(1) This section may be cited as the “Agricultural Land Acknowledgment Act.”

(2) The Legislature finds that nonagricultural land which neighbors agricultural land may adversely affect agricultural production and farm operations on the agricultural land and may lead to the agricultural land’s conversion to urban, suburban, or other nonagricultural uses. The Legislature intends to reduce the occurrence of conflicts between agricultural and nonagricultural land uses and encourage sustainable agricultural land use. The purpose of this section is to ensure that generally accepted agricultural practices will not be subject to interference by residential use of land contiguous to sustainable agricultural land.

(3) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Contiguous” means touching, bordering, or adjoining along a boundary. For purposes of this section, properties that would be contiguous if not separated by a roadway, railroad, or other public easement are considered contiguous.

(b) “Farm operation” has the same meaning as defined in s. 823.14.

(c) “Sustainable agricultural land” means land classified as agricultural land pursuant to s. 193.461 which is used for a farm operation that uses current technology, based on science or research and demonstrated measurable increases in productivity, to meet future food, feed, fiber, and energy needs, while considering the environmental impacts and the social and economic benefits to the rural communities.

(4)(a) Before a political subdivision issues a local land use permit, building permit, or certificate of occupancy for nonagricultural land contiguous to sustainable agricultural land, the political subdivision shall require that, as a condition of issuing the permit or certificate, the applicant for the permit or certificate sign and submit to the political subdivision, in a format that is recordable in the official records of the county in which the political subdivision is located, a written acknowledgment of contiguous sustainable agricultural land in the following form:

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CONTIGUOUSSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL LAND

I,   (name of applicant)  , understand that my property located at   (address of nonagricultural land)  , as further described in the attached legal description, is contiguous to sustainable agricultural land located at   (address of agricultural land)  , as further described in the attached legal description.

I acknowledge and understand that the farm operation on the contiguous sustainable agricultural land identified herein will be conducted according to generally accepted agricultural practices as provided in the Florida Right to Farm Act, s. 823.14, Florida Statutes.

Signature:   (signature of applicant)

Date:   (date)

(b) An acknowledgment submitted to a political subdivision under paragraph (a) shall be recorded in the official records of the county in which the political subdivision is located.

(c) The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with the Department of Revenue, may adopt rules to administer this section.

History.—ss. 2, 9, ch. 2011-7; HJR 7103, 2011 Regular Session; s. 14, ch. 2012-83.