Title XXXV, Agriculture, Horticulture, and Animal Industry

The general purposes of this law are:(1) To encourage counties, cities, towns, and school districts to utilize idle lands for productive forest purposes.(2) To encourage reduction of taxation through producing income from wise use of such lands.(3) To encourage development and ma…

The terms hereinafter used, unless the text clearly indicates a different meaning, shall be as follows:(1) The term “governing board” shall mean county commissioners, city commissioners, town councils, school boards, or any other governing body of counties, cities, towns, or scho…

All counties, cities, towns, or school districts, through their governing boards, are hereby empowered to establish, from lands owned by such county, city, town, or school district in fee simple, or to acquire by purchase or gift, lands at present covered with forest or tree grow…

The Department of Revenue, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, counties, cities, towns, school districts, or any other public agency holding fee simple or tax certificate lands are hereby empowered to, and may, upon application to them, transfer title of…

The governing board of any county, city, town, or school district desiring to establish community forests after enactment of this law shall appoint a forestry committee, consisting of three members, as follows: one member of governing board, one member from the Florida Forest Ser…

(1) It shall be the duty of the forestry committee to advise the governing board in acquiring, developing and managing the forest and in making contracts, agreements, and permits for and with the forest, and, if desirable, in hiring a qualified forester and laborers and in making…

Counties, cities, towns, or school districts in which forestry committees have been appointed may appropriate money from available funds to be used by said committee to carry out the purposes of this law. The forestry committee shall each year make a budget of recommendation for …

Revenue from the forests shall be credited to the general fund of counties, cities, towns, or school districts; provided, however, revenues from lands under land use agreements with youth organizations such as chapters of the Future Farmers of America, shall be disposed of subjec…

A fiscal year report of expenditures, income, sales, development and management shall be made by the forestry committee to the governing board of the county, city, town, or school district, and a copy sent to the Florida Forest Service. All reports shall be audited by the regular…

All lands entered or acquired under the provisions of this law shall be protected at all times from wildfire and shall be kept and maintained as a permanent public forest except as hereinafter provided. The timber growing thereon shall be cut in accordance with forestry methods a…

If it becomes desirable to sell any community forest or portion thereof as determined jointly by the governing board and forestry committee, it shall be put to a vote of the people at any regular election and a majority of those voting must approve the action. Any funds received …

To carry out its duties with respect to emergency responses to plant pest infestations when the eradication programs involve the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall:(1) Use a pesticide previously approv…

At any time when the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is conducting an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the Department of Health shall monitor health problems that result from …

Before the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services begins an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized area, the department shall notify the public in the area in which the pesticide is to be applie…

The Department of Health shall provide physicians and health care facilities in an area in which the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is conducting an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanize…

The Department of Health shall provide technical assistance to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services when the latter department is carrying out an emergency response to a plant pest infestation which involves the aerial application of a pesticide to an urbanized are…

As used in this act, the term “urbanized area” means land that is zoned for purposes other than agricultural purposes and that has a residential density of two or more units per acre.History.—s. 6, ch. 98-108.

This chapter may be cited as the “Florida School Food and Nutrition Act.”History.—s. 28, ch. 2013-226.

As used in this chapter, the term:(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Agriculture.(2) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.(3) “Program” means any one or more of the school food and nutrition service programs that the department has resp…

The Legislature, in recognition of the demonstrated relationship between good nutrition and the capacity of students to develop and learn, declares that it is the policy of the state to provide standards for school food and nutrition services and to require each school district t…

The department has the following powers and duties:(1) To conduct, supervise, and administer the program that will be carried out using federal or state funds, or funds from any other source.(2) To conduct, supervise, and administer a farmers’ market nutrition program to provide …

(1) Each district school board shall consider the recommendations of the district school superintendent and adopt policies to provide for an appropriate food and nutrition program for students consistent with federal law and department rules.(2) Each district school board shall i…

(1) In order to implement the Florida Farm to School Program, the department shall develop policies pertaining to school food services which encourage:(a) Sponsors to buy fresh and high-quality foods grown in this state when feasible.(b) Farmers in this state to sell their produc…

(1) This section may be cited as the “Ms. Willie Ann Glenn Act.”(2) Each school district shall develop a plan to sponsor or operate a summer nutrition program to operate sites in the school district as follows:(a) Within 5 miles of at least one school that serves any combination …

(1)(a) The department shall conduct, supervise, and administer all food distribution services that will be carried on using federal or state funds, or funds from any other source, or food received and distributed from the United States or any of its agencies.(b) The department sh…

(1) Personal identifying information of an applicant for or participant in a school food and nutrition service program, as defined in s. 595.402, held by the department or the Department of Education is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.(2)(a…

(1) The Legislature finds that:(a) Millions of pounds of surplus and slightly blemished fresh fruit and vegetables are destroyed each year, while many 1residents of this state go each day without food.(b) Food recovery programs can beneficially aid residents of this state who lac…

There is established the Farmers Feeding Florida Program to coordinate with Feeding Florida, or its successor entity, for the acquisition, transportation, and distribution of non-Emergency Food Assistance Program fresh food products for the benefit of residents who are food insec…

(1) When a corrective action plan is issued by the department or a federal agency, each sponsor is required to complete the corrective action plan to be in compliance with the program.(2) Any person or sponsor that violates any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted thereu…

Chapter 99-37, Laws of Florida, recreated the Food and Nutrition Services Trust Fund to record revenue and disbursements of Federal Food and Nutrition funds received by the department as authorized in ss. 595.404 and 595.408.History.—s. 589, ch. 2002-387; s. 7, ch. 2011-217; s. 3…

This chapter may be cited as the “Florida Aquaculture Policy Act.”History.—s. 1, ch. 84-90; s. 1, ch. 93-152.

For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:(1) “Aquaculture” means the cultivation of aquatic organisms.(2) “Aquaculture producers” means those persons engaging in the production of aquaculture products and certified under s. 597.004.(3) “…

The Legislature declares that aquaculture is agriculture and, as such, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall be the primary agency responsible for regulating aquaculture, any other law to the contrary notwithstanding. The only exceptions are those areas requir…

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature to enhance the growth of aquaculture in this state, while protecting Florida’s environment.(2) It is also the intent of the Legislature to give the department the duty to coordinate and assist the development of aquaculture.(3) It is the in…

(1) The department is the lead agency in regulating and encouraging the development of aquaculture in this state and has and shall exercise the following functions, powers, and duties with regard to aquaculture:(a) Issue or deny aquaculture certificates that identify aquaculture …

(1) CERTIFICATION.—Any person engaging in aquaculture must be certified by the department. The applicant for a certificate of registration shall submit the following to the department:(a) Applicant’s name/title.(b) Company name.(c) Complete mailing address.(d) Legal property desc…

(1) It is unlawful for an aquaculture registrant to:(a) Commingle in the same container any shellfish aquaculture product with any wild product;(b) Transport by vessel over water both wild and aquaculture products of the same species at the same time; or(c) Violate any provision …

(1) The following records held by the department are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution:(a) Shellfish receiving and production records generated by shellfish processing facilities licensed pursuant to s. 597.020.(b) Audit reco…

There is created a cultured shellfish theft reward program, to be administered by the department, for the purpose of granting rewards to persons who provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals illegally possessing, harvesting, or attempting to harvest …

(1) COMPOSITION.—There is created within the department the Aquaculture Review Council to consist of eight members appointed by the commissioner, including an alligator farmer, a food fish farmer, a shellfish farmer, a tropical fish farmer, an aquatic plant farmer, a representati…

(1) LEASE, APPLICATION FORM.—When any qualified person desires to lease a part of the bottom, water column, or bed of any of the water of this state for the purpose of growing oysters or clams, as provided for in this section, he or she shall present to the department a written a…

(1) The department may:(a) Adopt by rule regulations, specifications, training requirements, and codes relating to sanitary practices for catching, cultivating, handling, processing, packaging, preserving, canning, smoking, and storing oysters, clams, mussels, scallops, and crabs…

This chapter may be cited as the “Florida Viticulture Policy Act.”History.—s. 1, ch. 85-111.

(1) The Legislature declares that viticulture, the production and utilization of grapes, is an underdeveloped agricultural commodity enterprise in this state. The Legislature recognizes that Florida possesses many resources and geographic advantages that favor the expansion and g…

(1) There is created within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services the Florida Wine Advisory Council, to be composed of eight members as follows: the president of the Florida Wine and Grape Growers Association or a designee thereof; a representative from the Institut…

(1) The Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the Florida Wine Advisory Council, shall develop and coordinate the implementation of the State Wine Plan, which shall identify problems and constraints of the wine and viticulture industry, propose possible solutions to t…