600.021 Declaration of state policy.—This act is passed:
(1) In the exercise of the police power of this state to promote and protect the public health, peace, safety, and general welfare, and to stabilize and protect the citrus fruit industry of the state.
(2) Because the citrus fruit crop grown in Florida comprises the major agricultural crop of Florida and the marketing thereof is affected with a public interest.
(3) Because it is hereby found and declared that, because of the increased and ever-increasing production of citrus fruit in Florida and elsewhere, except in years of freezes or other emergencies that substantially reduce the total crop, the marketing of citrus fruit grown in Florida in excess of reasonable and normal market demands therefor, disorderly marketing of such citrus fruit, unfair methods of competition in the marketing of such citrus fruit, and the inherent inability of individual producers to develop new and larger markets for Florida grown citrus fruit result in an unreasonable and unnecessary economic waste of the agricultural wealth of this state. Such conditions and the accompanying waste jeopardize the future continued production of quality citrus fruit for the people of this and other states and areas, prevent citrus fruit producers from obtaining a fair return from their labor and the citrus fruit which they produce, and impair the economic value of their citrus fruit groves. As a consequence, the purchasing power of such producers has been in the past, and in all likelihood will continue to be in the future, unless such conditions are remedied, low in relation to that of persons engaged in other gainful occupations within this state. Citrus fruit producers are thereby prevented from maintaining a proper and reasonable standard of living and from contributing their fair share to the support of the necessary governmental and educational functions, thus tending to unfairly increase the tax burdens of other citizens of this state.
(4) Because the conditions hereinbefore described and set forth vitally concern the health, peace, safety, and general welfare of the people of this state, it is hereby declared to be the policy of this state to aid citrus fruit producers and handlers in preventing economic waste in the production and marketing of their citrus fruit, to develop more efficient and equitable methods in the marketing of citrus fruit, and to aid citrus fruit producers and handlers in restoring and maintaining their purchasing power at a more adequate, equitable, and reasonable level.
600.031 Purposes of law.—The purposes of this act are:
(1) To enable citrus fruit producers of this state, with the aid and under the direction and control of the state, more effectively to correlate the production and marketing of their citrus fruit with market demands therefor.
(2) To establish and maintain orderly marketing of citrus fruit grown in Florida.
(3) To provide methods and means for the development of new and larger markets for citrus fruit grown in Florida.
(4) To eliminate or reduce economic waste in the production, handling, and marketing of citrus fruit grown in Florida.
(5) To restore and maintain adequate purchasing power for the citrus fruit producers of Florida.
(6) To conserve the agricultural wealth of the state.
600.041 Definitions.—As used in this act, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Department” means the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
(2) “Person” means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of individuals.
(3) “Citrus fruit” or “fruit” means and includes grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, Temples, tangelos, and murcott honey oranges grown in Florida as defined in and by s. 601.03, and when regulated by the Florida Citrus Commission of the Department of Citrus, all other citrus fruit grown in Florida, including lemons, sour oranges, limes, and citrus hybrids.
(4) “Variety” or “varieties” means any one or all of the following classifications or groupings of citrus fruit:
(a) Early and mid-season oranges, including Temple oranges, navel types, and other varieties commonly called “round oranges,” except Valencias, Lue Gim Gongs, and similar late maturing oranges of the Valencia type;
(b) Valencias, late Valencias, Lue Gim Gongs, and similar late maturing oranges of the Valencia type;
(c) Marsh and other seedless grapefruit, including pinks and reds;
(d) Duncan and other seeded grapefruit, including pinks and reds;
(e) Tangerines;
(f) Tangelos;
(g) Persian, Key, and Tahiti limes;
(h) Murcott honey oranges; and
(i) Lemons.
(5) “Producer” means any person growing or producing citrus fruit within this state for market.
(6) “Handler” means any person engaged within this state as a distributor in the business of handling and distributing citrus fruit in fresh fruit form in the primary channel of trade, whether such citrus fruit be purchased from the producer thereof or handled for her or his account.
(7) “Distributor” means any person who engages in the operation of packing, selling, marketing, handling, and distributing, in the primary channel of trade, citrus fruit in fresh fruit form in commercial quantities (other than express or gift fruit shippers) which she or he has produced, or purchased or acquired from a producer, or which she or he is marketing on behalf of a producer, but shall include only such persons who own and operate or have available to them facilities for packing the fresh citrus fruit handled by them; provided however, that any common marketing agency handling the sales of fresh citrus fruit for the account of any of such persons who do not maintain their own sales force or organization shall be deemed a distributor as herein defined.
(8) “Marketing agreement” means an agreement entered into, pursuant to the provisions of this act, by and between the department and handlers and distributors engaged in the handling and distributing of citrus fruit in fresh fruit form regulating the handling of such citrus fruit.
(9) “To handle” means to engage in the business of handler and distributor as herein defined.
(10) “To distribute” means to engage in the business of a distributor as herein defined.
(11) “Standard-packed box” has the same meaning as provided in s. 601.03.
(12) “Shipping season” means that period of time beginning August 1 of one year and ending July 31 of the following year.
(13) Whenever and wherever the context so admits any word or term used in this act which is not herein specifically defined shall have the meaning given by the laws of Florida.
600.051 Marketing agreements; powers of department.—
(1) In order to effectuate the declared policy and purposes of this act, the department shall have the power to enter into, administer, and enforce marketing agreements with handlers and distributors engaged in any one or more of the citrus districts established in and by s. 601.09, in the handling and distributing of citrus fruit in fresh fruit form or any variety or varieties, grade, size, or quality thereof, regulating the handling of such citrus fruit in the way and manner and to the extent therein prescribed and agreed upon, which said marketing agreements shall be binding only upon the signatories thereto exclusively. The execution of any such marketing agreement shall in no manner affect the issuance, administration, or enforcement of any marketing order otherwise provided for by chapter 601, and any marketing agreement executed hereunder shall be ineffective to the extent that it is in conflict with any rule, regulation, marketing order, or marketing agreement under any federal law relating to the handling of citrus fruit grown in Florida.
(2) The department may issue and execute a marketing agreement, or any amendment thereof after its issuance, if it finds and sets forth in such marketing agreement that such agreement or amendment, as the case may be, will, with respect to the citrus fruit covered thereby, tend to:
(a) Reestablish or maintain prices received by producers for citrus fruit at a level which will give to such citrus fruit a purchasing power, with respect to the articles and services which producers commonly buy, equivalent to the purchasing power of such citrus fruit in the base period. The base period shall be such prior period in which the department finds that:
1. The volume of production of citrus fruit was adequate to supply the requirements of consumers thereof; and
2. The returns to producer of citrus fruit were sufficient to provide an adequate standard of living to the citrus fruit producer and his or her family.
(b) Approach such equality of purchasing power at as rapid a rate as is feasible in view of the market demand for citrus fruit.
(c) Prevent the unreasonable or unnecessary waste of the wealth of the citrus fruit industry of Florida by developing new and larger markets for citrus fruit.
(d) Protect the interests of consumers of citrus fruit by exercising the powers of this act only to such extent as is necessary to establish the equality of purchasing power described in paragraph (a).
(3) In making the findings set forth above in this section, the department shall take into consideration any and all facts available to it with respect to the following economic factors:
(a) The quantity of citrus fruit available for distribution.
(b) The quantity of citrus fruit normally required by consumers.
(c) The cost of producing citrus fruit as determined by available records, statistics, and surveys.
(d) The purchasing power of consumers as indicated by reports and indices.
(e) The level of prices of similar and other commodities which compete with or are utilized as substitutes for Florida citrus fruit.
(4) Subject to the legislative restrictions and limitations set forth herein, any marketing agreement entered into between the department and signatories thereto pursuant to this act may contain any or all of the following provisions for regulating the handling or distributing of citrus fruit in fresh fruit form within this state in the primary channel of trade, but no others:
(a) Provisions for determining the existence and extent of the surplus of citrus fruit or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, and providing for the control and distribution of such surplus and for equalizing the burden of such surplus elimination or control among the handlers or other distributors affected.
(b) Provisions for limiting the total quantity of citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, which may be distributed or otherwise handled in the primary channel of trade by any and all affected persons engaged in such distributing or handling during any specified period or periods. The total quantity of any such citrus fruit so regulated and permitted to be distributed, or otherwise handled, shall not be less than the quantity which the department finds is reasonably necessary to supply the market demands of consumers of such citrus fruit.
(c) Provisions for allotting the quantity of citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, which each handler signatory to such agreement may purchase or acquire from, or handle on behalf of, any and all producers thereof in the primary channel of trade during any specified period or periods, under a uniform rule applicable to all handlers so regulated based upon the current season’s production or sales of such producers, or upon production or sales of such producers in such prior period as the department determines to be representative, or both, to the end that the total quantity of such citrus fruit or any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, so purchased or handled in the primary channel of trade, shall be apportioned equitably among the producers thereof.
(d) Provisions for the establishment of surplus or reserve pools of citrus fruit, or of the representative value of such citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size or quality thereof, and providing for the sale or other disposition of such surplus citrus fruit and the equitable distribution among the persons interested therein of the net returns or other consideration derived from the sale or other disposition of such citrus fruit or such distribution of such representative value of such citrus fruit.
(e) Prohibiting unfair methods of competition and unfair trade practices.
(f) Provisions for the establishment of plans or programs for advertising, merchandising, sales promotion and incentive payments, or matters connected therewith, to create new or larger markets for citrus fruit or any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof grown in the state.
(g) Provisions incidental to and not inconsistent with the terms, conditions, and provisions hereinbefore specified and necessary to effectuate the other provisions of such marketing agreement and the provisions of this act, including, but not limited to, provisions for paying the costs and expenses of administration of any such agreement, and provisions for penalties and for liquidated damages for violation of any such agreement.
