Bill helping farmers receive tax relief goes to DeSantis
ORLANDO, Fla. (FLV) – A bill is heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk that aims to reduce the burden of tax relief paperwork requirements on farmers and agricultural retailers.
The proposal creates the Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials, or TEAM, Card that will be used for sales-tax-exempt purchases of agriculture materials.
The current practice requires submitting paperwork for every tax-exempt purchase of agricultural materials. The current process has become “onerous,” leading farmers to travel across state lines for other less burdensome programs.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Hillsborough County, in the House, and Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, in the Senate. The legislation now heads to DeSantis’ desk.
The House gave final passage to the proposal Wednesday.
The legislation was a priority of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association expressed appreciation for the bill and said that it will “strengthen Florida’s agriculture industry in various ways by streamlining government programs and cutting burdensome paperwork requirements on farmers and agricultural retailers.”
“Florida’s nurseries, growers and landscape organizations are thrilled to have a champion in our Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson. He recognizes that the less time we need to spend on bureaucratic requirements, the more time we have to focus on growing our crops, caring for the land and enriching our state’s natural beauty,” CEO of The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association Tal Coley said.
“With the new Farm TEAM Card, Florida nurseries and growers can benefit from their tax-exempt status without the burdensome paperwork that has clogged the system in the past. We are grateful to Commissioner Simpson, as well as Senator Collins and Representative Alvarez, for advancing meaningful solutions that help us focus on our mission rather than bureaucracy,” Coley said.
Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association is the nation’s largest state nursery and landscape association. The association represents Florida’s nursery and landscape industry, which generated $31.4 billion total output sales in 2020 and directly employed over 266,000 people.
“When farmers succeed, we all succeed, which is why we need to support our farmers and take any weight off their backs that we can,” Simpson said previously.
“The Florida Farm TEAM Card will help to alleviate burdens felt by farmers and agricultural retailers in our state, and I applaud Senator Collins and Representative Alvarez for championing this commonsense legislation,” Simpson said.
If signed DeSantis, the legislation will be effective July 1.
