Chuck Tear, Pasco County Office of Emergency Management was the exercise director. The exercise went well and more information, as desired, will be provided at the next Chairs and Staff meeting. The Port of Tampa Siren Warning Briefings, conducted as part of last year's HMEP Planning Activity, will continue this next year as part of the LEPC's public outreach program. The training budget for the HMEP Grant program for FY 2000-2001 is a significant increase from last year and this will pose a challenge to all to request training early so that the funds can be allocated for training prior to next year's hurricane season. Operation Cleansweep is a program previously briefed to the SERC by Burt McKee that will provide Hillsborough County farmers, nursery operators, golf course operators, and pest control services a safe and economical way to dispose of their cancelled, suspended, and unusable pesticides.
Proper disposal can be costly and a regulatory burden for small farmers and other end users.
Cleansweep offers an opportunity to avoid these formidable barriers and to promote safe and environmentally sound pesticide use, handling and disposal. The audit was conducted in an open and cordial atmosphere with many suggestions and recommendations passed to and received by the facility. A preliminary determination report of the audit team's findings and recommendations is forthcoming. This is the second audit conducted in District VIII since the passing of the legislation. The first audit was conducted at the Tampa Bay Fisheries in Dover, Florida.