Florida Healthy Soils Policy
Legislative Status Updates
Updates in 2022-2023
None
Updates in 2021
HB993/SB1362, an act related to energy; includes Resilient Farms Pilot Program to promote soil health, etc.
NOT PASSED: Tax Credit for Carbon Farming
Date:
Introduced September 2019
Introduced again January 2020
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration March 2020
Legislation:
Senate Bill 286, House Bill 1069
Sponsor/s:
Description:
The Tax Credit for Carbon Farming Bill aims to increase carbon sequestration in soils and promote the co-benefits of increasing soil organic carbon including increased yields, and improved water quality. It does so by incentivizing farmers through tax credits to adopt farming practices that sequester and mitigate carbon.
SB 286 would establish a tax credit for carbon farming. It would require the Secretary of Environmental Protection, the executive director of the Department of Revenue, and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to create the parameters of the program, including the credit amount, certification process, rulemaking,
Soil Health Definition:
The bill does not specifically define “soil health” however it does define “carbon farming” as, “ implementing a land management strategy to reduce, sequester, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on land to support a farm operation and quantifying those greenhouse gas benefits using the United States Department of Agriculture’s COMET-Planner and other quantification tools.”
Stated Goals:
- To increase soil carbon sequestration in order to reap a wide range of environmental and agricultural benefits to this state’s farmers and residents, including increased yields, soil health, improved water quality, and reductions in greenhouse gasses.
Program Required Measurements:
To be determined
Tools:
- COMET-Planner evaluates potential carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions from specific conservation practices.
- Other tools to be determined
Funding Source:
Taken from Florida’s revenue stream through the tax code
Funding Type:
Tax credit
Practices eligible for funding:
- Specifics to be determined but it must be compatible with the practices rated by the COMET-Planner (these include cover crops, reduced tillage, and mulching among other practices)
Agencies Involved:
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Florida Department of Revenue
- Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Rulemaking process:
To be determined by the Secretary of Environmental Protection, the executive director of the Department of Revenue, and the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
State Universities & Researchers
- The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension: Soil Testing Laboratory (land-grant university)
- Florida A&M University: Land-grant university
Agricultural Organizations & Technical Assistance:
- Florida Farm Bureau
- Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
- Florida NRCS
- Florida Association of Conservation Districts
Education & Advocacy Groups
This site is meant to facilitate groups, agencies, and individuals wishing to learn about and advance soil health policy. Organization names are not mentioned here for privacy, interested parties are encouraged to send an email to the state page contact with requests for state-specific information.
Lessons Learned:
N/A
Media:
- José Javier Rodríguez files flurry of bills to address climate change by Florida Politics
Maps?
Last Update 01/12/2023
Questions?
Contact Florida@healthysoilspolicy.org