A look down a grocery aisle at Aldi. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix)
Reps. Michelle Rayner, a Democrat from St. Petersburg, and Fiona McFarland, a Republican from Sarasota, co-sponsored a bill Friday to tackle food insecurity through land development.
HB 89 would allow local governments to authorize “small-footprint grocery stores” in food insecure areas, as designated by the state Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
The bill defines food insecure areas as places with a poverty rate of at least 20% or where the median family income is at or below 80% of the state’s median family income, which is $71,711, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, in urban communities, at least 33% of the population must live more than a mile away from a supermarket for the law to apply. The distance increases to 10 miles for rural communities.
“The Legislature finds that access to affordable, healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, is restricted due, in part, to the absence of supermarkets located within a convenient traveling distance,” the bill states. “This restriction constitutes a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of this state.”
Grocery stores built in the food insecure communities must earn at least 30% of their revenue from selling nutritious food, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 12% of households in Florida dealt with food insecurity between 2021 and 2023, meaning they couldn’t afford enough food for the entire family.