Farm Bill protects gas-powered farm, landscape equipment

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(The Center Square) – The Florida Farm Bill was signed into law Monday, bringing increased personal freedoms for farmers, limits on local government, and expanding agricultural programs.

Senate Bill 260 prevents cities and counties from banning gas-powered farm and landscape equipment and allows farm owners to host events without a permit.

“Florida farmers don’t need more red tape, they need the freedom to produce,” said Sen. Keith Truenow, who sponsored the bill. “This legislation is about trusting Florida farmers and giving them the room to succeed, because when agriculture thrives, our communities thrive.”

The bill also allows state owned conservation land to be used for agriculture if certain conditions are met.

“Florida is home to over 45,000 farms and ranches, and 92% are family-run,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "From cattle ranches and aquaculture, to dairies, chicken houses, groves, and greenhouses, Florida’s agricultural industry and food system supports over $387 billion in economic impact and more than 2.5 million jobs throughout our state."

The governor said the bill will strengthen domestic food supply and promote homegrown agriculture.

Some of the other widespread changes include making the Farmers Feeding Florida Program permanent to support food banks and families, stricter eligibility requirements for disaster recovery loans with a prioritization for American-owned operations, protecting conservation lands from high-density development, stronger water quality protections, and higher treatment standards for biosolids applied to land.

Specifically, the bill bans the land application of biosolids besides Class AA, which is the highest treatment level and safest for the public unlike lower classes which could still contain pathogens. Previously, lower classes of biosolids were allowed to be applied to land.

Private and public treatment facilities will likely incur “significant” costs due to finding alternative disposal methods for waste products, according to a fiscal analysis.

Pest control companies will also experience additional costs due to higher insurance policy premiums thanks to increased insurance coverage requirements in the bill.

An earlier version of the bill drew criticism from advocacy groups for a clause that would have allowed food producers to sue for disparagement of their agricultural products.

Captains for Clean Water, a nonprofit organization based in Fort Myers, said the clause threatened free speech and the ability for the public to hold food producers accountable.

Friends of the Everglades chimed in, calling it “an outrageous assault on Floridians’ freedom of speech.”

That part of the bill was later scrapped and went forward without the disparagement section.