HB0337 • 2026

Food Insecure Areas

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rayner ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Joseph
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: House - Died in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill metadata shows conflicting status: it lists as 'Passed Legislature' but also notes it 'Died in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee'. The effective date is included based on the text of the bill itself.

Food Insecure Areas Bill

This law allows local governments to create land rules that permit small grocery stores in areas where people have limited access to supermarkets.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new state rule called Section 163.31791 about food insecure areas.
Allows local governments to write land development rules that permit small-footprint grocery stores in these areas.
Permits local governments to add provisions for these stores into their comprehensive plans.
Gives local governments the power to require certain reports from small-footprint grocery stores.

Who It Names or Affects

Local government agencies that manage land use and planning
Small-footprint grocery store owners operating in food insecure areas

Terms To Know

Food insecure area: A place with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent or low family income where many people live far from a supermarket.
Small-footprint grocery store: A shop that sells food and gets at least 30 percent of its money from selling nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in a food insecure area.
Nutrient-dense food: Food with many nutrients compared to the number of calories it has, such as fresh produce, beans, nuts, seeds, or low-fat dairy products.

Limits and Unknowns

The law allows local governments to act but does not force them to change their rules.
It defines how areas are identified for food insecurity based on income and distance from supermarkets, but does not list specific neighborhoods by name.
The bill text states the effective date is July 1, 2026.

Bill History

2026-03-13 House
• Died in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-11-12 House
• Referred to Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee • Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee • Referred to Commerce Committee • Now in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
2025-11-05 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Food Insecure Areas; Authorizes local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to include in its comprehensive plan provision permitting land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to require mandatory reporting of certain information from small-footprint grocery store.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 337 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb337-00
Page 1 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to food insecure areas; creating s. 2
163.31791, F.S.; providing legislative findings; 3
providing definitions; authorizing a local government 4
to enact land development regulations to permit land 5
use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a 6
food insecure area; authorizing a local government to 7
include in its comprehensive plan a provision 8
permitting land use for a small-footprint grocery 9
store located in a food insecure area; authorizing a 10
local government to require mandatory reporting of 11
certain information from a small-footprint grocery 12
store; providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 163.31791, Florida Statutes, is created 17
to read: 18
163.31791 Food insecure areas.— 19
(1) The Legislature finds that access to affordable, 20
healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, is 21
restricted due, in part, to the absence of supermarkets located 22
within a convenient traveling distance. This restriction 23
constitutes a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the 24
residents of this state. Therefore, the Legislature finds that 25

HB 337 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

it serves an important public purpose to encourage local 26
governments to grant or approve development permits for land 27
designated as a food insecure area in order to increase the 28
availability of nutrient-dense food options. 29
(2) As used in this section, the term: 30
(a) "Food insecure area" is synonymous with "food desert" 31
and means a parcel of land that has been identified by the 32
Office of Economic and Demographic Research as being located in 33
an area: 34
1. Having a poverty rate of at least 20 percent or having 35
a median family income at or below 80 percent of the median 36
family income for this state; and 37
2. Having at least 500 persons, or at least 33 percent of 38
the population, who, in urban communities, live more than 1 mile 39
from a supermarket or who, in rural communities, live more than 40
10 miles from a supermarket. 41
(b) "Nutrient-dense food" means a food that has a high 42
level of nutrients in relationship to the number of calories it 43
contains. The term includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole 44
grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, and low-fat dairy 45
products. 46
(c) "Small-footprint grocery store" means a grocery store 47
that: 48
1. Sells products at wholesale or retail; 49
2. Derives at least 30 percent of its gross receipts from 50

HB 337 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb337-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

the retail sale of nutrient-dense foods; and 51
3. Operates in a food insecure area. 52
(d) "Supermarket" means a grocery store that contains all 53
of the major food departments found in a large retail grocery 54
store. 55
(3) Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local 56
government may enact land development regulations authorizing 57
land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food 58
insecure area. 59
(4) Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local 60
government may include in its comprehensive plan a provision 61
authorizing land use for a small-footprint grocery store located 62
in a food insecure area. 63
(5) A local government may require mandatory reporting of 64
certain information from small-footprint grocery stores. 65
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 66