Wastewater services projections.

(1) The Legislature intends for each county, municipality, or special district providing wastewater services to create a 20-year needs analysis.

(2) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Domestic wastewater” has the same meaning as provided in s. 367.021.

(b) “Facility” means any equipment, structure, or other property, including sewerage systems and treatment works, used to provide wastewater services.

(c) “Treatment works” has the same meaning as provided in s. 403.031.

(d) “Wastewater services” means service to a sewerage system, as defined in s. 403.031, or service to domestic wastewater treatment works.

(3) By June 30, 2022, and every 5 years thereafter, each county, municipality, or special district providing wastewater services shall develop a needs analysis for its jurisdiction over the subsequent 20 years. In projecting such needs, each local government shall include the following:

(a) A detailed description of the facilities used to provide wastewater services.

(b) The number of current and projected connections and residents served calculated in 5-year increments.

(c) The current and projected service area for wastewater services.

(d) The current and projected cost of providing wastewater services calculated in 5-year increments.

(e) The estimated remaining useful life of each facility or its major components.

(f) The most recent 5-year history of annual contributions to, expenditures from, and balances of any capital account for maintenance or expansion of any facility or its major components.

(g) The local government’s plan to fund the maintenance or expansion of any facility or its major components. The plan must include historical and estimated future revenues and expenditures with an evaluation of how the local government expects to close any projected funding gap.

(4) Upon completing the requirements of subsection (3), each municipality or special district shall submit its needs analysis, as well as the methodology and any supporting data necessary to interpret the results, to the county within which the largest portion of its service area is located. Each county shall compile all analyses submitted to it under this subsection into a single document and include its own analysis in the document. The county shall file the compiled document with the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research no later than July 31, 2022, and every 5 years thereafter.

(5) The Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall evaluate the compiled documents from the counties for the purpose of developing a statewide analysis for inclusion in the assessment due the following January, pursuant to s. 403.928. Beginning July 1, 2024, and by the July 1 following subsequent publications of the analysis required by this section, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall provide a publicly accessible data visualization tool on its website that allows for comparative analyses of key information.

(6) This section applies to a rural area of opportunity as defined in s. 288.0656 unless the requirements of this section would create an undue economic hardship for the county, municipality, or special district in the rural area of opportunity.