Over the weekend, Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed CS/CS/CS HB 981 and CS HB 7103. Both pieces of proposed legislation were heavily supported by the state’s agriculture industry and its related associations and organizations.

HB 981, sponsored by Sen. JD Alexander (R-Lake Wales) and Rep. Denise Grimsley (R-Sebring), made it possible for land owners to retain a greenbelt classification on ag lands when offered for sale. It also provided interagency agreements which would allow the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to work with other agencies on the regulation of pesticides to waters of the state – an issue arising from a Sixth Circuit Court case decision to allow EPA to require NPDES permits for pesticide applications. It also contained important language for Florida’s citrus industry as it codified the Citrus Research and Development Foundation.

An passage from Crist’s veto letter explains his thoughts behind the HB 981 veto: “I have concerns about making it easier for developers to take advantage of a program intended to protect Florida farmers from facing financial pressures to sell their land. Rather than benefitting farmers as the greenbelt provisions are intended, this bill could subsidize private real estate speculation at the expense of the taxpayer.”

HB 7103 would have prevented counties from requiring agriculture to meet redundant and duplicative regulations if the agricultural activity already is regulated by the state. It had a good neighbor provision requiring homebuyers to acknowledge they were moving next to a working agricultural property—an effort to minimize future conflict; the bill also defined agricultural sustainability.

A passage from Crist’s veto letter on HB 7103: “I have concerns about the restrictions placed on local governments that are contained in this bill. There is not an adequate justification for the state to interject it's authority over local decision making. While state regulation is sometimes necessary to provide certainty, uniformity, and stability on certain policy issues, it should be applied sparingly. This bill attempts to apply a remedy without sufficiently identifying a problem.”

In the wake of the setbacks, ag industry organizations around the state have expressed disappointment and are working on strategies to counter the executive action.