If Gov. Charlie Crist thinks he can reap votes from Florida's agriculture industry, his vetoes of ag-related legislation make that a tough row to hoe.
The ag folks, including Crist's partners at U.S. Sugar Corp., are not pleased.
"The agricultural industry of the state of Florida was dealt a serious blow (when) Gov. Crist vetoed two important legislative initiatives that are a priority of both the industry and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: House Bills 981 and 7103," Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick wrote last week in a letter to House Speaker Larry Cretul and Senate President Jeff Atwater.
FFB called on lawmakers to override Crist's vetoes.
HB 981, in protecting the state's greenbelt law, clarified that the mere act of offering agricultural land for sale does not constitute a primary use of the land, nor serve as the basis for denying an agricultural classification so long as the land remains in bona fide agricultural use while being offered for sale.
The measure also upholds the state's regulatory authority over pesticides. Without this bill, pesticide applicators would have to go through a federal approval process, Hoblick said.
HB 7103 would prohibit counties from imposing stormwater fees on properties that are already regulated through permit or best management practices. It also enacts the Agricultural Land Acknowledgement Act, which requires occupants of a new development that will abut or envelop agricultural lands to affirmatively acknowledge the fact that they are moving in next door to a farm.
HB 7103 was unanimously approved by both the House and Senate, but Crist, in his veto message, contended that the law could be confusing for the general public, owners of agricultural lands, and counties to interpret and apply.
Crist also questioned HB 981, contending that the bill would subsidize private real estate speculation.
Hoblick said Crist's action put the state's $100 billion-a-year industry and its 750,000 jobs at risk.
Florida Citrus Mutual went on to rip the governor's line-item veto of $1 million earmarked for research to combat citrus "greening" disease.
"Clearly the governor doesn't understand the seriousness of the pests and diseases our $9 billion industry is battling," said Michael Sparks, executive vice president and CEO of the Lakeland-based citrus group.
Citrus interests also excoriated Crist's veto of the agricultural property tax exemptions, which would have set up a new grower tax for research on citrus greening, a deadly bacterial disease. That veto effectively eliminated more than $2 million for research, citrus officials said.
"Quite frankly, I'm a little surprised because we recently had the governor in a grove to explain the severe issues we are facing," Sparks said.
Robert Coker, a U.S. Sugar vice president, said the ag giant was "disappointed" with Crist's vetoes.
"We thought these bills were important to the state," Coker said, noting that U.S. Sugar communicated its support to the governor's staff.
U.S. Sugar, which is currently trying to sell a portion of its land holdings for $536 million under Crist's Everglades proposal, believes that lawmakers "ought to look" at the possibility of overriding Crist's vetoes, Coker said.
Though neither Marco Rubio nor Kendrick Meek -- independent Crist's presumptive Republican and Democratic opponents for the U.S. Senate seat this fall -- have received agricultural endorsements, the governor's vetoes infuriated one of the state's leading industries.
"If anything, the state of Florida should be doing all it can to protect and promote agriculture instead of vetoing measures that would accomplish these objectives," Hoblick said.
Sparks said Crist's actions "imperil" the future of Florida citrus and its 76,000 jobs.
"Florida citrus growers have funded more than $26 million in research over the past three years, so we have skin in the game this was not a handout," Sparks added.
Commenting recently on the industry's call to override Crist's veotes, Cretul, R-Ocala, said of the governor: "He's vetoed enough bills that a lot of people are calling our offices. We'll see."
The Legislature has until the final day of the 2011 session to override 2010 vetoes.
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Reach Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
