I’m a proud son of rural Florida, Florida’s Heartland, six generations deep. Our small, tight-knit, legacy communities are filled with some of the nicest, hardworking people you will ever meet. Rural communities look after one another and would give their last dollar and even the shirt off their own back to help a neighbor in need. This way of life is foundational to our nation, and it’s worth preserving.
As I begin my last session as Senate President, I’m renewing my focus on a rural renaissance in the State of Florida.
Our rural communities are full of opportunity, and that doesn’t just mean development. We need to update our laws to reflect what a rural community can look like in modern Florida, and we need to diversify our view of what economic development looks like in our state’s rural areas.
Gone are the days of setting our sights primarily on luring large companies or anchor businesses with massive capital investments that can deliver on the promise of high-wage, high-value jobs but economically devastate a local community when they close or relocate. We need to focus on infrastructure improvements that support existing businesses as they grow and evolve to meet the needs of our economy. This includes our legacy farm and citrus operations, which will be well served by improvements to farm-to-market roads essential to keeping fresh food within reach of Florida families.
We made great progress last year with the passage of the Senate’s Make Citrus Great Again and Famers Feeding Florida initiatives.
Florida citrus is making a comeback, one tree at a time. The current balanced budget includes $100 million for large-scale field trials that combine grove management, therapeutic tools, and disease-resistant varieties for new plantings and rehabilitation of existing trees. Citrus has been a pillar of our state since the 1500s and remains a key part of Florida’s rural renaissance. Research and new technologies offer renewed hope for the future of citrus in our state. As we plan for the 2026 Legislation Session, I’m keeping my foot on the gas – Florida Citrus is not going down on my watch.
Across rural Florida, our farm families have deep connections to our state and its people. In partnership with Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, our Farmers Feeding Florida initiative is connecting hungry families with farmers who produce fresh, wholesome food – a much-needed hand-up for families when it matters most. Linking Florida farmers in rural areas with our urban food bank distribution channels and expanding our food bank and pantry infrastructure statewide enhances rural economies by preventing food waste and supporting farm families who are producing important commodities.
In just the first quarter of operations, the Farmers Feeding Florida Program has recovered over 4.6 million pounds of fresh, Florida-grown food and distributed 3.8 million pounds to families across the state. This includes 5.4 million servings of milk, 1.6 million pounds of produce, 126,840 jars of peanut butter, and 15,000 pounds of seafood. Connecting Florida’s farmers and ranchers directly with local distribution channels contributes to Florida’s rural renaissance by supporting farm families, preventing food waste, and creating the coordination and infrastructure needed to ensure surplus food reaches communities in need.
We know agriculture is and will continue to be a key employer across rural Florida. While advances in technology help shore up our vital agriculture supply chain, expansions to our broadband infrastructure will also drastically expand opportunities for education, commerce, and health care in rural Florida. The number of remote workers has nearly doubled since the pandemic. Just like remote work offered people the chance to flee high tax, lockdown states and head south to the Free State of Florida, improvements in broadband capacity and high-speed internet access will allow folks living in rural communities to capitalize on workforce changes, placing big city employment options at the fingertips of our rural residents.
The build-out of broadband access in our rural communities will also open doors for residents to access training, certification, education, and health care. I believe we can combine enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that expand and strengthen access to these public services. A strong transportation infrastructure and access to robust public services naturally attract community, maintaining the modest population levels small businesses (restaurants, shops, childcare centers, etc.) need to thrive. Larger businesses are naturally attracted to thriving communities, without the need for massive taxpayer-funded economic incentives. Attraction of mid and large-scale corporations should be the effect, not the cause, of development in our rural areas.
We can also build on and modernize some of our longstanding economic development programs with a focus on building infrastructure, not incentive packages, providing opportunities for rural communities to grow as they see fit, based on decisions made by local families and businesses who call rural Florida home.
This comprehensive approach will create opportunities to improve Florida’s rural quality of life, while preserving the time-honored way of life that has been deeply cherished generation after generation. Rural communities are strong and proud. I can tell you the last place they’ll look for guidance is the government, but this legislation outlines some things we can do to help, so Floridians who call our rural communities home have access to the opportunities the rest of Florida has to offer.
Earlier this year, President Trump’s Administration, specifically Secretary Brooke Rollins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and T.W. Shannon, USDA Senior Advisor for Rural Prosperity (a former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives), shared their support for the Senate’s Rural Renaissance legislation. Over the summer, Senator Simon and I had the opportunity to discuss with Secretary Rollins plans to make Florida’s legislation a national model for creating a rural renaissance whereby local communities across the nation can grow and prosper as they see fit.
As we prepare to embark on a nationwide celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary, there is no better time to celebrate and renew our focus on heritage farming communities across our state and nation. Their hard work and patriotism not only helped win our independence but also created and maintained a robust agriculture supply chain vital to our national security.
We have seen tremendous economic growth in urban areas of Florida; it’s rural Florida’s turn.
Ben Albritton is the President of the Florida Senate. A citrus grower and agribusiness owner from Wauchula, he represents Senate District 27, which includes Charlotte, DeSoto, and Hardee counties and parts of Lee, Polk counties.
