{"id":27436,"date":"2026-09-23T14:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/27436\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T14:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:32:14","slug":"vote-yes-on-amendment-2-for-floridas-farmers-food-security-and-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/27436\/","title":{"rendered":"Vote yes on Amendment 2 for Florida\u2019s farmers, food security and landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"

A reliable food supply starts with the ability to produce food here at home.<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

That is more than an economic issue. It is a matter of national security and farmers’ ability to put food on the table. When natural disasters, global conflicts or supply chain disruptions strike, our ability to grow and raise food at home matters. A strong domestic food supply makes Florida and the nation less vulnerable to disruptions beyond our control.<\/p>\n

\"Pat<\/p>\n

Florida’s farmers and ranchers are part of that security. Our farmers produce food, sustain local economies and maintain working lands across the state. But keeping those operations viable has become increasingly expensive.<\/p>\n

Feed. Fuel. Labor. Equipment. Insurance. Nearly every input required to grow crops and raise livestock costs money.<\/p>\n

Then there are taxes on the equipment itself.<\/p>\n

Florida’s tangible personal property tax creates a recurring annual tax obligation on qualifying machinery and equipment. That means equipment that farmers already pay sales taxes on is taxed year after year, including years when a particular piece of machinery may see limited use because of weather, crop conditions, production decisions or other circumstances.<\/p>\n

A tractor, harvester, wagon or other equipment our producers rely on is not simply another asset sitting on a balance sheet. These tools produce the food that ultimately reaches Florida families. For Florida farmers already operating on tight margins, this is an unfair tax that creates an enormous burden on staying in production.<\/p>\n

Unlike many businesses, this additional expense cannot be passed along to customers. Commodity prices, weather, global markets, and other forces often determine what producers receive for what they grow and raise. Costs can rise for Florida farmers and growers even when the prices they receive do not.<\/p>\n

Amendment 2 will allow voters to cut taxes. It would exempt certain tangible personal property located on agricultural land and used for production or agritourism from ad valorem taxation under Florida’s Constitution.<\/p>\n

Amendment 2 was placed on the 2026 ballot with broad bipartisan support from the Florida Legislature. Now, Florida voters get to decide.<\/p>\n

Florida’s ability to protect our farmers will be determined at the ballot box this November because constitutional amendments require approval from at least 60% of voters.<\/p>\n

While Florida is taking on affordability, Amendment 2 would not solve every challenge that comes with planting, growing, harvesting or raising food. It would, however, change how we treat our farmers and growers by eliminating the annual ad valorem tax on property that meets the amendment’s requirements.<\/p>\n

Florida’s farmland is also about more than food production.<\/p>\n

Working farms and ranches are part of the landscape that defines our state. These lands provide open space and wildlife habitat, capture rainfall and contribute to Florida’s natural resources.<\/p>\n

For generations, farming and ranching families have tended this land, stewarding its soil, water and other natural resources. Their continued economic viability can influence whether those lands remain in production for generations.<\/p>\n

And that brings the issue back to food security.<\/p>\n

Maintaining the capacity to produce food close to home strengthens local economies. It contributes to the resilience of the nation’s food system. Every farm that remains productive, every ranch that remains viable, and every generation able to continue producing food contributes to that capacity.<\/p>\n

A reliable domestic food supply is fundamental to public health, economic stability and the country’s ability to withstand emergencies and disruptions. The equipment used to plant, grow, harvest, and raise food is part of the infrastructure that makes production possible.<\/p>\n

When you go to the ballot this November, we urge you to vote yes on Amendment 2.<\/p>\n

Rep. Danny Alvarez represents District 69 in the Florida House, which includes parts of Hillsborough County. A Florida native, lawyer and U.S. Army veteran, Alvarez was first elected to the House in 2022 and was subsequently reelected. He introduced and carried HJR 1251, the joint resolution seeking to eliminate multiple taxation of agricultural production by annual local property taxes through a constitutional amendment.<\/p>\n

Pat Durden is a seventh-generation Florida rancher and past president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. He owns and operates Durden Red Angus, a cattle operation in the Florida Panhandle, and he’s the third-generation to do so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A reliable food supply starts with the ability to produce food here at home. That is more than an economic issue. It is a matter of national security and farmers’ ability to put food on the table. When natural disasters, global conflicts or supply chain disruptions strike, our ability to grow and raise food at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27437,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[24236,24237,239,238,8480,71,3194,6088,24239,24238],"class_list":["post-27436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-danny-alvarez","tag-farmers-and-ranchers","tag-florida","tag-florida-food","tag-florida-legislature","tag-food","tag-food-production","tag-food-supply","tag-raise-food","tag-tangible-personal-property"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117320846273603655","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27436\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}