TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already signed off on over a dozen bills this Legislative session, though a newly signed bill on Thursday packs plenty of big changes on its own.
That bill (SB 700) is an omnibus farming bill that’s primarily aimed at amending state laws involving agriculture, though its impacts also have repercussions for state residents at large.
Most of these new rules are set to take effect on July 1. Below are six of the most notable changes that Florida residents can expect to see.
1. PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS
One key change under this law is a prohibition against transporting, selling or giving away spores that can produce mushrooms that contain a controlled substance.
In layman’s terms, this means that residents may not sell spores of psychedelic mushrooms like psilocybin or psilocyn.
2. FLUORIDE BAN
Another big change that this law brings is the introduction of a new term under state law: “Water quality additive.”
In short, this term refers to chemicals added to public water systems that aim to meet basic drinking water standards, remove contaminants or improve water quality.
As a result, the new law effectively bans fluoride from being added to any public water systems in the state.
3. CHARITY PROHIBITIONS
SB 700 prevents charitable organizations from accepting contributions from a “foreign country of concern.”
Under state law, this includes places like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.
4. CONSUMER PRICING
A massive shift under SB 700 is the repeal of Florida’s Consumer Unit Pricing Act.
This rule required sellers to display the prices of consumer commodities by specific units, such as per square foot, pound, or fluid ounce.
According to the act, the rule was implemented to improve transparency for consumers, though sellers will no longer be forced to abide by these directives.
5. CONCEALED CARRY
This law allows the state to issue a concealed carry license if an applicant has already demonstrated competence with firearm training in the U.S. military.
But the law also lets the state temporarily suspend such a license if the person has been arrested on a charge that would otherwise disqualify him/her from having that license.
However, this suspension ends if the arrestee is found not guilty or the charge is dropped.
6. FARMER ESG SCORES
The law also prohibits financial institutions like banks from discriminating against farmers and other agricultural producers based on ESG scores.
“ESG” (short for “Environmental, Social and Governance”) is typically used by some investors to better understand a company’s ethical and sustainable practices, though critics argue that these scores don’t actually reflect a company’s effectiveness in the market and may actually hinder business.
The move comes after another law in 2023 (HB 3) that restricts the use of ESG factors in state and local government investments.