Notice of intention to drill well; permits; abandoned wells and dry holes.

(1) Before drilling a well in search of oil or gas, or before storing gas in or recovering gas from a natural gas storage reservoir, the person who desires to drill for, store, or recover gas, or drill for oil or gas, shall notify the division upon such form as it may prescribe and shall pay a reasonable fee set by rule of the department not to exceed the actual cost of processing and inspecting for each well or reservoir. The drilling of any well and the storing and recovering of gas are prohibited until such notice is given, the fee is paid, and the permit is granted.

(2) An application for the drilling of a well in search of oil or gas, or for the storing of gas in and recovering of gas from a natural gas storage reservoir, in this state must include the address of the residence of the applicant, or applicants, which must be the address of each person involved in accordance with the records of the Division of Resource Management until such address is changed on the records of the division after written request.

(3) Each abandoned well and each dry hole shall be plugged promptly in the manner and within the time required by regulations to be prescribed by the Department of Environmental Protection, and the owner of such well shall give notice upon such form as the division may prescribe, of the drilling of each dry hole and of the owner’s intention to abandon. No well shall be abandoned without prior approval of the division.

(4) Application for permission to drill or abandon any well may be denied by the division for only just and lawful cause.

(5) No permit to drill a gas or oil well shall be granted within the corporate limits of any municipality, unless the governing authority of the municipality shall have first duly approved the application for such permit by resolution.

(6) No permit to drill a gas or oil well shall be granted at a location in the tidal waters of the state, abutting or immediately adjacent to the corporate limits of a municipality or within 3 miles of such corporate limits extending from the line of mean high tide into such waters, unless the governing authority of the municipality shall have first duly approved the application for such permit by resolution.

(7) No permit to drill a gas or oil well shall be granted on any improved beach, located outside of an incorporated town or municipality, or at a location in the tidal waters of the state abutting or immediately adjacent to an improved beach, or within 3 miles of an improved beach extending from the line of mean high tide into such tidal waters, unless the county commissioners of the county in which such beach is located shall have first duly approved the application for such permit by resolution.

(8) For the purposes of this section and law, an improved beach, situated outside of the corporate limits of any municipality or town, shall be and is hereby defined to be any beach adjacent to or abutting upon the tidal waters of the state and having not less than 10 hotels, apartment buildings, residences or other structures, used for residential purposes, on or to any given mile of such beach.

(9) Without exception, after July 1, 1989, no permit to drill a well in search of oil or gas shall be granted south of 26°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s west coast and south of 27°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s east coast, within the boundaries of Florida’s territorial seas as defined in 43 U.S.C. 1301. After July 31, 1990, no permit to drill a well in search of oil or gas shall be granted north of 26°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s west coast to the western boundary of the state bordering Alabama as set forth in s. 1, Art. II of the State Constitution, or located north of 27°00′00″ north latitude off Florida’s east coast to the northern boundary of the state bordering Georgia as set forth in s. 1, Art. II of the State Constitution, within the boundaries of Florida’s territorial seas as defined in 43 U.S.C. 1301.

(10) Notwithstanding any law or rule to the contrary, the drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products is prohibited in counties designated as rural areas of opportunity under s. 288.0656 if the proposed site is within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve. If such a county also contains an area of critical state concern, the drilling, exploration, or production of oil, gas, or other petroleum products is prohibited within 30 miles of a national estuarine research reserve.