2011 and will require all Florida citizens – including Northwest Floridians – to have their septic tanks inspected every five years at their own expense of up to $400 per inspection. Septic tanks that do not meet modern, statewide criteria established by Tallahassee will be required to be repaired at the owner’s expense of up to several thousand dollars, even if the systems have been fully operational and working for years without any problems.
Similar legislation was before Evers in his Agriculture & Natural Resources Policy Committee during the 2010 Session, and he successfully led the charge to kill it. However, the same regulations reappeared in a last minute floor amendment to a different bill that Evers again fought and voted against during the final days and hours of the 2010 Session.
“This law is just another example of a one-size-fits-all, unfunded government mandate being imposed on Northwest Florida because of South Florida problems,” said Evers. “We don’t have the same issues, geography or problems that they have in South Florida, and this type of one-size-fits-all legislation never works here in the Panhandle.”
“As a member of the Florida House, I voted against and fought this oppressive policy at every opportunity,” said Evers. “And if elected to the Florida Senate, I plan to file legislation that will remove the Panhandle from its impact. Northwest Floridians should not have to pay for unnecessary inspections or be forced to make unnecessary changes to their septic tanks because of water quality problems they are having down in South Florida. As a member of the Florida Senate, I will fight to keep Northwest Florida free from these types of burdensome regulations, and I will continue my fight to free Northwest Florida from the unnecessary, troublesome and expensive reach of this ill-founded septic tank inspection and replacement requirement. Government should make sense, and fixing a problem that just doesn’t exist statewide by imposing unnecessary regulations and unneeded fees on the already over-taxed citizens makes no sense at all. That’s why I am committed to getting the Panhandle out of this over-reaching legislation.”
Evers has had the privilege of serving the residents of Florida House District 1, which includes northern portions of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties, in the Florida House of Representatives since 2001. A fifth-generation, panhandle farmer and small businessman, Evers puts his real-world experience to good use in the Florida Legislature and is proud of his accomplishments on behalf of Florida’s critical agriculture industry, economic development, job creation, and preserving and protecting Northwest Florida values, including acting as a champion of our Second Amendment rights and protections. He has sponsored and passed NRA priority legislation, protecting the right of law-abiding citizens to have legal firearms secured in the automobiles in public parking lots and protecting against raids of Florida’s Concealed Carry Permit Trust Fund. He has also sponsored legislation, protecting Floridians from unnecessary federal government intrusion into health care freedoms and choices, designating “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the State of Florida, enabling Florida farmers to transport their farm equipment from field to field without the burden of additional government permits or fees, enabling the reopening of the Jay Oil Field to restore numerous Northwest Florida jobs, and extending the dates between parole hearings for violent criminal offenders to protect victims and taxpayer resources. Evers has never been prouder of any legislation he has sponsored than he is of House Bill 31, which will protect the First Amendment religious speech rights of teachers and students across Florida from future infringements, such as those suffered at the hands of the ACLU in Santa Rosa County.
For more information on the Greg Evers for Senate Campaign, please visit www.gregevers.com.
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