Florida spills and Public Notices of Pollution

A spill in Florida can leave two state records. Incidents that need an immediate response are reported to the State Watch Office, and the Emergency Response Unit of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) responds to environmental pollution threats. Separately, regulated entities submit a Public Notice of Pollution to DEP for reportable releases under section 403.077, F.S., and DEP makes the notices it receives available to the public.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name state spill lists among its standard record sources. The federal counterpart of a state spill list is the emergency response record described on the ERNS page. Florida's records still matter, because a spill report or a pollution notice can be the only record of a release that never became a cleanup case.

• A notice is not the spill report. DEP says submitting a Public Notice of Pollution through its site complies with section 403.077 but does not relieve the reporting entity of any obligation to report to the State Watch Office. A release can appear in one record and not the other.
• What counts as reportable to the watch office. Under hazardous materials, DEP's list includes petroleum-based spills, spills into or involving state waterways in any amount, spills greater than 25 gallons or with the potential to exceed that, chemical spills, and all spills threatening the population or the environment. DEP adds: when in doubt, call the State Watch Office.
• The archive DEP links begins in 2017. DEP's page offers the notices submitted to date and, separately, an archived listing of notices submitted before July 1, 2017 that covers January 1 to June 30, 2017. The page read lists no notices from before January 1, 2017 and does not say when the record began.
• The response unit covers a wide range. DEP says the unit responds to incidents from petroleum spills caused by vehicle accidents to chemical plant explosions to coastal oil spills, and gives technical and on-site assistance. It has offices around the state, with headquarters in Tallahassee.
• A serious spill can open a cleanup file. Under Chapter 62-780, F.A.C., DEP says a sudden discharge that needs immediate action requires an emergency response action within 24 hours and an Emergency Source Removal Report within 60 days of completing it. Ask for that report. The rule is on the Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria page.

Where to look a site up

• DEP's Public Notice of Pollution page links View Submitted Notices and the archive of notices from before July 1, 2017. It also offers an email subscription for notices in an area of interest.
• The pages read do not link a public search of State Watch Office reports or of Emergency Response Unit incidents. Ask for those through a records request.
• The Emergency Response Unit's Tallahassee office is at 850-245-2010. The State Watch Office is at 800-320-0519.

Getting the file

DEP's OCULUS document system gives access to public records associated with permitted facilities and activities. Documents are filed under a DEP program and facility, so have the facility or site name or the facility identification number. For a paper records search, DEP says to contact the district office's Public Records Coordinator or the Office of Ombudsman and Public Services (Public.services@FloridaDEP.gov, 850-245-2118). The routes and fees are on the Public records and OCULUS page.

Sources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 6, 2026:

• Emergency Response Unit, no modified date shown.
• Reportable Incident, last modified September 11, 2023.
• Public Notice of Pollution, no modified date shown.
• Site Investigation Section, last modified July 1, 2026.
• Documents and Reports for Contaminated Sites, last modified August 5, 2025.
• Public Records, last modified October 2, 2026.