![]() While the state received 12 applications for the Black farmer license, it isn’t clear how many additional licenses the new law could generate because not all of the applicants might have met the criteria for a license. And the bill would give hopefuls whose applications were found deficient a 90-day “cure” period to address the problems. It also would require the department to award licenses to applicants whose applications were deemed to have met “all requirements for licensure” by an administrative law judge. The bill approved last week ( HB 387) would require the health department to issue licenses to Black farmers whose applications did not have any identified deficiencies, regardless of what scores they received from evaluators. But Gwinn’s license hasn’t been finalized because of legal and administrative challenges. ![]() The state agency received 12 applications, which were evaluated by a private contractor, and in September announced it intended to award a license to Suwannee County-based farmer Terry Gwinn. In October 2021, the Florida Department of Health rolled out a process for Black farmers to apply for the license. READ MORE: Black farmers call for justice from the USDA To be eligible for the license, Black farmers also had to show they had been in business in Florida for at least five years. Part of a 2017 law required state health officials to grant a license to an applicant who was a participant in decades-old litigation, known as “ Pigford” cases, addressing racial discrimination against Black farmers by federal agriculture officials. Legislators first attempted to loop Black farmers into the industry as part of a broader law carrying out a 2016 constitutional amendment that authorized medical marijuana. ![]() Ron DeSantis, is part of years-long efforts aimed at giving Black farmers an entry into Florida’s now-flourishing medical-marijuana industry. The bill, which awaits a decision by Gov. Black farmers who didn’t make the cut last year could have another opportunity to vie for medical-marijuana licenses, under a bill approved by lawmakers in the final days of the 2023 legislative session. ![]()
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