The Division of Agricultural Environmental Services administers various state and federal regulatory programs concerning environmental and consumer protection issues. These include state mosquito control program coordination; agricultural pesticide registration, testing and regulation; pest control regulation; and feed, seed and fertilizer production inspection and testing. The division ensures that pesticides are properly registered and used in accordance with federal and state requirements; mosquito control programs are effectively conducted; and feed, seed and fertilizer products are safe and effective.

The Division of Agricultural Environmental Services is part of the department's Consumer Protection Program and is organized into four bureaus.

• Bureau of Licensing and Enforcement administers the licensing and enforcement provisions of the statutes assigned to the division. The bureau oversees the licensing, registration, and certification of specialty fertilizer products, distributors and manufacturers of feed, seed, and fertilizer products, agricultural pesticide applicators, pesticide dealers, pest control applicators and businesses, aerial applicators and aircraft, and mosquito control applicators. The bureau enforces the proper registration, labeling, distribution, and use of pesticide, feed, seed, and fertilizer products in the state. Bureau case review staff evaluate inspection and investigation files, interpret compliance requirements, and prepare and issue agency actions in response to identified violations.
• Bureau of Agricultural Environmental Laboratories conducts analysis and evaluations of commercial feed, seed, fertilizer, agricultural liming materials, and pesticide formulations sold in Florida to ensure compliance with label guarantees for all active ingredients, nutrients, components, and properties. The bureau also analyzes samples of water, soil, and other matrixes in support of groundwater-monitoring studies and investigations of pesticide-use violations and pesticide drift.
• Bureau of Scientific Evaluation and Technical Assistance processes applications from companies seeking registration of pesticide product brands. The bureau conducts scientific reviews of pesticides proposed for registration to determine whether human health and the environment may be adversely affected when pesticides are used. The bureau provides technical services related to pesticides and farm worker protection and conducts outreach activities to the public and the regulated community related to the control of Formosan and Conehead termites. The bureau provides technical assistance to state mosquito control districts and assures that pass through funding is made available according to established contractual guidelines.
• Bureau of Inspection and Incident Response inspects entities that manufacture, sell, or apply pesticides, fertilizer, feed, or seed in order to ensure consumer protection, worker safety, and environmental protection. Inspections are conducted on a routine basis or in response to consumer complaints. The bureau is also responsible for responding to emergencies such as hurricanes, where recovery efforts need support in the form of mosquito control.

In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the division licensed 60,168 pest control businesses and applicators and 1,378 feed companies. The division analyzed 118,646 pesticide products, 119,952 fertilizer products, and 1,455 feed products. They inspected 2,167 pesticide applicators and dealers and 6,150 pest control businesses and applicators.

Surface Disinfectants Registration. In April 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced changes to its policies on the review and approval of surface disinfectant products for use against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, to better align with the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state agency regulating the registration and use of disinfectants in Florida. Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act authorizes EPA to exempt state and federal agencies from provisions of the rules and allows unregistered uses of pesticides to address emergency conditions. Under such an exemption, EPA allows limited use of a pesticide in defined geographic areas for a finite time, once EPA confirms that the situation meets that statutory definition of "emergency condition." Since August 2020, states including Florida have seen an increase in Section 18 emergency exemption requests from companies seeking to make certain claims about their disinfectants, while the EPA has already approved over 500 products that are effective against SARS-CoV-2. 

Websites of Interest
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
USDA, Economic Research Service

Performance Information
Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

Chapters 388, 482, 487, 570, 576, 578, and 580, Florida Statutes.

Division of Agricultural Environmental Services, 850-617-7900

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