CS/CS/HB 1241

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to agriculture; amending s. 205.064, F.S.;
3authorizing a person selling certain agricultural products
4who is not a natural person to qualify for an exemption
5from obtaining a local business tax receipt; amending s.
6322.01, F.S.; revising the term "farm tractor" for
7purposes of drivers' licenses; amending s. 500.03, F.S.;
8revising the term "food establishment" to include tomato
9repackers for purposes of the Florida Food Safety Act;
10creating s. 500.70, F.S.; defining the terms "field
11packing," "packing" or "repacking," and "producing";
12requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
13Services to adopt minimum food safety standards for the
14producing, harvesting, packing, and repacking of tomatoes;
15authorizing the department to inspect tomato farms,
16greenhouses, and packinghouses or repackers for compliance
17with the standards and certain provisions of the Florida
18Food Safety Act; providing penalties; authorizing the
19department to establish good agricultural practices and
20best management practices for the state's tomato industry;
21providing a presumption that tomatoes introduced into
22commerce are safe for human consumption under certain
23circumstances; providing exemptions; authorizing the
24department to adopt rules; amending s. 570.07, F.S.;
25authorizing the department to adopt best management
26practices for agricultural production and food safety;
27amending s. 570.48, F.S.; revising duties of the Division
28of Fruit and Vegetables for tomato food safety
29inspections; amending s. 604.15, F.S.; revising the term
30"agricultural products" to make tropical foliage exempt
31from regulation under provisions relating to dealers in
32agricultural products; amending s. 823.145, F.S.;
33expanding the materials used in agricultural operations
34that may be disposed of by open burning; providing certain
35limitations on open burning; providing an effective date.
36
37Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
38
39     Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 205.064, Florida
40Statutes, is amended to read:
41     205.064  Farm, aquacultural, grove, horticultural,
42floricultural, tropical piscicultural, and tropical fish farm
43products; certain exemptions.--
44     (1)  A local business tax receipt is not required of any
45natural person for the privilege of engaging in the selling of
46farm, aquacultural, grove, horticultural, floricultural,
47tropical piscicultural, or tropical fish farm products, or
48products manufactured therefrom, except intoxicating liquors,
49wine, or beer, when such products were grown or produced by such
50natural person in the state.
51     Section 2.  Subsection (20) of section 322.01, Florida
52Statutes, is amended to read:
53     322.01  Definitions.--As used in this chapter:
54     (20)  "Farm tractor" means a motor vehicle that is:
55     (a)  Operated principally on a farm, grove, or orchard in
56agricultural or horticultural pursuits and that is operated on
57the roads of this state only incidentally to transportation
58between the owner's or operator's headquarters and the farm,
59grove, or orchard or between one farm, grove, or orchard and
60another; or
61     (b)  Designed and used primarily as a farm implement for
62drawing plows, mowing machines, and other implements of
63husbandry.
64     Section 3.  Paragraph (n) of subsection (1) of section
65500.03, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
66     500.03  Definitions; construction; applicability.--
67     (1)  For the purpose of this chapter, the term:
68     (n)  "Food establishment" means any factory, food outlet,
69or any other facility manufacturing, processing, packing,
70holding, or preparing food, or selling food at wholesale or
71retail. The term does not include any business or activity that
72is regulated under chapter 509 or chapter 601. The term includes
73tomato packinghouses and repackers but does not include any
74other establishments that pack fruits and vegetables in their
75raw or natural states, including those fruits or vegetables that
76are washed, colored, or otherwise treated in their unpeeled,
77natural form before they are marketed.
78     Section 4.  Section 500.70, Florida Statutes, is created to
79read:
80     500.70  Tomato food safety standards; inspections;
81penalties; tomato good agricultural practices; tomato best
82management practices.--
83     (1)  As used in this section, the term:
84     (a)  "Field packing" means the packing of tomatoes on a
85tomato farm or in a tomato greenhouse into containers for sale
86for human consumption without transporting the tomatoes to a
87packinghouse.
88     (b)  "Packing" or "repacking" means the packing of tomatoes
89into containers for sale for human consumption. The term
90includes the sorting or separating of tomatoes into grades and
91sizes. The term also includes field packing.
92     (c)  "Producing" means the planting, growing, or
93cultivating of tomatoes on a tomato farm or in a tomato
94greenhouse for sale for human consumption.
95     (2)  The department may adopt rules establishing food
96safety standards to safeguard the public health and promote the
97public welfare by protecting the consuming public from injury
98caused by the adulteration or the microbiological, chemical, or
99radiological contamination of tomatoes. The rules must be based
100on federal requirements, available scientific research,
101generally accepted industry practices, and recommendations of
102food safety professionals. The rules shall apply to the
103producing, harvesting, packing, and repacking of tomatoes for
104sale for human consumption by a tomato farm, tomato greenhouse,
105or tomato packinghouse or repacker in this state. The rules may
106include, but are not limited to, standards for:
107     (a)  Registration with the department of a person who
108produces, harvests, packs, or repacks tomatoes in this state who
109does not hold a food permit issued under s. 500.12.
110     (b)  Proximity of domestic animals and livestock to the
111production areas for tomatoes.
112     (c)  Food safety related use of water for irrigation during
113production and washing of tomatoes after harvest.
114     (d)  Use of fertilizers.
115     (e)  Cleaning and sanitation of containers, materials,
116equipment, vehicles, and facilities, including storage and
117ripening areas.
118     (f)  Health, hygiene, and sanitation of employees who
119handle tomatoes.
120     (g)  Training and continuing education of a person who
121produces, harvests, packs, or repacks tomatoes in this state,
122and the person's employees who handle tomatoes.
123     (h)  Labeling and recordkeeping, including standards for
124identifying and tracing tomatoes for sale for human consumption.
125     (3)(a)  The department may inspect tomato farms, tomato
126greenhouses, tomato packinghouses, repacking locations, or any
127vehicle being used to transport or hold tomatoes to ensure
128compliance with the applicable provisions of this chapter, and
129the rules adopted under this chapter.
130     (b)  The department may impose an administrative fine not
131to exceed $5,000 per violation, or issue a written notice or
132warning under s. 500.179, against a person who violates any
133applicable provision of this section, or any rule adopted under
134this section.
135     (4)(a)  The department may adopt rules establishing tomato
136good agricultural practices and tomato best management practices
137for the state's tomato industry based on applicable federal
138requirements, available scientific research, generally accepted
139industry practices, and recommendations of food safety
140professionals.
141     (b)  A person who documents compliance with the
142department's rules, tomato good agricultural practices, and
143tomato best management practices is presumed to introduce
144tomatoes into the stream of commerce that are safe for human
145consumption, unless the department identifies noncompliance
146through inspections.
147     (5)  Subsections (2) and (4) do not apply to tomatoes sold
148by the grower on the premises at which the tomatoes are grown or
149at a local farmers' market, if the quantity of tomatoes sold
150does not exceed two 25-pound boxes per customer.
151     (6)  The department may adopt rules pursuant to ss.
152120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section.
153     Section 5.  Subsection (10) of section 570.07, Florida
154Statutes, is amended to read:
155     570.07  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;
156functions, powers, and duties.--The department shall have and
157exercise the following functions, powers, and duties:
158     (10)  To act as adviser to producers and distributors, when
159requested, and to assist them in the economical and efficient
160distribution of their agricultural products, and to encourage
161cooperative effort among producers to gain economical and
162efficient production of agricultural products, and to adopt
163rules establishing comprehensive best management practices for
164agricultural production and food safety.
165     Section 6.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
166570.48, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
167     570.48  Division of Fruit and Vegetables; powers and
168duties; records.--The duties of the Division of Fruit and
169Vegetables include, but are not limited to:
170     (2)
171     (e)  Performing tomato food safety inspections under s.
172500.70 on tomato farms, in tomato greenhouses, and in tomato
173packinghouses and repackers.
174     Section 7.  Subsection (1) of section 604.15, Florida
175Statutes, is amended to read:
176     604.15  Dealers in agricultural products; definitions.--For
177the purpose of ss. 604.15-604.34, the following words and terms,
178when used, shall be construed to mean:
179     (1)  "Agricultural products" means the natural products of
180the farm, nursery, grove, orchard, vineyard, garden, and apiary
181(raw or manufactured); sod; tropical foliage; horticulture; hay;
182livestock; milk and milk products; poultry and poultry products;
183the fruit of the saw palmetto (meaning the fruit of the Serenoa
184repens); limes (meaning the fruit Citrus aurantifolia, variety
185Persian, Tahiti, Bearss, or Florida Key limes); and any other
186nonexempt agricultural products produced in the state, except
187tobacco, sugarcane, tropical foliage, timber and timber
188byproducts, forest products as defined in s. 591.17, and citrus
189other than limes.
190     Section 8.  Section 823.145, Florida Statutes, is amended
191to read:
192     823.145  Disposal by open burning of certain materials
193mulch plastic used in agricultural operations.--Polyethylene
194agricultural mulch plastic; damaged, nonsalvageable, untreated
195wood pallets; and packing material that cannot be feasibly
196recycled, which are used in connection with agricultural
197operations related to the growing, harvesting, or maintenance of
198crops, may be disposed of by open burning provided that no
199public nuisance or any condition adversely affecting the
200environment or the public health is created thereby and that
201state or federal national ambient air quality standards are not
202violated.
203     Section 9.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.