HB 1421 Florida House · 2026 Regular Session

Cattle Grazing on State Land

Summary
Cattle Grazing on State Land; Requires land managing entities to identify existing grazable lands and consider whether leasing portions of such land to private entities for cattle grazing is appropriate based on certain goals; requires land managing entities to consider certain information when determining such appropriateness; provides requirements for land management plan if such lands are determined to be appropriate for cattle grazing; requires land managing entities to allow such lands to be leased for such purpose under certain conditions; provides cattle grazing leases shall not allow conversion of native wildlife habitat to improved pasture; provides requirement for land management plan if no portions of such land are appropriate for cattle grazing; revises requirements for FWCC program to control invasive plants; provides applicability.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 9, 2026 Last action Mar 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

H 1421 Filed H 1421 c1 · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill was substantially rewritten to expand its scope beyond just cattle grazing to include additional environmental protections. The original version focused narrowly on leasing state land for cattle grazing, while the new version adds requirements to identify grazable lands, prohibits converting wildlife habitat to pasture, and includes new provisions about invasive plant control. The bill now requires land managers to justify why certain lands are or aren't suitable for grazing and must explain their decisions in land management plans.
Scope change
The bill's scope was significantly expanded from a narrow focus on cattle grazing leases to include broader environmental protections, invasive plant control requirements, and more detailed documentation requirements for land management decisions.
REQUIREMENT

Land managing entities must now identify existing grazable lands and determine if leasing for cattle grazing is appropriate based on specific goals before including these lands in management plans.

New prohibition prevents cattle grazing leases from allowing conversion of native wildlife habitat to improved pasture.

Land management plans must now include an explanation when no portions of land are deemed appropriate for cattle grazing.

New requirements added for a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission program to control invasive plants.

The bill was expanded from 5 pages to 7 pages with additional substantive content beyond the original cattle grazing focus.

Floor votes · House Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

1028
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 117
Mar 4, 2026
D Democratic34
21 Yea 8 Nay 5
61% Yea
R Republican83
81 Yea 2
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
9
Committee
12
Mar 4, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules
upper
Mar 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
CS passed; YEAS 102, NAYS 8
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Committee
Bill referred to House Calendar
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of State Affairs Committee
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable with CS by State Affairs Committee
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Added to State Affairs Committee agenda
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Now in State Affairs Committee
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Favorable by Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Added to Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee agenda
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Lower · Passed
Now in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
Referred to State Affairs Committee
lower
Jan 15, 2026
Committee
Referred to Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
lower
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors