Commissioner Wilton Simpson Highlights 2025 Florida Farm Bill

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson recently highlighted the Florida Farm Bill, specifically the proposal to protect Florida’s ag producers from environmental, social, and governance lending discrimination. Southeast AgNet’s Dale Sandlin has more information.

This protection would be provided when lenders determine whether to provide capital to farms.

Commissioner Wilton Simpson said, “ESG lending discrimination is an existential threat to American agriculture. If left unchecked, these woke financial institutions will strongarm America’s farmers and ranchers — through the threat of withholding capital and financing — into adopting ‘green’ infrastructure, technology, and equipment. We will not allow woke institutions to intentionally cripple American agriculture and threaten our food security and national security.”

In addition to this protection, the Florida Farm Bill, sponsored by Senator Keith Truenow and Representative Kaylee Tuck, would increase emergency preparedness, support 4-H and FFA programs, expand consumer protections and transparency across regulated industries, among other items. They include:

Preserving Florida’s Working Agricultural Lands

• Returning the decision for solar farms on agricultural land to local government. Clarifying tax structure to incentivize dual use of solar farms with working agriculture.
• Prohibiting the use of drones on or near agricultural lands.

Protecting the Future of Florida’s Agricultural Industry

• Prohibiting financial institutions from discriminating against agricultural producers based on environmental policies or set emission targets.

Reducing the Burden on Florida Farmers

• Providing the opportunity for Floridians to vote on a total exemption of tangible personal property taxes on property classified as agricultural.
• Exempting agricultural materials used in the process of enrolling in, implementing, and maintaining best management practices from taxes imposed in Florida Statutes.

Reloading Florida’s Commitment to the Second Amendment

• Updating Florida’s concealed weapon license application process to eliminate red tape and delays for gun owners.
• Prohibiting the use of drones on state hunting lands or private shooting ranges with the intent to harass.

Increasing Florida’s Emergency Preparedness

• Supporting a reliable and available fuel supply during emergencies through a retail fuel registration program.
• Establishing a grant program for fiscally constrained counties and areas along evacuation routes to purchase generator power switches for fuel stations.

Supporting Florida Consumers

• Creating an “Honest Services Registry,” which will feature charitable organizations that do not solicit or include funds from foreign countries of concern.
• Prohibiting charities from registering with the department to solicit charitable contributions if they engage in political activities and have failed to register with the Florida Department of State.
• Prohibiting the mislabeling of plant-based products as “milk” or “meat.”
• Requiring businesses to clearly mark prices on all items and eliminating an outdated law that allowed for pricing to be optional.
• Eliminating the loophole for the sale of psychedelic mushrooms.
• Creating a state felony for stealing checks out of mailboxes from Florida homes and businesses.
• Prohibiting the addition of non-water quality additives to public water systems.

Educating Florida’s Future

• Protecting 4-H and FFA programs in local schools from local governments’ zoning laws by ensuring local programs can have agriculture facilities on school property.