HB0495 • 2026

Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification

Agriculture Housing

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee ; Albert
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: House - Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official status label says 'Passed Legislature' but the last action listed is 'Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee,' which creates uncertainty about whether this specific version of the bill became law or if a different version passed.

Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification Transfer

This law moves the golf course certification program from the Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

What This Bill Does

Transfers the Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification program from the Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services using a type two transfer process.
Requires the University of Florida turfgrass science program, in coordination with the new department, to administer training and testing for this certification.
Sets rules that certifications last for four years before they expire.
Exempts certified people from additional local training requirements.
Exempts certified golf courses from local water and fertilizer use restrictions unless a state of emergency is declared.

Who It Names or Affects

Golf course managers and staff who need certification
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences turfgrass science program
Local governments that enforce fertilizer rules

Terms To Know

Type two transfer: A legal process to move a program, staff, money, records, contracts, and authority from one state agency to another.
Best management practices: Approved methods for using fertilizer on golf courses that are documented through certification training.

Limits and Unknowns

Certified people must still follow rules if their golf course is in a basin management action plan area.
The law does not specify how much money will be used to run this program after it moves agencies.
Local governments may require certified staff to coordinate with them on specific community needs.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

780959

Committee amendment H 495 Filed • Albert

Adopted without Objection 1/29/2026

Plain English: This amendment shortens a phrase in the bill by removing three specific words to make it more concise.

The text removes lines 31 through 33 from the original bill.

The official text does not show what words were originally on lines 31-33, so we cannot explain exactly which details are being removed.
Without seeing the full sentence before and after these changes, it is unclear if this affects how golf course certification rules work.

Bill History

2026-03-13 House
• Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
2026-02-02 House
• Referred to Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee • Referred to Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Commerce Committee • Now in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
2026-01-30 House
• Reported out of Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
2026-01-29 House
• Favorable with CS by Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
2026-01-27 House
• Added to Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee agenda
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-11-24 House
• Referred to Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee • Referred to Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee • Referred to Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Commerce Committee • Now in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
2025-11-19 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification; Provides legislative findings & intent regarding golf course best management practices certification; provides for type two transfer of Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification program in DEP to DACS.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

CS/HB 495 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb495-01-c1
Page 1 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to golf course best management 2
practices certification; transferring, renumbering, 3
and amending s. 403.9339, F.S.; providing a short 4
title; providing legislative findings and intent 5
regarding golf course best management practices 6
certification; defining the term "department"; 7
conforming cross-references; providing for a type two 8
transfer of the Golf Course Best Management Practices 9
Certification program in the Department of 10
Environmental Protection to the Department of 11
Agriculture and Consumer Services; providing an 12
effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 403.9339, Florida Statutes, is 17
transferred, renumbered as section 604.75, Florida Statutes, and 18
amended to read: 19
604.75 403.9339 Golf course best management practices 20
certification.— 21
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section shall be known and may be 22
cited as the "Golf Course Best Management Practices 23
Certification Act." 24
(2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature finds 25

CS/HB 495 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

that, due to the foundational agricultural nature of golf 26
courses and since the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 27
Services oversees best management practices programs for sod 28
growing operations and for the green industry, it is appropriate 29
for the department to oversee golf course best management 30
practices certification. 31
(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term 32
"department" means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 33
Services. 34
(4)(1) To provide a means of documenting and ensuring 35
compliance with best management practices for fertilizer 36
application to golf courses, the turfgrass science program at 37
the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural 38
Sciences, in coordination with the department, shall administer 39
a certification for golf course best management practices. 40
(5)(2) The turfgrass science program, in cooperation with 41
the department, shall: 42
(a) Provide training and testing programs in golf course 43
best management practices and may issue certificates 44
demonstrating satisfactory completion of the training. 45
(b) Approve training and testing programs in golf course 46
best management practices that are equivalent to or more 47
comprehensive than the programs provided by the turfgrass 48
science program under this subsection paragraph (a). Such 49
programs must be reviewed and reapproved by the turfgrass 50

CS/HB 495 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

science program if significant changes are made. 51
(6)(3) To obtain a golf course best management practices 52
certification, an applicant must submit to the turfgrass science 53
program a copy of the training certificate issued under 54
subsection (5) subsection (2). 55
(7)(4) A golf course best management practices 56
certification issued under this section expires 4 years after 57
the date of issuance. Upon expiration of the certification, or 58
after a grace period of not more than 30 days after the 59
expiration date, a recertification may be issued. 60
(8)(5) To obtain a golf course best management practices 61
recertification, an applicant must submit to the turfgrass 62
science program proof of having completed 8 classroom hours of 63
continuing education, of which at least 2 hours must address 64
fertilizer best management practices. 65
(9)(6) A person certified under this section is exempt 66
from: 67
(a) Additional local training. 68
(b) Local ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use 69
blackout periods or restrictions, unless a state of emergency is 70
declared. The certified person must continue to coordinate with 71
the local government to ensure that he or she adheres to the 72
comprehensive best management practices for that specific 73
community. 74
(10)(7) This section does not exempt a person certified 75

CS/HB 495 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

under this section from complying with the rules and 76
requirements for basin management action plans set forth in s. 77
403.067(7) if the golf course is located in an area within a 78
basin management action plan. 79
(11)(a)(8)(a) The turfgrass science program may provide 80
the certification status of persons certified under this section 81
to local and state governmental entities. 82
(b) The turfgrass science program is encouraged to create 83
a registry of persons certified under this section on its 84
website. 85
Section 2. Type two transfer from the Department of 86
Environmental Protection.— 87
(1) All powers, duties, functions, records, offices, 88
personnel, associated administrative support positions, 89
property, pending issues, existing contracts, administrative 90
authority, administrative rules, and unexpended balances of 91
appropriations, allocations, and other funds relating to the 92
Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification program 93
within the Department of Environmental Protection are 94
transferred by a type two transfer, as defined in s. 20.06(2), 95
Florida Statutes, to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer 96
Services. 97
(2) Any binding contract or interagency agreement existing 98
before July 1, 2026, between the Department of Environmental 99
Protection, or an entity or agent of the department, and any 100

CS/HB 495 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

other agency, entity, or person relating to the Golf Course Best 101
Management Practices Certification program shall continue as a 102
binding contract or agreement for the remainder of the term of 103
such contract or agreement on the successor entity responsible 104
for the program, activity, or functions relative to the contract 105
or agreement. 106
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 107