Governor signs Farm Bill championed by Florida’s Ag commissioner

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a major farm bill championed by the state’s agriculture commissioner that, in part, shifts who decides where solar farms can be built, prohibits fluoride in the drinking water and boosts agriculture programs in schools.

The governor signed the bill, Senate Bill 700, last week.

Among the items included in the new legislation is a prohibition against labeling plant-based products as milk, meat, poultry or eggs. Simpson, in an interview with the Business Observer in March, said the provision is meant to keep companies from disguising their products as something else.

“If you're selling milk, we want it to actually be milk, right?” he said.

Senate Bill 700 passed 27-9 in the Senate and 88-27 in the House.

It was filed by Sen. Keith Truenow, R-Tavares. A companion bill in the House, HB 651, was filed by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, Lake Placid.

In a statement announcing the governor’s signature, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that Simpson oversees said the “bill represents the most far-reaching legislative package ever enacted for” the agency and that it addressed “nearly every aspect of the department’s responsibilities.”

Simpson is a fifth-generation egg farmer and a politician from Pasco County. A Republican, he has been talked about as a potential gubernatorial candidate.

According to the agriculture department, here are some of the provisions included in the legislation:

• A prohibition against financial institutions discriminating against agricultural producers based on environmental policies or set emission targets.
• A prohibition against the use of drones on state hunting lands or private shooting ranges with the intent to harass.
• A prohibition against charitable organizations soliciting or receiving funds from hostile foreign countries of concern.
• Enhancing disaster recovery programs for agricultural producers affected by hurricanes and natural disasters.
• Allowing the state to return solar fields back into agricultural production.
• A prohibition keeping local governments from banning housing for legally verified agricultural workers on farms.
• Creating stricter legal worker eligibility requirements for farmworker housing and establishing penalties for violations.
• The creation of a grant program for fiscally constrained counties and areas along evacuation routes to purchase generator power switches for fuel stations.
• Protecting 4-H and FFA programs in local schools from local zoning laws by ensuring programs can have agriculture facilities on school property.
• Creating a requirement that businesses clearly mark prices on all items and eliminating an outdated law that allowed for pricing to be optional.
• Updating Florida’s concealed weapon licenses process.