Sec. 751.111. - Mandatory notification.

Requirements for the connections to existing onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems to central wastewater systems shall be mandatory as provided for in Section 381.00655, Florida Statutes: (a) Wastewater system extensions where construction of the wastewater system was completed before October 1, 2016. (1) The owner of a septic tank system shall connect, at the owner's expense (excluding WWS Fund funded projects), to a JEA wastewater system wherein construction of the wastewater system was completed before October 1, 2016, within 365 days after written notification by JEA that the system is Available for connection. JEA must notify the owner of the septic tank of the availability of the central wastewater system and that the owner is required to connect to the wastewater system within one year of the notice of availability. For subdivisions or neighborhoods that do not qualify for the use of the WWS funds, the Owner of Record shall be required to pay all connection costs to the available wastewater system. Nothing in this Section shall operate to impair contracts or other binding obligations relating to payment schedules in existence as of October, 1, 2016. (2) Monthly Readiness to Serve Charge. If a property is not connected to an available wastewater system within the noticed period of time pursuant to subsection 751.111 (b)(1), a monthly Readiness to Serve Charge shall commence the day following the expiration of the notice period and will be billed to the Owner(s) of Record of the Subject Property. Once the Owner of Record connects the Subject Property, the monthly Readiness to Serve Charge will expire and the Subject Property will begin being billed current JEA rates and charges for the service. (3) If the Owner(s) of Record of a septic tank system that properly deferred connection prior to October 1, 2016, has failed and the Duval County Health Department will not issue a permit for repair, the owner must connect to the JEA available publicly owned or investor-owned wastewater system within 90 days after notification, by the Duval County Health Department, that the permit will not be issued. (4) The City shall continue to honor any deferrals by Owner(s) of Record that properly documented and recorded a connection deferral prior to October 1, 2016. (b) Wastewater system extensions where system construction is completed on or after October 1, 2016. (1) Mandatory connections. Property having a septic tank system ("Subject Property") must be connected, at the owner's expense (excluding WWS Fund funded projects), to JEA's wastewater system wherein construction has been completed on or after October 1, 2016 ("central wastewater system") within 365 days after written notification by JEA, as provided in subsection (i) below, that the central wastewater system is available to the Subject Property for connection. (i) Notification prior to availability. No less than one year prior to the date the central wastewater system will become Available to the Subject Property, JEA shall notify all owners of the Subject Property at the time of notice as reflected in the Duval County Clerk of Court official records ("Owner(s) of Record") of the anticipated availability of the central wastewater system and shall also inform the Owner(s) of Record that the Subject Property must be connected to the central wastewater system within one year of the actual availability. For purposes of this Chapter, the "Owner(s) of Record" shall always be the Owner(s) of Record at the time of a given notification. (ii) Notification upon availability; Recordation. JEA shall notify the Owner(s) of Record of the Subject Property, in writing, at the time the central wastewater system becomes available to the Subject Property for connection, that the Subject Property must be connected to the central wastewater system and that there exists a legally enforceable obligation to connect. A copy of such notification to the Owner(s) of Record shall be recorded by JEA in the Duval County Clerk of the Court official records and shall be subsequently binding upon all future owners of the Subject Property. (2) Payment of Connection Charges. For subdivisions or neighborhoods that do not qualify for the use of the WWS funds, the Owner(s) of Record, of the Subject Property, or, in the event of transfer of title to the property, their successors in interest, who are required to connect to the central wastewater system, shall have the option of prepaying the amortized value of the required utility connection charges in equal monthly installments over a period of time determined by JEA, based upon wastewater system costs. Nothing in this Section shall operate to impair contracts or other binding obligations relating to payment schedules in existence as of October 1, 2016. The City shall use WWS Funds to pay connection charges for connections within qualified and selected Priority Area projects. (3) Monthly Readiness to Serve Charge. If a property is not connected to an Available wastewater system within the noticed period of time pursuant to subsection 751.111 (b)(1), a monthly Readiness to Serve charge shall commence the day following the expiration of the notice period and will be billed to the Owner(s) of Record of the Subject Property. Once the Owner of Record connects the Subject Property, the monthly Readiness to Serve Charge will expire and the Subject Property will begin being billed current JEA rates and charges for the service. (Ord. 2000-119-E, § 1; Ord. 2010-307-E, § 1; Ord. 2016-140-E , § 16; Ord. 2016-490-E , § 8) Editor's note— Ord. 2016-490-E , § 8, repealed former § 751.111, and renumbered former §§ 751.112 as a new § 751.111. Former § 751.111 pertained to reimbursement of Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund, and derived from Ord. 87-485-660, Ord. 94-903-552, and Ord. 2000-119-E.