The 2020 Florida Legislature passed HB 1095 to amend the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act, Chapter 556, Florida Statutes. On June 17, 2020 the legislation was presented to the Governor for review and - unless vetoed - will become effective July 1, 2020.  

• Expands the list of entities that may issue citations for violations of ch. 556, F.S., to include the State Fire Marshal, or its designated agent, and local fire chiefs.
• Increases the maximum civil penalty (up to $2,500 plus court costs) for certain violations of ch. 556, F.S., that involve an underground pipe or facility transporting hazardous materials regulated by the U.S. DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA). Eighty percent of the civil penalty must be distributed to the entity that issued the citation, and the clerk of court retains the remainder. 
• Requires each clerk of court to submit an annual report to the State Fire Marshal listing each citation issued for a violation of ch. 556, F.S., which was filed in that county during the preceding calendar year. 
• Defines the term “permanent marker” and establishes a criminal penalty for knowingly and willfully removing or damaging a permanent marker placed to identify the location of an underground facility. 
• Requires excavators and underground facility operators to transmit reports of incidents that involve highpriority subsurface installations (HPSI) for investigation by the State Fire Marshal, or its designated agent, who may issue a citation and impose a civil penalty for a violation of ch. 556, F.S., that it finds to be a proximate cause of the incident.
  Upon collection, five percent of the civil penalty must be retained by the clerk of court, and the remainder must be distributed equally between Sunshine 811 (to fund damage-prevention education) and the State Fire Marshal (to fund programs that provide financial assistance to fire departments to procure equipment, supplies, and educational training designed to mitigate firefighter exposure to hazardous, cancer-causing chemicals). 
• Establishes a new violation for failure to comply with s. 556.105(5)(c), F.S., which requires an excavator to use increased caution when working within a tolerance zone, such as hand digging, pot holing, soft digging, vacuum methods, or other similar procedures.
• Requires Sunshine 811 to review all reports made to the State Fire Marshal and all other complaints of alleged violations of ch. 556, F.S., to identify issues related to damage prevention and enforcement, and annually provide an analysis and recommendations to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 Orders placed during normal business hours

•                          Order on Sunday, or Monday                                   installed on Thursday 
•                          Orders on Tuesday                                                         Installed on Friday
•                          Orders on Wednesday                                                  installed on Monday
•                          Orders on Thursday                                                       installed on Tuesday                                                                         
•                          Orders on Friday or Saturday                                   installed on Wednesday                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Add one day if a holiday falls in any of these timelines.

• All posts will be paid in full before installation unless other arrangements have been made. 

Florida requirements on location of real estate for sale or for rent signs.  All signs must be at a minimum of 4 feet off the sidewalk on the property side.  If no sidewalk is present, a minimum of 5 feet from the road.  If placing at or near an intersection it must be a minimum of 30 feet away and 15 feet back from the road, as to not interfere with the visibility of traffic in any direction.