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 only applies to Florida, not other states.

Food Insecure Areas Act

This bill allows local governments in Florida to create rules that make it easier for small grocery stores selling healthy food to open in areas where people have trouble getting fresh, affordable groceries.

What This Bill Does

Defines a 'food insecure area' as an area with high poverty or low income and limited access to supermarkets.
Allows local governments to change their rules so that small grocery stores can be built in these food insecure areas.
Permits local governments to include provisions in their plans to allow for the development of small-footprint grocery stores in designated food insecure areas.
Gives local governments the power to require certain information from small grocery stores.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governments that can now make rules allowing small grocery stores in food insecure areas.
Small-footprint grocery store owners who may find it easier to open their businesses in designated food insecure areas.

Terms To Know

Food Insecure Area: An area where many people have trouble getting fresh, healthy food because there are no nearby supermarkets or the cost of groceries is too high for them to afford.
Small-footprint Grocery Store: A grocery store that sells mostly healthy foods like fruits and vegetables in a small space.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what kind of information local governments can require from small grocery stores.
It is unclear how many areas will be designated as food insecure under this act.

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
Page 3 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

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