The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on April 2 advanced CS for SB 810, a bill Senator Burgess said is intended to reduce flood risk by requiring inspections of stormwater infrastructure before storm season. The committee adopted an amendment limiting annual inspections to infrastructure identified as vulnerable during a baseline review.

Senator Ben Burgess said the amendment aligns the bill with the original intent: local MS4 entities would inspect infrastructure they determine is most at risk of flooding. "This amendment says that the only infrastructure that would be identified as vulnerable is what would be required to have an annual inspection by an MS4 entity," Burgess told the committee.

Local-government groups voiced concerns that the bill, as originally drafted, would create “significant unintended consequences.” Matthew Singer of the Florida League of Cities told senators, "This bill creates significant unintended consequences for cities by requiring inspection of all government owned stormwater structures, regardless of the level of risk or the resources available." Singer and other witnesses said many municipalities already inspect portions of their systems under five-year MS4 permit cycles and warned the proposed schedule could force costly, immediate inspections or contracts for camera/TV truck work.

The Florida Association of Counties and stormwater associations asked the committee to adopt a targeted, risk-based approach or provide funding; Jared Grigas of the Florida Association of Counties urged narrowing the universe of structures subject to annual inspection. Kevin Coyne of the Florida Stormwater Association acknowledged the need to address flooding but emphasized MS4 permits are designed for pollution-control and routine rain events rather than rare 1-in-200-year tropical-storm rainfall.

Burgess and several senators, including Boyd and Burton, said recent inland flooding and repeated storms make proactive inspection worthwhile. Burgess described neighborhoods in his area where dozens of homes flooded: "I have 50 homes that were underwater for a month and a half in my little tiny neighborhood... This is unacceptable."

After debate and changes to focus on MS4 entities' identified high-risk infrastructure, the committee reported the bill favorably. Stakeholders requested continued discussions on funding, scope, and whether other owners (FDOT, universities, private systems) should be included and how to coordinate with water-management districts.