Early in 2007, the City of Naples passed the first fertilizer ordinance in the State requiring commercial and institutional fertilizer applicators to take the “Green Industries Best Management Practices” (GI-BMP) training.  In 2009, the Florida legislature passed new laws requiring all commercial fertilizer applicators to have Limited Certification for Urban Landscape Commercial Fertilizer (LCUFAC), issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, by 2014.  The GI-BMP training, or approved equivalent, is a prerequisite to obtain this “fertilizer” certificate.

In 2011, Collier County adopted the Florida-Friendly Use of fertilizer on Urban Landscapes ordinance for the protection of our water resources, requiring that all lawn and landscape service businesses take the “Green Industries” Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) training to obtain the County’s occupational license in 2012.

To date, over 45 municipalities across the state have approved similar ordinances, directing professional landscapers to take the GI-BMP training.