(1) The Department of Health, upon determining the existence of anything or things herein declared to be nuisances by law, shall notify the person or persons committing, creating, keeping, or maintaining the same, to remove or cause to be removed, the same within 24 hours, or such other reasonable time as may be determined by the department, after such notice be duly given.

(2) If the sanitary nuisance condition is not removed by such person or persons within the time prescribed in said notice, the department, its agents or deputies or local health authorities, may within the county where the nuisance exists, remove, cause to remove, or prevent the continuing sanitary nuisance condition in the following manner:

(a) Undertake required correctional procedures, including the removal of same if necessary; the cost or expense of such removal or correctional procedures shall be paid by the person or persons committing, creating, keeping, or maintaining such nuisances; and if the said cost and expense thus accruing shall not be paid within 10 days after such removal, the same shall be collected from the person or persons committing, creating, keeping, or maintaining such nuisances, by suit at law; but this paragraph shall not authorize the department to alter, change, demolish, or remove any machinery, equipment, or facility designed or used for the processing or disposing of liquid or smoke effluent of a manufacturing plant.

(b) Institute criminal proceedings in the county court in the jurisdiction of which the condition exists against all persons failing to comply with notices to correct sanitary nuisance conditions as provided in this chapter.

(c) Institute legal proceedings authorized by the department as set forth in s. 381.0012.

(d) Institute administrative proceedings authorized by the department as set forth in s. 381.0061.

History.—s. 12, ch. 4346, 1895; GS 1155; RGS 2159; CGL 3388; s. 1, ch. 63-64; ss. 19, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 77-119; s. 149, ch. 77-147; s. 5, ch. 80-351; s. 53, ch. 91-297; s. 76, ch. 97-101.