A comprehensive farm bill being pushed by the Florida Department of Agriculture cleared its fourth and final committee in the Florida House on Tuesday and now goes before the full chamber for a vote.
Meanwhile, in the Florida Senate, that chamber’s version (SB 700) was debated on Tuesday and will go for a floor vote later this week, as well.
The omnibus proposal contains a multitude of provisions, including preventing public water systems from using additives like fluoride. At least 22 Florida communities have stopped fluoridating drinking water since November, after state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued guidanceagainst the dental health practice.
In the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday to debate the measure (HB 651), Bailey Kuykendoll, operations director for Stand for Health Freedom, told the committee that her organization strongly supports the legislation because of the fluoride provision.
“Water fluoridation is a form of medical treatment,” she said. “It’s recognized as such by the FDA for addressing tooth decay. Most city commissioners and councilors are not doctors and should not be in a position to be prescribing treatment, especially when there’s no way to opt out.”
Miami-Dade County was one of the latest (and biggest) counties to attempt to ban fluoride in the past week, but Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed the measure on Friday.
In the Florida Senate, Democrats filed amendments regarding the fluoride provision. One by South Florida Democrat Lori Berman would have given the power to regulate fluoride back to local governments — contradicting what the bill calls for.
Fellow South Florida Democrat Tina Polsky said there was no reason to do anything on fluoride, and questioned what was motivating the bill sponsor, Central Florida Sen. Keith Truenow?
“What has happened, besides it being the conspiracy theory du jour?” she said. “It’s time to stick with the science. Stick with what’s been working and not upend our whole health system based on unproven theories.”
Another amendment by Polsky would have required the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to study the effects of water fluoridation in communities that have elected to fluoridate their water system and send that report to the governor, House speaker and Senate president.
Both amendments failed.
Meat vs. “meat”
The measure would also bar plant-based products from using “milk” and “meat” and “egg” labels. That prompted Orlando Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith to pose questions to Truenow.
“Are we saying that by labeling ‘oat milk’ that the manufacturers of that product are being untruthful and suggesting that this is milk that comes from a cow and not from oats?” he asked Truenow.
“I didn’t know that you could milk oats,” Truenow replied, making Smith laugh. “If you’re going to call that beverage or that material milk, then it should be coming from a cow or a goat or some other lactating animal.”
Another provision would change the number of extra days to issue a permit to carry a concealed gun if a background check reveals a potentially disqualifying criminal history
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) now has 90 days to issue or deny concealed carry permits and can suspend the process if a law enforcement agency or court notifies the department that the applicant has been arrested or charged with crimes relating to domestic violence, drugs, and other violence.
If the screening identifies information related to a crime that may disqualify the applicant, but does not contain the final disposition of the crime or lacks sufficient information to make an eligibility determination, the House bill says that FDACS would have an additional 45 days to review.
The bill originally called for an additional 90 days, but the compromise brought along Second Amendment supporters who had earlier criticized the measure.
ESG
Another part of the extensive legislation would establish that financial institutions “may not discriminate in the provision of financial services to an agriculture producer based, in whole or in part, upon an ESG factor.”
“ESG” stands for environmental, social, and governance. It’s a framework used to assess a company’s non-financial performance and sustainability practices, but the Florida Legislature has already passed a major bill in the 2023 session that prohibits and seeks to punish any consideration of these factors in the state’s investment decisions.
In the House committee, the Florida Bankers Association’s Anthony DiMarco said that with that legislation already enacted, there is no reason to include this provision. He said that the measure would encourage more lawsuits in the state. “We haven’t been told any real reason why this needs to be changed,” he said.
Seminole County Republican Rep. David Smith said that while he supported the House bill, he didn’t like that “there’s aspects of the bill that I don’t like. I know I hear from my constituents that they don’t like these bills which have been so jam-packed and so off-topic.”
“If you live in Florida, there’s no way that you can’t support agriculture,” added Broward County Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky. “Unfortunately, this bill isn’t just about agriculture.”
The measure passed easily in the committee, with only Hunschofsky and fellow Democrats Felicia Robinson from South Florida and Leonard Spencer from Central Florida voting no. The measure now goes to the full House for a vote.
The Senate will also vote on its final version of the bill later this week.
Original article online at: https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/04/15/florida-farm-bill-that-bans-fluoride-in-water-moves-to-house-senate-floors/