Rules; variances; penalties.

(1) The department shall adopt rules necessary to protect the health and safety of migrant farmworkers and other migrant labor camp or residential migrant housing occupants, including rules governing field sanitation facilities. These rules must include definitions of terms; a process for plan review of the construction of new, expanded, or remodeled camps or residential migrant housing, sites, buildings, and structures; and standards for personal hygiene facilities, lighting, sewage disposal, safety, minimum living space per occupant, bedding, food equipment, food storage and preparation, insect and rodent control, garbage, heating equipment, water supply, maintenance and operation of the camp, housing, or roads, and such other matters as the department finds to be appropriate or necessary to protect the life and health of the occupants. Housing operated by a public housing authority is exempt from the provisions of any administrative rule that conflicts with or is more stringent than the federal standards applicable to the housing.

(2) Except when prohibited as specified in subsection (6), an owner or operator may apply for a permanent structural variance from the department’s rules by filing a written application and paying a fee set by the department, not to exceed $100. This application must:

(a) Clearly specify the standard from which the variance is desired.

(b) Provide adequate justification that the variance is necessary to obtain a beneficial use of an existing facility and to prevent a practical difficulty or unnecessary hardship.

(c) Clearly set forth the specific alternative measures that the owner or operator has taken to protect the health and safety of occupants and adequately show that the alternative measures have achieved the same result as the standard from which the variance is sought.

(3) Any variance granted by the department must be in writing, must state the standard involved, and must state as conditions of the variance the specific alternative measures taken to protect the health and safety of the occupants. In denying the request, the department must provide written notice under ss. 120.569 and 120.57 of the applicant’s right to an administrative hearing to contest the denial within 21 days after the date of receipt of the notice.

(4) A person who violates any provision of ss. 381.008-381.00895 or rules adopted under such sections is subject either to the penalties provided in ss. 381.0012 and 381.0061 or to the penalties provided in s. 381.0087.

(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any housing that is furnished as a condition of employment so as to subject it to the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, 29 U.S.C. s. 655, shall only be inspected under the temporary labor camp standards at 42 C.F.R. s. 1910.142.

(6) For the purposes of filing an interstate clearance order with the Department of Commerce, if the housing is covered by 20 C.F.R. part 654, subpart E, no permanent structural variance referred to in subsection (2) is allowed.