(a)        For the protection of the public health of swimmers and others who use the State‘s coastal fishing waters for recreational activities, the Department shall develop and implement a program to monitor the State’s coastal fishing waters for contaminants. The monitoring program shall cover all coastal fishing waters up to the point where those waters are classified as inland fishing waters.

(b)        The Marine Fisheries Commission shall adopt rules to provide for a water quality monitoring program for the coastal recreation waters of the State and to allow the Department to implement the federal Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 (Pub. L. No. 106-284; 114 Stat. 870, 875; 33 U.S.C.    1313, 1362). The rules shall address, but are not limited to, definitions, surveys, sampling, action standards, and posting of information on the water quality of coastal recreation waters.

(c)        No person shall remove, destroy, damage, deface, mutilate, or otherwise interfere with any sign posted by the Department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. No person, without just cause or excuse, shall have in his or her possession any sign posted by the Department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

(d)       As used in this section, coastal recreation waters has the same meaning as in 33 U.S.C. § 1362. ?(1997-443, s. 15.17(a); 2003-149, s. 1; 2011-145, s. 13.3(rrr), (sss).)