The Florida Senate

The bill makes a number of changes to laws related to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (department) and related topics. Specifically, the bill:

• Prohibits a county or municipality from enacting a local policy to restrict the use of gasoline-powered farm or landscape equipment.
• Establishes density requirements for developers who seek to build in small municipalities and provides exemptions from this requirement under certain circumstances.
• Requires the Acquisition and Restoration Council to determine whether any lands surplused by a local governmental entity are suitable for bona fide agricultural purposes, and prohibits local governments from transferring future development rights for such lands.
• Requires the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to determine whether any state-owned conservation lands are suitable for bona fide agricultural purposes, allows DEP to surplus such lands, requires the department to retain a rural-lands-protection easement for all such lands, and requires proceeds from the sale of such lands to be deposited into the Incidental Trust Fund within the department. State forest lands, state park lands, wildlife management areas, or lands included in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan may not be surplused through this land surplus process.
• Removes the Babcock Ranch Advisory Group.
• Adds penalties for contractors who fail to timely compensate their subcontractors and suppliers.
• Adds criminal penalties for receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on a commercial driver license (CDL) exam.
• Repeals statutes requiring Florida’s participation in the Southern States Energy Compact.
• Only permits land application of Class AA biosolids by July 1, 2028, requires local governments that do not to transport biosolids for land application outside of their boundaries to comply with this requirement by July 1, 2031, and removes the requirement that rules adopted by the department with respect to biosolids be ratified by the Legislature. 
• Increases insurance requirements and maximum fine amounts for pest control fumigation providers.
• Adds obstruction to the prohibited acts involving permitting entry or inspection.
• Repeals the Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
• Allows the department to exempt any business or activity not in existence as of July 1, 2026 from health studio regulations.
• Prohibits commercial solicitation on properties that comply with “no solicitation” signage requirements and provides noncriminal and criminal penalties for violation.
• Allows the department to reorganize itself upon approval of the commissioner.
• Modifies eligibility requirements for the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Emergency Recovery Loan Program to include U.S. citizenship or U.S. ownership.
• Directs the establishment of the Florida Native Seed Research and Marketing Program.
• Creates the Food Animal and Equine Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program to help offset loans incurred for studies leading to a veterinary degree with a specialization in food animal or equine animal veterinary medicine.
• Prohibits local governments from requiring an agricultural property owner to obtain a rural event venue permit or license for an agritourism activity.
• Replaces the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc. with the Citrus Research and Field Trial Foundation Inc. as the advisory council and research body for a citrus research marketing order, and requires the merger of the two direct-support organizations.
• Adds the Welaka Training Center as a site that the Florida Forest Service (FFS) may operate to train fire and forest resource managers, adds that the FFS may assess appropriate fees to meet its operational costs regardless of the training location, and renames the Bonifay Forestry Station.
• Allows the FFS to pay the CDL renewal costs for employees whose positions require them to operate equipment requiring a CDL.
• Establishes the Farmers Feeding Florida Program and restricts Feeding Florida from allowing an opposed candidate for elective office to host a food distribution event.
• Prohibits the department from renewing a certificate of registration for an aquaculture facility that is not in compliance, and provides the department discretion to adjust the annual rental fee for aquaculture leases.
• Revises various regulations of fairs and fair associations.
• Corrects the definition of a nonprofit agricultural organization for the purpose of providing medical benefit plans.
• Adds “concealed weapon permit” or “concealed weapon permitholder” to the list of words a person is prohibited from wearing or displaying with the intention to mislead, and provides criminal penalties for violation.
• Prohibits the possession, use, manufacture, import, sale, or distribution of signal jamming devices.

The bill is expected to have an insignificant fiscal impact to state government. It is expected to have a significant fiscal impact to local governments and private actors.

If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor's signature, these provisions take effect on July 1, 2026.

Vote: Senate 38-0; House 94-10