DeSantis Signs Florida Farm Bill With State Preemption of Gas-Equipment Rules and a Conservation Land Review Path

Overview

• SB 290, which DeSantis signed Monday in Sebring, becomes law July 1, 2026 as the latest omnibus agriculture package and it cleared the Legislature with a unanimous Senate vote and a 94–10 House vote.
• The law bars cities and counties from banning or restricting gas-powered farm and landscaping tools such as leaf blowers and chainsaws, leaving local governments free to promote battery options but not to require them.
• DEP must now evaluate certain state-owned conservation parcels acquired on or after Jan. 1, 2024 for bona fide agricultural use and, if suitable, surplus them for farming with a conservation easement that removes development rights while excluding state parks, forests, wildlife management areas, and Everglades restoration lands.
• Backers including Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson say the review-and-surplus option could lower land costs for young farmers, while Democrats such as Rep. Lindsay Cross warn the statute lacks guardrails to protect original goals like wildlife habitat and water quality.
• The omnibus also expands agritourism preemption, caps housing density in small cities at one home per 20 acres, makes Farmers Feeding Florida permanent, launches a loan repayment program for food-animal and equine vets, outlaws signal jammers, penalizes cheating on commercial driver’s license exams, strengthens contractor payment rules, and lets homeowners block door-to-door sales with a posted sign.