39th Environmental Permitting Summer School

The Division of Waste Management touches many areas, ranging from Brownfields and emerging contaminants to solid and hazardous waste regulation. It also formulates policy and coordinates with the six regulatory Districts on enforcement and compliance assistance. This is a class to introduce a wide audience to one of the largest operations units of FDEP. You will learn what are the Division’s several programs and how they are implemented throughout the State and relate to ensuring that as Florida grows, the Division keeps pace with its mission. Has compliance assistance paid dividends on RCRA, USTs, solid waste, and other programs’ compliance? What are the most common violations on several programs? What do their data and 2024 dashboards show, particularly in the Petroleum Restoration Program? Where does FDEP see the PRP evolving to now that the last batch of sites will be assessed in the next few years? How can most RCRA, UST, and solid waste violations be avoided? As several cleanup programs mature, what will be emerging contaminants that all stakeholders will have to be prepared for (hint… like to start developing a PFAS groundwater primary standard in 2025. How are the Division and industry reacting to these? How does the Division relate to other Divisions? Our panel will consist of past and present state regulatory leaders, private corporate leaders, consultants, and attorneys who will give their impressions and encourage audience participation.

Environmental enforcement in Florida continues to evolve, with regulatory agencies placing increasing emphasis on accountability over compliance assistance. This policy shift is especially evident in the regulation of solid and hazardous waste, soils, and water quality—and it has intensified the scrutiny on both permitted activities and private property transactions. As enforcement tightens, new technologies are entering the market to help regulated entities manage liability, reduce costs, and comply with stricter standards. This course explores recent legal and technical developments affecting pollution liability, including case studies and real-world implications for property owners, facility operators, and transactional stakeholders. New this year is a presentation from Sedron Technologies on their advanced biosolids processing system now under construction in Martin County. The system offers a sustainable, chemical-free method to transform wastewater biosolids into Class A fertilizer and recover clean water, with added benefits such as PFAS destruction and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Course attendees are encouraged to engage in interactive discussion with environmental attorneys, technical experts, and innovators addressing today’s most pressing pollution liability challenges.

This course will provide environmental engineers, attorneys, and other brownfield stakeholders with a practical, detailed overview of how to navigate the redevelopment of contaminated sites in Florida. Participants will learn how current state and federal rules, including recent changes from the 2025 Florida Legislative Session, directly impact liability management, site cleanup, and redevelopment financing. The panel will walk through replicable processes for addressing risk, satisfying regulatory requirements, and structuring public-private partnerships that align with legal and technical best practices. Case examples will be used to illustrate how successful projects have been executed, with a focus on the technical, financial, and legal strategies that made them work. By the end of the course, attendees will have a clear understanding of how to approach brownfield redevelopment projects efficiently and in compliance with applicable laws.

Back by popular demand, the focus of this interactive discussion is facilitating sure and positive communication with both stakeholders and environmental regulatory agencies at the local, state and federal levels. Preparation, organization, as well as an in-depth understanding of the legal framework and processes of regulation, go a long way to ensuring a smoother and certainly more positive outcome. Here’s your chance to interact with the panel, using real case studies, and discuss which techniques were successful (or not) and receive expert advice from four instructors who’ve gotten results.