Key West The Newspaper

Free Monroe County Educational Program Workshop Agenda

The law is now in effect. If you apply fertilizer as a commercial landscaper, this license is required.

• This workshop is designed to provide training in Best Management Practices (BMPs) for anyone
  working in the lawn, landscape, pest control, or municipal grounds areas.
• The Best Management Practices are focused on reducing non-point source pollution resulting from
  fertilization or pesticide application.
• At the end of this training, you will be given a post-test to determine knowledge learned. If the post-test
  is successfully completed, you will be mailed a GI-BMP Certificate of Completion.
• The GI-BMP workshop is approved for FDACS 2 Core and 2 additional CEUs for the following licenses:
  Private Applicator – Agriculture, Ornamental & Turf, Limited Lawn & Ornamental, Limited Landscape
  Maintenance, and Commercial Lawn and Ornamental.

8:15 – 9:00

Introduction and Pre-test (45 minutes)

9:00 – 9:50

Overview – Green Industries BMPs for Protection of Water Resources (50 minutes)
History, Background, and Overview of the BMP Program and Local Ordinances.
How to use BMPs to protect water quality.

9:50 – 10:00

Break

10:00 – 11:20

Lawn and Landscape Cultural Practices and BMPs (80 minutes)
Best Management Practices for healthy lawns and landscapes. Includes mowing, pruning, fertilization, and irrigation effects on water quality, plant health, and ability to tolerate pest pressures.

11:20 – 11:30

Break

11:30 – 12:20

Irrigation BMPs (50 minutes)
Irrigation Best Management Practices to conserve water, reduce disease & insect damage, and protect water quality. Irrigation BMPs include: irrigation requirements, design, installation, monitoring, troubleshooting, and proper management of irrigation.

12:20 – 1:20

Lunch (one hour – dine at a local restaurant or bring your own lunch)

1:20 – 2:10

Fertilizer BMPs (50 minutes)
Fertilizer sources: Comparisons and Responses; Application; Safety.

2:10 – 2:20

Break

2:20 – 3:10

Pesticide BMPs (50 minutes)
Licensing; environmental risk; use of IPM in a management program; pesticide selection, storage, handling and disposal.

3:10 – 3:30

Review

3:30 – 4:00

Post-test, Evaluation, and CEUs

The 2014 Florida Statutes

Title XXXII
Chapter 482
REGULATION OF PROFESSIONS AND OCCUPTIONS PEST CONTROL
482.1562 Limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application.

(1) To provide a means of documenting and ensuring compliance with best management practices for commercial fertilizer application to urban landscapes, the department shall establish a limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application.

(2)Beginning January 1, 2014, any person applying commercial fertilizer to an urban landscape must be certified under this section.

(3) To obtain a limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application, an applicant must submit to the department:

(a) A copy of the training certificate issued pursuant to s. 403.9338.
(b) A certification fee set by the department in an amount of at least $25 but not more than $75.
Until the fee is set by rule, the fee for certification is $25.

(4) A limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application issued under this section expires 4 years after the date of issuance. Before applying for recertification under subsection (5), the applicant must complete 4 classroom hours of acceptable continuing education, of which at least 2 hours address fertilizer best management practices.

(5) An application for recertification must be made at least 90 days before the expiration of the current certificate and be accompanied by:

(a) Proof of having completed the 4 classroom hours of acceptable continuing education required under subsection (4).
(b) A recertification fee set by the department in an amount of at least $25 but not more than $75.
Until the fee is set by rule, the fee for certification is $25.

(6) A late renewal charge of $50 per month shall be assessed 30 days after the date the application for recertification is due and must be paid in addition to the renewal fee. Unless timely recertified, a certificate automatically expires 90 days after the recertification date. Upon expiration, a certificate may be issued only upon reapplying in accordance with subsection (3).

(7) Certification under this section does not authorize:

(a) The application of pesticides to turf or ornamentals, including pesticide fertilizer mixtures;
(b) The operation of a pest control business; or
(c) The application of pesticides or fertilizers by unlicensed or uncertified personnel under the supervision of the certified person.

(8) The department may provide information concerning the certification status of persons certified under this section to other local and state governmental agencies. The department is encouraged to create an online database that lists all persons certified under this section.

(9) Yard workers who apply fertilizer only to individual residential properties using fertilizer and equipment provided by the residential property owner or resident are exempt from the requirements of this section.

(10) The department may adopt rules to administer this section.

History.—s. 7, ch. 2009-199.