Several bills of particular interest to Florida businesses passed during the recent legislative session.
QUICKER PETROLEUM CLEANUPS
Most notably, Rule 62-772 has been amended to expedite the assignment of petroleum cleanup projects.
The FDEP will now be able to assign contaminated-site cleanup work directly to qualified agency term contractors for tasks below $1,000,000 (for a single phase of site rehabilitation) without undergoing a formal quote solicitation process.
That threshold was previously capped at $325,000—which frequently resulted in procurement delays.
CREATING “NEW” LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT
In some fast-growing areas, once-contaminated parcels of land sit idle as housing pressures increase. The “Infill Redevelopment Act” (SB 1434) would require local governments to allow residential development on contaminated parcels of at least five acres that border residential zoning. The bill’s goal is to transition certain environmentally impacted parcels into residential projects more quickly.
There are, of course, many conditions built into the statutory language, but for landowners with qualifying urban parcels, this bill could potentially clear the way for valuable residential use…providing significant redevelopment opportunities.
(It’s important to note that the only counties that currently meet the Act’s demographic criteria are Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach.)
Other legislation emerging from the Q1 2026 session included major limitations on AFFF firefighting foam containing PFAS “forever chemicals,” as well as new regulations associated with Class AA biosolids that will potentially affect commercial agricultural operations.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The recently concluded session in Tallahassee did not yield a final budget, so legislators will soon reconvene to resolve the budget and other remaining items. We will follow up with Part II of this report after the upcoming Special Session adjourns.
In the meantime, please contact us to discuss whether we can help you benefit from these legislative developments!