Proposed FL Amendment to Eliminate Multiple Taxation of Ag Production

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

Last week, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, Senator Jay Collins, and Representative Danny Alvarez announced the filing of a joint resolution, HJR 1251 and SJR 1560, to amend the Florida Constitution to eliminate multiple taxation of agricultural production by annual local property taxes.

From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, they say the proposed constitutional amendment creates a total tax exemption of tangible personal property — such as farm machinery, equipment, and implements — on property classified as agricultural.

If adopted, they say the constitutional amendment will help alleviate the financial burden on Florida’s agriculture producers, help incentivize the growth of agricultural production in the state, and ease increasing food costs to consumers by lowering the cost of production.

The proposal is being filed as a joint resolution in both the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate and requires support by three-fifths of the membership of each chamber. If adopted by 60 percent of the electors voting on the measure in the 2024 general election, the amendment will go into effect.