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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to the Environmental Assessment and Remediation Section
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How do I know if a property is contaminated?
You may visit our web page where you will find a list of contaminated sites in Broward County and a brief status of contamination for each site. Alternatively, you may call 954-519-1254 to review the file at our office located at 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room A-240, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. For USEPA Superfund sites in Broward you may call 954-519-1439.
Please note that if a site is not listed, it only means that no contamination has been reported. To ensure the presence or absence of contamination at a site, especially for real estate transactions, property owners and prospective buyers usually hire an environmental consultant to conduct soil and groundwater testing.
Can you recommend a company to clean my contaminated property?
We cannot recommend any particular company but you can find many firms listed in the yellow pages under “Environmental Contractors.” For assessment and remediation work conducted pursuant to State and Local cleanup requirements, you should ensure that the firm is certified in Florida to practice Engineering and/or Geology, as applicable.
Contamination has been discovered on my property. Do I have to report it?
Yes, if a release of a hazardous material occurs or if contamination is discovered, the responsible party must immediately report it to the Broward County Environmental Protection Department by calling 954-519-1499, followed by written notification within seven calendar days. The discovery of a “buried” tank must be reported as well.
How do I get a "clean bill of health" letter for my property?
If your property has been contaminated and is subsequently cleaned up, you will receive a letter from either Broward County or the Florida Department of Environmental Protection indicating that your property has been remediated and “No Further Action” is required. If your property is not listed as contaminated, and you need a letter from the county to that effect for a bank loan, we will provide you with such letter, but it will only attest to the fact that no contamination has been reported. It will not state that the site is free from contamination.
Where can I find the cleanup standards that you use?
You may find the cleanup criteria in Chapter 62-777 Florida Administrative Code.
I want to purchase a contaminated property, can you advise me on whether I should go forward with the transaction?
Before you purchase contaminated property, you should be aware of the following:
- As the property owner, you may be a potential responsible party for the cleanup of contamination.
- If your plans for the property include construction, you may not be allowed to construct until the contamination is cleaned up. Decisions on whether or not construction may proceed are made on a case-by-case basis.
- If the contamination under your property migrates to neighboring properties, you might be liable to a third party for contaminating their property.
If my property is contaminated by my neighbor (i.e. his contamination migrated to my property), am I responsible for the cleanup of my property?
No, your neighbor will be responsible for the cleanup of both properties.
What is a Brownfield?
A Brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. Once a site is designated as a Brownfield, the site is eligible for incentives tied to redevelopment of the property (such as low-interest loans and job creation state tax incentives), liability protection, and contaminant cleanup, if applicable (in the form of a state tax credit equivalent to 35% of certain cleanup costs).
Only a local (typically municipal) government can designate a property as a Brownfield; however, the Broward County Brownfield Redevelopment Task Force acts as an advisory board to assist property owners, developers, and city officials through the designation process. For more information regarding the Brownfield Program, call 954-357-5778 or 954-519-1478.
What is an Environmental Assessment and Remediation (EAR) License?
An EAR license is a legal document issued by the county for the purposes of assessing the magnitude and extent of contaminants present at a site and, if necessary, remediating the contamination. The annual fee for the license is $2,000 and the license application can be obtained by calling 954-519-1249.
Not every contaminated site requires an EAR license. Cleanups funded by FDEP's petroleum cleanup programs or FDEP dry-cleaning solvent cleanup program are exempt from the license requirement. Sites where EPA is the lead agency for cleanup are exempt as well.
How long will it take to clean up my site? How much will it cost?
Cleanup times are difficult to predict. They depend on a number of factors such as type, concentration, quantity and location of contaminants, site lithology, remediation technology used, etc. Duration may vary from weeks to years. Costs vary as well from several thousand dollars to over a million. The average assessment and remediation project costs approximately $250,000.
Where can I get more information related to assessment and remediation of contamination?
You may call 954-519-1249 or 954-519-1478.
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