By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis, flanked by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Senate President Ben Albritton, signed the 2026 Florida farm bill Monday in Highlands County.
Senate Bill 290, the agency bill for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, was subject of heavy public involvement throughout the legislative process, but eventually passed with wide, bipartisan support.
The bill provides some state-owned conservation land to be sold under easement for farming, preempts local governments in regulating gas-powered landscaping equipment, lays out penalties for cheating on the commercial driving license exam and more.
“All being told, I think this package is really really significant. I think it shows we have a strong commitment to not just agriculture but our rural communities writ large,” DeSantis said.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously and passed the House 94-10, with the 10 votes in opposition being Democrats.
The land conservation provision caused some consternation during the legislative process. That language allows state land designated for conservation to be reviewed by a state council to determine suitability for commercial agriculture. If it’s found suitable, the land could be sold by the government.
The land will have to be under an easement stipulating that it will not be otherwise developed and the bill excludes state parks, state forests and land covered by the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
“If you are a young farmer saying, ‘How can we afford to buy land in this state?’ Watch for this program,” Simpson said, noting that the land buying would be less competitive without developers vying for the land.
On the House floor, Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat from St. Petersburg, voiced concern that the measure lacked guardrails to preserve the conservation purposes of some conservation lands.
Simpson highlighted one provision in the law that defines an “ecologically significant parcel” as an undeveloped conservation, agricultural, or green space land in a rural community, and uses that designation to tie potential developers’ hands as to how densely they may develop the land.
“We protected small cities in this bill. When this bill is signed in a few minutes, if you are a small city, we’ve protected the ability for large developers to come in and take over your city, essentially,” Simpson said. Approximately 110 cities will get that protection.
The law prohibits local governments from banning gas-powered landscape or farm equipment such as leaf blowers and chainsaws.
According to the bill analysis, Miami Beach and Naples are among “a number of local governments” that have prohibited use of such equipment in favor of battery-operated machines.
“Some of these local governments want to not let you use certain equipment if its gas operated. That’s not their decision. It’s your decision,” DeSantis said.
“If you want to use different stuff, fine, it’s a free country. But I like the gas-powered better; I just think it’s more reliable,” DeSantis said.
The law creates the Farmers Feeding Florida program, which permanently implements an expiring short-term pilot program that allows the state to purchase Florida-grown products and distribute them to food banks and families in need.
“There is something it is absolutely biblical, but there is something tragic, and something just holistically terrible about the idea of children going to bed hungry every night. Not a single thing since I’ve been elected in the Legislature, not a single thing has galvanized this state, has galvanized the Florida Legislature, the governor, the Cabinet, like fighting that fight,” Albritton said.
Following an involved committee path in each chamber, the most controversial provision, regarding food libel, was amended out. It would have created a legal cause of action for agriculture producers against people criticizing their products or practices. One commonly cited example involves criticism of sugar growers that burn off their fields ahead of harvest, sending smoke through neighboring communities.
The law also:
- Limits door-to-door sales. Floridians are now able to post signs to keep their front doors free from solicitation.
- Creates a second-degree misdemeanor for people seeking commercial driver’s licenses if they receive “unauthorized assistance” on the part of the test that assesses ability to read and understand highway signs.
- Creates a suspended vendor list with penalties for contractors who fail to pay subcontractors or suppliers.
- Makes it illegal to sell or possess signal jamming devices, often used to block law enforcement communications.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Banner photo: Crops are watered on a Florida farm (iStock image).
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