K-12 School Lunches and Breakfasts

Agriculture Children Education

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor: Rouson
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Education Pre-K - 12
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

K-12 School Lunches and Breakfasts

This bill requires K-12 public schools to join the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, sets rules for providing meals, allows school districts to collect meal payments, and bans third-party debt collectors.

What This Bill Does

Requires all K-12 public schools in Florida to participate in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
Ensures that lunch is available at no cost if a student cannot pay or owes money for past meals.
Allows school districts to collect payments from students' families for provided meals, but they cannot use third-party debt collectors.
Requires free breakfasts unless parents ask in writing not to provide them. The state will reimburse schools for these free breakfasts.

Who It Names or Affects

K-12 public school students and their families
School districts and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Terms To Know

National School Lunch Program: A program that provides free or low-cost lunches to children in schools.
Third-party debt collector: An outside company hired by a school district to collect money owed for meals from families.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how schools will handle students who do not have written permission for breakfast but still need it.
It is unclear if the state has enough funds to fully cover all free breakfast reimbursements.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Education Pre-K - 12
2026-01-22 Senate
• Introduced
2026-01-16 Senate
• Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Fiscal Policy
2026-01-09 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

K-12 School Lunches and Breakfasts; Requiring K-12 public schools to participate in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program; providing requirements for the provision of school lunches and breakfasts at such schools; authorizing school districts to collect payment for specified meals; prohibiting school districts from using third-party debt collectors, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1674

By
Senator Rouson

16-01513-26 20261674__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to K-12 school lunches and breakfasts;
3 amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; requiring K-12 public
4 schools to participate in the National School Lunch
5 Program and the School Breakfast Program; providing
6 requirements for the provision of school lunches and
7 breakfasts at such schools; authorizing school
8 districts to collect payment for specified meals;
9 prohibiting school districts from using third-party
10 debt collectors; providing for the reimbursement of
11 school breakfasts by the Department of Agriculture and
12 Consumer Services; providing a calculation for such
13 reimbursement; authorizing the Department of
14 Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt rules;
15 providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Subsection (16) of section 1001.42, Florida
20 Statutes, is amended to read:
21 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
22 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
23 powers and perform all duties listed below:
24 (16) SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM.—
25
(a)
Assume such responsibilities and exercise such powers
26 and perform such duties as may be assigned to it by law or as
27 may be required by rules of the Department of Agriculture and
28 Consumer Services or, as in the opinion of the district school
29 board, are necessary to ensure school lunch services, consistent
30 with needs of students; effective and efficient operation of the
31 program; and the proper articulation of the school lunch program
32 with other phases of education in the district.
33
(b)

Each school district shall require each school within

34
the district to participate in the National School Lunch Program

35
and the School Breakfast Program. Each school shall make:

36
1.

Lunch available pursuant to the National School Lunch

37
Program, regardless of whether a student has the money to pay

38
for the lunch or owes money for meals previously provided. A

39
school district may collect payment for meals provided pursuant

40
to this paragraph. However, a school district may not use a

41
third-party debt collector to collect such debt.

42
2.

Breakfast available pursuant to the National School

43
Breakfast Program at no cost to the student unless the student’s

44
parent has provided written notification to the school to

45
withhold such meal from the student. The Department of

46
Agriculture and Consumer Services shall reimburse each school

47
district for each school breakfast served to a student, with a

48
maximum of one breakfast per student per school day. The

49
reimbursement rate shall be the difference between the amount

50
paid by the United States Department of Agriculture and the free

51
rate set annually by the United States Secretary of Agriculture

52
for each school.

53
(c)

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may

54
adopt rules to administer this subsection.

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