Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson released the following statement after the end of a historically successful Legislative Session:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson released the following statement after the end of a historically successful Legislative Session:

“From supporting farmers by taking regulatory weights off their backs, to protecting consumers at the fuel pump, to preserving and protecting our lands for future generations, the 2023 Legislative Session included huge victories for Florida agriculture, its related industries, and consumers. I want to congratulate the lawmakers who worked hard on behalf of the people of Florida and for demonstrating their support to Florida’s farmers, consumers, and those who work each day to protect them. 

“When our farmers came to me and my team expressing their frustration in the arduous process of claiming their tax exemptions for equipment afforded to them by law, we listened. We worked with lawmakers to introduce the Florida Farm TEAM card – a commonsense solution to help Florida farmers thrive.

“When we saw that the liberal elites in D.C. were attempting to coordinate with credit card companies to create a backdoor registry of law-abiding gun owners, we noticed, and we acted. We worked with the legislature to create what we call the ‘Florida Arms and Ammo Act’ – legislation designed to prohibit the collection of Floridians’ financial data related to firearm and ammunition purchases.

“When the crippling tax burdens placed on the backs of our local farmers by misguided local governments became increasingly egregious, we acted . In working with agriculture stakeholders and lawmakers, legislation was created to prohibit local governments from levying special assessments on Florida agricultural lands.

“When landowners indicated their strong interest in preserving working agricultural lands from development to ensure our farmlands stay in the hands of farmers, we listened , and requested additional funding for the department’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

“When state-run institutions were overlooking Florida growers and producers for their food services, we acted . Legislation is now on the books that requires public institutions to lead by example and purchase more Florida-grown food.

“When it became alarmingly apparent that foreign adversaries were buying up our important lands, we acted. We worked with lawmakers to introduce the ‘Secure Florida Act’ – legislation that protects Florida’s food and water supply by banning foreign control of agricultural lands and land near critical infrastructure facilities.

“Each action we took this session stemmed from listening to those who are truly the boots on the ground. Change for the sake of change doesn’t mean much; but, when you make meaningful change that will positively impact the lives of so many hardworking individuals and families, it means everything. I am grateful to Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and Florida House Speaker Paul Renner for their leadership, and thankful for all the lawmakers who worked to make a difference this session.”

Key legislative priorities that passed during the 2023 Legislative Session:

Defending Second Amendment Rights

• SB 214, by Senator Danny Burgess and Representative John Snyder, prohibits financial institutions from collecting and monitoring information on law-abiding Floridians’ firearm and ammunition purchases; and gives the department the authority to investigate and penalize financial institutions who violate the new provisions in state law.

Supporting Florida’s Farmers

• HB 1279, by Senator Jay Collins and Representative Danny Alvarez, creates the Florida Farm TEAM (Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials) Card for farmers to use for sales-tax-exempt purchases, which reduces red tape and modernizes the current burdensome paper process.
• HB 1279 requires public institutions and their contracted food service providers to lead by example by giving preference to Florida grown and produced food.
• HB 1279 specifies that the department is the lead agency for regulating and encouraging the development of aquaculture in the state to further enhance the production of food.
• HB 7063 prohibits a county from levying any special assessment on lands classified as agricultural unless the revenue from the assessment against the property is pledged for debt service.
• Secured $49.5 million to support the citrus industry through infrastructure, research, and expansion of propagation and replanting efforts.
• HB 7063 creates a permanent sales tax exemption on materials used to construct or repair permanent or temporary fencing used to contain, confine, or process cattle, including gates and energized fencing systems, used in agricultural operations on lands classified as agricultural lands.

Protecting and Preserving Important Land in Florida

• SB 264 , by Senator Jay Collins and Representative David Borrero, restricts the role certain foreign countries may take with respect to land ownership in Florida. The bill, one of the first laws of its kind in the nation, restricts a governmental entity’s ability to contract with certain foreign countries of concern and further prohibits foreign countries of concern, including China, from purchasing or otherwise acquiring real property in the state. The bill places specific limitations on the type and location of real property that may be owned or acquired by a foreign country of concern. Notably, the bill prohibits a specified foreign principal from owning real property near a military installation and further prohibits the specified foreign ownership of agricultural land.
• HB 1279 supports the department’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and increases the estimated value threshold that requires two appraisals to be conducted for a conservation easement acquisition from $1 million to $5 million. This will create a more streamlined process for the program.
• Secured $100 million in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. This program focuses on maintaining the agricultural land base in Florida through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements.
• Secured $4 million in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for reforestation efforts on public and private lands. This funding provides targeted tree planting on forest lands to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and enhance the capacity of Florida’s forests to provide a multitude of ecosystem services.

Supporting and Honoring First Responders and FDACS Employees

• HB 1215 , by Senator Jay Collins and Representative Randy Maggard, provides an exemption from public records requirements for personal identifying and location information of current or former inspectors or investigators of the department and spouses and children of current or former inspectors or investigators.
• HB 21 , by Senator Nick DiCeglie and Representative Tyler Sirois, designates a portion of Interstate 95 in Nassau County as “Corporal James McWhorter Memorial Highway.” This designation honors the life of Corporal James McWhorter, who faithfully served with FDACS’ Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement for 2.5 years, and died in the line of duty on February 12, 2022.
• Secured a 5% across-the-board pay increase plus an additional $12 million in discretionary funds to address salaries and benefits deficiencies, recruitment and retention issues, and compression throughout the department.
• Secured $15 million for equipment and aircraft for the Florida Forest Service and Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement to assist our first responders, ensuring that our firefighters and law enforcement officers have the equipment needed to complete their jobs safely and efficiently.
• Secured $7.4 million for information technology critical needs including security enhancements, cloud migration, and communication circuit upgrades.

Protecting Florida Consumers

• HB 1307 , by Senator Blaise Ingoglia and Representative Lawrence McClure, fights retail fuel theft that causes Florida consumers to pay more at the pump by creating criminal penalties for possessing the technology and devices used to steal fuel.
• SB 1676 , by Senator Colleen Burton and Representative Will Robinson Jr., provides changes to the regulation of hemp to protect consumers and children. Most notably, the bill defines the term “attractive to children” to mean items manufactured in certain shapes or manufactured to bear any reasonable resemblance to an existing candy; and prohibits hemp extract products intended for human ingestion from being sold to a person who is under 21 years of age.
• Secured an additional 40 FTEs to address critical workload issues, including 22 FTEs and $2.7 million to bolster the Fair Ride Inspection program, thanks to the advocacy from Senate President Passidomo.
• HB 1307 streamlines the licensure requirements and reduces fees related to the private investigative, private security, and recovery services industries, including Class G Statewide Firearm Licenses and Class K Firearms instructors.
• HB 1307 increases the contribution thresholds that are used to determine the assessment and exemption of registration fees for charitable organizations, sponsors, or parent organizations, which will have the effect of lowering fees and registration requirements for such organizations that are not in the higher income categories.
• HB 1279 expands the department’s authority to enforce the storage of food, in addition to the production, manufacture, transportation, and sale of food. The bill also revises and removes definitions related to the department’s food safety regulations to create regulatory consistency and eliminates outdated terms.
• HB 1279 expands the department’s authority to issue and enforce a stop-sale, stop-use, removal, or hold order to detain or embargo to include any mislabeled food, food processing equipment, food processing area, or food storage area in violation of department rules.
• HB 1279 expands the department’s authority with respect to school food and nutrition programs to allow the department to adopt and implement an exemption, waiver, and variance process by rule, as required by federal regulations, for sponsors under the programs that the department implements.

For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.

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