Title: Food Insecure Areas

Summary: Authorizes local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to include in its comprehensive plan provision permitting land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to require mandatory reporting of information from small-footprint grocery store.

Full Text:
An act relating to food insecure areas; creating s. 163.31791, F.S.; providing legislative findings; providing definitions; authorizing a local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food insecure area; authorizing a local government to include in its comprehensive plan a provision permitting land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food insecure area; authorizing a local government to require mandatory reporting of certain information from a small-footprint grocery store; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 163.31791, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 163.31791 Food insecure areas.-(1) The Legislature finds that access to affordable, healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, is restricted due, in part, to the ab sence of supermarkets located within a convenient traveling distance. This restriction constitutes a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of this state. Therefore, the Legislature finds that HB 1359 2024 it serves an important public purpose to en courage local governments to grant or approve development permits for land designated as a food insecure area in order to increase the availability of nutrient-dense food options. (2) As used in this section, the term: (a) "Food insecure area" is synon ymous with "food desert" and means a parcel of land that has been identified by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research as being located in an area: 1. Having a poverty rate of at least percent or having a median family income at or below percent of the median family income for this state; and 2. Having at least persons, or at least percent of the population, who, in urban communities, live more than mile from a supermarket or who, in rural communities, live more than miles fro ma supermarket. (b) "Nutrient-dense food" means a food that has a high level of nutrients in relationship to the number of calories it contains. The term includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, and low-fat dairy products. (c) "Small-footprint grocery store" means a grocery store that: 1. Sells products at wholesale or retail; 2. Derives at least percent of its gross receipts from HB 1359 2024 the retail sale of nutrient-dense foods; and 3. Operates in a food inse cure area. (d) "Supermarket" means a grocery store that contains all of the major food departments found in a large retail grocery store. (3) Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local government may enact land development regulations authorizing land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food insecure area. (4) Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local government may include in its comprehensive plan a provision authorizing land use for a small-footprint grocery store locate din a food insecure area. (5) A local government may require mandatory reporting of certain information from small-footprint grocery stores. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.