Sen Rick Scott: I Will Not Stop Fighting for Florida’s Ag Community

For nearly a year, Senator Scott has been fighting to deliver resources to Florida’s growers and ranchers by getting his bipartisan Block Grant Assistance Act to President Biden’s desk. This urgently needed legislation provides authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue block grants to Florida’s growers and all U.S. agriculture producers devastated by recent natural disasters. Following the devastating landfall of major Category 3 Hurricane Idalia, Senator Scott introduced his Federal Disaster Responsibility Act, which includes the Block Grant Assistance Act, to fully fund FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund and deliver support to America’s growers and ranchers.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Today, I was proud to welcome Senator Boozman to the Sunshine State so he could hear directly from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and our state’s hardworking growers about what they need to succeed. As the Senate considers the upcoming Farm Bill, I am focused on helping our growers and ranchers by cutting red tape, encouraging buy-America requirements, and strengthening disaster relief aid so folks can recover from natural disasters that have impacted Florida’s farmland. Today’s roundtable made clear that while Florida’s agriculture industry is known around the world, things are tough for hardworking families in our state right now. Our growers and ranchers keep food on our tables and drive our economy forward – we must make sure that they have the resources needed to recover from the many challenges they’ve recently faced and thrive in the years ahead. That’s why I’ll be fighting hard to deliver for our growers in the Farm Bill and to make sure Congress finally passes my Federal Disaster Responsibility Act.”

Senator John Boozman said, “I appreciate Senator Scott’s invitation to visit with Florida’s agriculture community to learn firsthand how their experiences can help shape this critical legislation. We had an excellent roundtable that reinforces the message that the Farm Bill cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution. Farmers in every state and every region, including Florida, have different needs and the Farm Bill must reflect that reality. We received valuable input to consider as we seek to better support those who work tirelessly to ensure we have the safest, most affordable, and most abundant supply of food in the world.”

Commissioner Wilton Simpson said, “Agriculture is critical to our security as a nation, and we must do everything we can to ensure our food supply is protected and our farmers are supported. The 2023 U.S. Farm Bill provides needed support for Florida farmers and consumers alike in terms of the production of agricultural goods and access to them. I thank Senator Rick Scott and Senator John Boozman for holding this important discussion today and for their commitment to the future economic viability of Florida agriculture.”

Read more HERE.

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Watch more HERE or in the video from 10 Tampa Bay below:

Read more HERE.

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On September 21st, Senator Rick Scott spoke on the Senate floor to request unanimous consent to schedule a vote on his bill, the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act. This bill would fully fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to ensure the federal government could quickly and comprehensively respond to natural disasters, and deliver urgently needed disaster aid to America’s growers and ranchers. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, blocked Senator Scott’s request, denying the Senate an opportunity to vote on and pass this bill. Following Senator Whitehouse’s objection, which denies disaster aid for millions of Americans, Senator Scott released the below statement.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Communities in every state are dependent on disaster aid from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is now nearly exhausted and will have just $550 million available at the end of this month. When I spoke to President Biden earlier this month, I told him this is UNACCEPTABLE and especially devastating for families and farmers in Florida, California, Illinois, Vermont and Hawaii who are fighting tooth and nail right now to recover from major disasters. In Florida, our growers and ranchers have been waiting for nearly a year since Ian devastated so many of them and this delay is Senate Democrats kicking them while they’re down. This shouldn’t be a political issue, but Democrats are treating it that way to try and force disaster aid to be part of their massive spending package. It is beyond shameful for Senate Democrats to hold disaster aid hostage, and I won’t stop fighting to get this bill passed and relief to our families and growers working hard to get back on their feet.”

Watch Senator Scott’s Speech HERE or below.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Florida’s agriculture industry is known around the world and the success of our state wouldn’t be possible without our growers and ranchers. Unfortunately, things are tough for hardworking families in our state right now as prices keep rising and natural disasters cause mass losses of crops and livestock. I know Florida’s agricultural communities have been laser focused on hurricane recovery following Hurricanes Ian and Idalia—and I’m fighting to make sure they get all the disaster relief they deserve. I’m working on several bills, like my Federal Disaster Responsibility Act, to help support our growers and ranchers and ensure our Florida agriculture industry has all the resources and help it needs to recover from the many challenges they have faced in the last several years. I’ve been fighting to support Florida’s agricultural community and will continue to do so by securing big wins for our growers and ranchers in the Farm Bill that make sure the federal government is a partner, not another layer of burdensome bureaucracy. I want to thank Commissioner Simpson for his efforts in Florida and support of my Federal Disaster Responsibility Act. We must continue working together with our local, state and federal partners to ensure all Floridians get the assistance they deserve.”

Senator Scott’s Federal Disaster Responsibility Act includes:

• Fully funding the immediate needs of FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund with at least $16.5 billion to ensure the federal government can uphold its obligation to quickly deploy emergency funding and resources to communities and Americans impacted by natural disasters. This exceeds what the Biden administration has said is needed to respond to recent disasters, including those in Florida and Hawaii.
• Ensuring final passage of the bipartisan Block Grant Assistance Act which provides needed authority for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue block grants to Florida’s citrus growers, Georgia’s peach growers and all U.S. agriculture producers devastated by natural disasters in 2022.
• Securing final passage of an expanded version of the Hurricane Tax Relief Act, which takes care of Americans impacted by disasters by providing disaster-loss tax relief to families who have been impacted by qualified disasters for purposes of enhanced disaster casualty loss tax relief. This would apply across the nation and include relief for taxpayers in Hawaii, California, Illinois, Florida and others. This bill modifies the deduction for personal casualty losses in the hurricane disaster areas, waiving the requirements for impacted taxpayers to itemize deductions and to have losses that exceed 10% of adjusted gross income. Congress previously extended this tax relief for hurricanes Irma, Wilma, Dorian, and Michael, amongst others.
• Committing necessary funds and resources to Florida’s military installations to fully rebuild and recover from hurricane damage.

Read more HERE.

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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Announces Support for Sen. Rick Scott’s Federal Disaster Responsibility Act

On September 7th, following Senator Rick Scott’s introduction of his Federal Disaster Responsibility Act to provide emergency relief for natural disasters, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson issued the following statement supporting the legislation. This bill, which Senator Scott first announced the details of last week following the devastating landfall of major Category 3 Hurricane Idalia in Florida’s Big Bend, will ensure Florida families and all Americans facing emergencies following natural disasters are taken care of. Senator Marco Rubio joined as a cosponsor of the bill and Congresswoman Kat Cammack is leading the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Wilton Simpson said, “Florida’s agriculture community suffered more than a billion dollars in damage and losses during last year’s hurricane season, and they are now recovering from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Idalia. I applaud Senator Scott, Senator Rubio, and Representative Cammack for bringing forward this critical piece of legislation that puts hardworking Americans first. The Federal Disaster Responsibility Act will ensure the final passage of the Block Grant Assistance Act, which will give the support and relief needed for our agricultural industry to recover from devastating natural disasters. It will also secure an expanded version of the Hurricane Tax Relief Act, that will provide disaster-loss tax relief to families impacted by hurricanes.”

On September 2nd, Senator Scott met with President Biden and urged him to support the passage of his Federal Disaster Responsibility Act. In both his meeting with President Biden, and in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Scott has been clear that the Senate should not play games with disaster relief funds and believes that helping Americans should not be contingent on aid for foreign causes.

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: President Biden has abandoned Florida’s citrus growers. I’m fighting for them

In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune highlighting his efforts to make Washington work for Florida’s citrus industry as the Biden administration has turned a blind eye and abandoned Florida’s growers following last year’s hurricane season. In the op-ed, Senator Scott urges the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately distribute disaster aid funds to citrus growers in need, and support his Block Grant Assistant Act.

Read the full op-ed in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune HERE. Read more HERE.