HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS
BILL #: HB 1265 Florida Crop Diversification Commission
SPONSOR(S): Buchanan
TIED BILLS: IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 1398
REFERENCE ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF
1) Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency 16 Y, 0 N Mamontoff Moore
Subcommittee
2) Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations
Subcommittee
3) Infrastructure Strategies Committee
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) supports and promotes Florida agriculture,
protects the environment, safeguards consumers, and ensures the safety and wholesomeness of foods.
Florida’s agriculture is among the most diverse in the United States, contributing over 300 commodities to
national and international markets. The industry provides over $120 billion in economic revenue, second only
to tourism, and supports more than two million jobs. In recent years, agricultural productivity has become
increasingly vulnerable to threats such as extreme climate events, pests and diseases, and degrading water
quality. Due to these various threats impacting the agriculture industry, adaptation is of considerable
importance to the long-term sustainability of agricultural production in Florida.
The bill creates the Florida Crop Diversification Commission (Commission) adjunct to DACS. The Commission
is composed of the following nine members:
The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee;
The dean for research of UF/IFAS or his or her designee; and
Seven members appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture based upon their knowledge and
experience in agricultural production, processing, or manufacturing.
The bill directs the Commission to do the following:
Evaluate alternative agricultural crops and determine whether more viable crops or products exist that
would provide an economic benefit to growers using current agricultural infrastructure on land that has
been taken out of production by diseases or adverse weather conditions;
Develop best management practices for recommended crops or products recommended by the
Commission;
Assist local economic development councils in encouraging the development of manufacturing and
processing facilities for new recommended crops or products;
Publish the Commission’s findings annually after review and approval from the Commissioner; and
Submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives by July 1, 2026, and each July 1st thereafter.
The bill directs the Commission to contract with a nonprofit organization for the design and implementation of
the Florida Crop Diversification Initiative.
The bill appropriates the sum of $500,000 in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund to DACS.
This docum ent does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives .
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FULL ANALYSIS
I. SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES:
Background
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) supports and promotes Florida
agriculture, protects the environment, safeguards consumers, and ensures the safety and
wholesomeness of foods. Among other programs and activities, DACS:
Protects Florida’s livestock, honey bees, and crop plants from pests and diseases;
Manages over a million acres of state forest land for multiple uses, including timber, wildlife
habitat, and recreation;
Acts as the state’s clearing house for consumer concerns; and
Tests for toxins, allergens, chemical contaminants, pesticide residues, food additives, and
fraudulent formulations in food samples.1
Florida’s Agriculture
Florida’s agriculture is among the most diverse in the United States, contributing over 300 commodities
to national and international markets.2 The state’s diverse and mild climate makes it perfect for growing
many different crops. South Florida is warm enough for growing vegetables such as sweet corn,
tomato, strawberry, green beans, and lettuce, even during winter. South Florida’s warm winters make it
possible to grow tropical fruits and vegetables such as avocado, mango, cassava, boniato, and lychee.
North Florida climate conditions are more favorable for agronomic grain and fiber crops during the
summer growing season. While some crops are regionally-specific in Florida, others are grown
throughout the state but with varying production seasons and different market windows. 3
The agriculture industry provides over $120 billion in economic revenue to the state, second only to
tourism, and supports more than two million jobs.4 While approximately $8 billion in sales is generated
by the industry annually, in recent years agricultural productivity has become increasingly vulnerable to
threats such as changing rainfall patterns, flooding, saltwater intrusion, hurricane damage,5 and
disease.
Threats to Florida’s Agriculture
Florida’s agriculture industry faces challenges from extreme climate events, invasive pests and
diseases, and degrading water quality.
Crop growth and productivity are influenced by extreme climate events that affect land and irrigation
water availability as well as crop yield and quality. 6 Crops suffer direct damage from freezing
temperatures, heat stress, strong winds from tornadoes or hurricanes, droughts, or intensive rainfall
events that cause runoff, flooding, and erosion.7 Agricultural productivity and water resources can also
1 Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability Government Program Summaries (GPS), Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS),
https://oppaga.fl.gov/ProgramSummary/ProgramDetail?programNumber=4122 (last visited Jan. 16, 2024).
2 Florida Climate Institute, Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Florida’s Agriculture, pp.240, available at
https://floridaclimateinstitute.org/docs/climatebook/Ch08-Her.pdf [hereinafter Florida Climate Institute].
3 Id. at 237.
4 Id. at 235.
5 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Climate Hubs, Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guides for Florida
Producers, https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southeast/hurric ane -preparation-and-recovery-guides-florida-
producers (last visited Jan. 17, 2024); DACS, Commissioner Wilton Simpson Announces Florida Agricultural Losses
Estimated at Over $446 Million Following Hurricane Idalia, https://www.fdacs.gov/News-E vents/Press-Releases/2023-
Press-Releases/Commissioner-Wilton-Simps on-A nnounces -Florida-Agricultural-Losses-Estimated-at-Over-447-Million-
Following-Hurricane-Idalia (last visited Jan. 17, 2024).
6 Florida Climate Institute at 237.
7 Id. at 238.
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be degraded from these weather events, resulting in substantial losses of soil, nutrients, and fertilizers
in agricultural fields; pollutant loadings to waterbodies; and subsequent water quality issues.8
In most years, hurricanes negatively impact agricultural productivity. 9 While total economic losses from
a hurricane are devastating, agricultural losses alone can often exceed $1 billion. Florida agriculture’s
structures, livestock, and crops are highly exposed to extreme wind and flooding events during
hurricanes. Hurricanes have always been a threat to Florida, but new research suggests that their
intensity is increasing.10 After making landfall on September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated
Southwest Florida’s agriculture industry with losses calculated to be around $1.03 billion. 11 These loss
figures do not include the cost of replanting or repairing damages that would return the industry to pre-
hurricane status.12 Nearly five million acres of agricultural land were affected. The commodity groups
most affected (not including grazing land) were field and row crops,13 citrus, vegetables, and melons.14
Almost one year later, Hurricane Idalia caused up to $447 million in crop and infrastructure losses to
the agricultural industry.15
The climate that makes Florida perfectly adapted to agriculture is also ideal for plant diseases and
invasive pests to thrive.16 Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is one of the most
serious diseases affecting citrus across the state. 17 The disease is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid
(Diaphorina citri) (ACP). ACP transmits the bacteria into a citrus tree when it feeds on new shoots.
There is no cure for this disease, and all commercial varieties of citrus are susceptible. Since its first
detection in Florida in 2005, HLB has spread throughout all the citrus-producing areas in Florida,
reduced citrus production by 75 percent, and more than doubled the cost of production. 18 Other
examples of pests and diseases negatively affecting the agriculture industry include the Eastern Lubber
Grasshopper, the Emerald Ash Borer, Exotic Fruit Flies, Laurel Wilt Disease, Invasive Mollusks, and
the Lime Swallowtail Citrus Pest.19
Another concern for agricultural producers is the quality of water used for irrigation.20 Sea level rise
increases the risk of salt water intrusion into aquifers that are used for irrigation purposes. Therefore,
8 Id. at 239.
9 USDA Southeast Climate Hub, Hurricane Preparation and Recovery Guides for Florida Producers,
https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southeast/hurricane -preparation-and-recovery-guides -florida-produc ers (last
visited Jan. 24, 2024).
10 Id.
11 UF/IFAS, Estimated Agricultural Losses Resulting from Hurricane Ian, available at
https://fred.ifas.ufl.edu/media/fredifasufledu/economic-impact-analysis/reports/FRE-Final-Hurricane-Ian-Report.pdf (last
visited Jan. 24, 2024); Manatee, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Hardee and Hendry were the counties with the highest
reported losses. Fox Weather, Florida Suffers $1 billion hit to agriculture industry from Hurricane Ian,
https://www.foxweather.com/lifestyle/florida-hurricane-food-crop-damage-total (last visited Jan. 24, 2024).
12 Id.
13 Field and row crops include hay and sugarcane. UF/IFAS, Estimated Agricultural Losses Resulting from Hurricane Ian,
available at https://fred.ifas.ufl.edu/media/fredifasufledu/economic -impact-analysis/reports/FRE-Final-Hurricane-Ian-
Report.pdf (last visited Jan. 24, 2024).
14 Id.
15 Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas,
Sarasota, Suwannee, and Taylor counties were declared disaster areas. WUSF, Florida’s agriculture losses from
Hurricane Idalia pile up to over $400 million, https://www.wusf.org/environment/2023-09-28/ floridas -agriculture-losses-
hurricane-idalia-pile-up-over-400-million (last visited Jan. 24, 2024); DACS, Commissioner Wilton Simpson Announces
Florida Agricultural Losses Estimated at Over $447 Million Following Hurricane Idalia, https://www.fdacs.gov/News-
Events/Press-Releases/2023-P ress-Releases/Commissioner-Wilton-Simpson-Announces-Florida-A gricultural-Losses-
Estimated-at-Over-447-Million-Following-Hurricane-Idalia (last visited Jan. 24, 2024).
16 Florida Climate Institute at 238; UF/IFAS, Citrus Greening,
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/archive/hot_topics/agric ulture/citrus_greening.shtml (last visited Jan. 17, 2024).
17 USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Citrus Greening,
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthe alth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/pests-and-diseases/citrus/citrus-
greening (last visited Jan. 24, 2024).
18 Id.
19 DACS, Plant Pests and Diseases¸ https://www.fdacs.gov/Agriculture-Industry/Pests-and-Diseases/Plant-Pests-and-
Diseases (last visited Jan. 24, 2024).
20 Florida Climate Institute at 249.
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some groundwater wells used for irrigation may no longer be viable as freshwater supplies in the near
future. As a result, alternative water sources or water treatment will be needed for agriculture in areas
where salinity concentration exceeds safe levels for crops. As more cropland is impacted, the
agriculture industry may soon be forced to adapt.21
Alternative and Sustainable Agriculture
Due to the various threats impacting the agriculture industry, adaptation is of considerable importance
to the long-term sustainability of agricultural production in Florida. The Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences of the University of Florida (UF/IFAS) 22 is currently conducting research on alternative crops
at its Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. The Alternative Crops Team (Team) investigates
crops that are not currently commercially grown in Florida on a large scale, evaluates their suitability for
Florida production, and notifies growers about promising candidates.23
The Team's ten members employ interdisciplinary research approaches to select or develop crop
varieties well-suited to Florida growing conditions, optimize crop-management practices, develop pest-
management recommendations, and evaluate the potential market and demand for new products.
Current agricultural candidates include artichoke, blackberry, hops, industrial hemp, and pomegranate.
The Team's long-range goal is to create new markets and enable growers to diversify their operations
to improve profitability and sustainability.24
Commissions
A commission is a body created by specific statutory enactment within a department, the office of the
Governor, or the Executive Office of the Governor and exercising limited quasi-legislative or quasi-
judicial powers, or both, independently of the head of the department or the Governor. 25
A commission may be established if:
It meets a statutorily defined purpose;
Its powers and responsibilities conform with the definitions for governmental units;
Its members, unless expressly provided otherwise in the Florida Constitution, are appointed to
staggered four-year terms; and
Its members, unless expressly provided otherwise by statute, serve without additional
compensation or honorarium, and are authorized to receive only per diem and reimbursement
for travel expenses.26
Effect of the Bill
The bill creates the Florida Crop Diversification Commission (Commission) adjunct to DACS. The
Commission is composed of the following nine members:
The Commissioner of Agriculture or his or her designee;
The dean for research of UF/IFAS or his or her designee; and
Seven members appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture based upon their knowledge
and experience in agricultural production, processing, or manufacturing.
The seven Commissioner-appointed members must include:
Four members who are currently involved in agricultural production or who have been involved
in agricultural production within the last three years;
One member who has experience in agricultural processing or manufacturing;
21 UF/IFAS, Saltwater Intrusion and Flooding: Risk s to South Florida’s Agriculture and Potential Management Practices ,
AE572/AE572: Saltwater Intrusion and Flooding: Risks to South Florida’s Agriculture and Potential Management Practices
(ufl.edu) (last visited Jan. 15, 2024).
22 UF/IFAS is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural
resources, and the life sciences. UF/IFAS, About UF/IFAS, https://ifas.ufl.edu/about-us/ (last visited Jan. 17, 2024).
23 UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Alternative Crops, https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu/alternative-crops/ (last
visited Jan. 16, 2024).
24 Id.
25 Section 20.03(4), F.S.
26 Section 20.052(4)(a)-(d), F.S.
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One member who has experience in the packing or processing of fresh agricultural products;
and
One member who has experience in agricultural marketing analysis and the viability of
agricultural products.
The bill directs the Commission to do all of the following:
Evaluate alternative agricultural crops and determine whether one or more viable crops or
products exist that would provide an economic benefit to growers using current agricultural
infrastructure on land that has been taken out of production by diseases or adverse weather
conditions.
Develop best management practices for crops or products recommended by the Commission.
Assist local economic development councils in encouraging the development of manufacturing
and processing facilities for new recommended crops or products.
Publish the Commission’s findings annually after review and approval by the Commissioner of
Agriculture.
Submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives by July 1, 2026, and each July 1 thereafter.
In addition, the bill directs the Commission to contract for the design and implementation of the Florida
Crop Diversification Initiative (Initiative). The Initiative must provide direct cash payments to nurseries