SB0852 • 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: Jones
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Community Affairs
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the type of information that local governments can require from small grocery stores, nor does it confirm whether the bill has been enacted or vetoed by the executive branch.

Food Insecure Areas Act

This bill allows local governments to make rules that permit the establishment of small grocery stores in areas with limited access to healthy food options.

What This Bill Does

Defines a 'food insecure area' as an area identified by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research based on high poverty rates or low median family income, and limited proximity to supermarkets.
Allows local governments to create rules for land use that permit small grocery stores in food insecure areas.
Permits local governments to include provisions in their comprehensive plans to allow land use for small grocery stores in food insecure areas.
Gives local governments the power to require certain information from small grocery stores.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governments
People living in food insecure areas
Small-footprint grocery store owners

Terms To Know

Food Insecure Area: An area identified by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research based on high poverty rates or low median family income, and limited proximity to supermarkets.
Nutrient-Dense Food: Foods that are rich in nutrients compared to their calorie content, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.
Small-Footprint Grocery Store: A grocery store that sells products at wholesale or retail, derives at least 30 percent of its gross receipts from the sale of nutrient-dense foods, and operates in a food insecure area.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what kind of information small-footprint grocery stores must report.
It is unclear if the bill will be signed into law since it died in committee.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Community Affairs
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2025-12-16 Senate
• Referred to Community Affairs; Agriculture; Rules
2025-12-10 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Food Insecure Areas; Authorizing a local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food insecure area; authorizing a local government to include in its comprehensive plan a provision permitting land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food insecure area, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 852

By
Senator Jones

34-00910-26 2026852__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to food insecure areas; creating s.
3 163.31791, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
4 providing definitions; authorizing a local government
5 to enact land development regulations to permit land
6 use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a
7 food insecure area; authorizing a local government to
8 include in its comprehensive plan a provision
9 permitting land use for a small-footprint grocery
10 store located in a food insecure area; authorizing a
11 local government to require mandatory reporting of
12 certain information from a small-footprint grocery
13 store; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Section 163.31791, Florida Statutes, is created
18 to read:
19
163.31791

Food insecure areas.—

20
(1)

The Legislature finds that access to affordable,

21
healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, is

22
restricted due, in part, to the absence of supermarkets located

23
within a convenient traveling distance. This restriction

24
constitutes a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the

25
residents of this state. Therefore, the Legislature finds that

26
it serves an important public purpose to encourage local

27
governments to grant or approve development permits for land

28
designated as a food insecure area in order to increase the

29
availability of nutrient-dense food options.

30
(2)

As used in this section, the term:

31
(a)

“Food insecure area” is synonymous with “food desert”

32
and means a parcel of land that has been identified by the

33
Office of Economic and Demographic Research as being located in

34
an area:

35
1.

Having a poverty rate of at least 20 percent or having a

36
median family income at or below 80 percent of the median family

37
income for this state; and

38
2.

Having at least 500 persons, or at least 33 percent of

39
the population, who, in urban communities, live more than 1 mile

40
from a supermarket or who, in rural communities, live more than

41
10 miles from a supermarket.

42
(b)

“Nutrient-dense food” means a food that has a high

43
level of nutrients in relation
ship
to the number of calories it

44
contains. The term includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole

45
grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, and low-fat dairy

46
products.

47
(c)

“Small-footprint grocery store” means a grocery store

48
that:

49
1.

Sells products at wholesale or retail;

50
2.

Derives at least 30 percent of its gross receipts from

51
the retail sale of nutrient-dense foods; and

52
3.

Operates in a food insecure area.

53
(d)

“Supermarket” means a grocery store that contains all

54
of the major food departments found in a large retail grocery

55
store.

56
(3)

Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local

57
government may enact land development regulations authorizing

58
land use for a small-footprint grocery store located in a food

59
insecure area.

60
(4)

Notwithstanding any other restrictions, a local

61
government may include in its comprehensive plan a provision

62
authorizing land use for a small-footprint grocery store located

63
in a food insecure area.

64
(5)

A local government may require mandatory reporting of

65
certain information from small-footprint grocery stores.

66 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.