06/01/2026
We fought for our farmers, and I am grateful the Florida Legislature passed a state budget that provides $425 million, the largest amount in state history, to save Florida’s working farms and ranches from development through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Since its inception, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program has permanently preserved over 234,000 acres of working agricultural land from development, with over 168,000 acres preserved during Commissioner Simpson’s administration.