Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

The Florida Food Animal Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program was renamed to include equine animals. A new definition of 'equine' (family equidae, including horses and donkeys) was added, and eligibility now extends to veterinarians who practice food animal or equine veterinary medicine. The funding language was restructured to clarify that up to three new candidates may be selected each year.

The definition of 'nonprofit agricultural organization' in s. 624.4032 was changed from requiring federal tax exemption under IRC section 501(c)(5) (agricultural organizations) to section 501(c)(3) (charitable organizations), which narrows the types of entities that qualify for medical benefit plan provisions.

Section 489.1295 (contractor payment to subcontractors/suppliers) was substantially rewritten. The deadline for payment was extended from 30 days to 45 days after receiving payment, an alternative of 'in accordance with the terms of the contract' was added, a bona fide dispute exception was created, and criminal penalties (misdemeanor/felony) were replaced with administrative disciplinary proceedings under s. 489.129.

The biosolids compliance provision (s. 403.0855) was split into two tracks: all permits must comply by July 1, 2022, while local governments that do not transport biosolids outside their county boundaries have until July 1, 2031 to comply. An exception was added allowing local governments to transport Class B biosolids outside their boundaries to a Class AA treatment or waste-to-energy facility in another jurisdiction.

New provisions were added to rename the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc. as the Citrus Research and Field Trial Foundation, Inc., establish it as a direct-support organization of the Department of Agriculture (previously tied to the University of Florida), expand its board from 7 to 13 members (including 10 citrus growers, 2 UF IFAS representatives, and 1 nursery representative), require biannual research reports, and provide for the merger and transfer of assets between the two entities.

The Florida Wildflower Foundation was renamed to 'Florida Wildflower Foundation, Inc.' and the fair permit exhibit list updated to include 'Family, Career and Community Leaders of America' alongside 'Future Homemakers of America.'

New provisions (s. 163.3164 and s. 163.3202) define 'ecologically significant parcel' (undeveloped land designated rural, conservation, agricultural, or greenspace in a low-density municipality's comprehensive plan) and 'low-density municipality' (under 2,500 acres with 5,000 or fewer residents existing before Jan 1, 2025). Development on such parcels cannot be administratively approved without the developer attesting under penalty of perjury that density will not exceed 1 residential unit per 20 acres. A waiver is available by unanimous vote of the local commission or council.

New preemption provision (s. 570.85) prohibits local governments from requiring a property owner to obtain a rural event venue permit or license for agritourism activities on land classified as agricultural under s. 193.461, and adds a new definition of 'rural event venue' in s. 570.86 (a venue on agricultural property used for weddings, receptions, corporate meetings, or similar gatherings).

New requirement (s. 482.071) that pest control business license applicants who perform fumigations must provide a certificate of insurance with minimum coverage of $1 million per person and $2 million per occurrence for bodily injury, plus $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate for property damage, or a $2 million combined single limit.

The timeframe for licensed contractors to pay subcontractors or suppliers after receiving payment was changed from 15 business days to 30 calendar days (s. 489.1295(1)), effectively lengthening the payment window.

Pest control administrative fines and civil penalties (s. 482.161 and s. 482.165) were increased from Class III to Class II category under s. 570.971, raising the maximum penalty amounts.

The compliance deadline for biosolids land application permits to meet Class AA requirements was extended from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2028 (s. 403.0855(4)), giving permittees an additional six years.

The Bonifay Forestry Station is renamed the John Michael Mathis Forestry Station (s. 590.02(8)(c)) to honor the late Chipola Forestry Center manager who served 18 years and received commendation for wildfire mitigation leadership during Hurricane Michael.

The definition of 'food animal veterinary medicine' in s. 570.846 was expanded from 'herd management' to 'herd or flock management,' broadening the scope to explicitly include poultry and other fowl operations.

The bill's status was updated from 'Engrossed 1' to 'ENROLLED', signifying the completion of the legislative process and preparation for executive action.

Expanded the list of protected state lands to include areas within the federally approved Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, preventing these specific lands from being sold or surplused.

Changed the Citrus Research and Field Trial Development Foundation board composition from 7 members to 13 members, altering the balance of representation among growers, university representatives, and nursery representatives.

Adjusted the deadline for biosolids land application sites to comply with Class AA requirements from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2028.

Corrected a typo in the biosolids section where the deadline date was duplicated and inconsistent.

Corrected section numbering errors throughout the bill, such as renumbering subsections and fixing paragraph labels to ensure proper legal citation.

Removed redundant committee attribution text and updated bill status headers to reflect the final engrossed version.