Florida Statute 823.14 (Right to Farm Act) shields established farm operations from nuisance suits if they pre-existed surrounding development. Jacksonville's rural west and north sides retain bona fide farms protected by the state law.
Florida Statute 823.14, the Florida Right to Farm Act, declares that no farm operation in existence for one year or more may be deemed a public or private nuisance if it was not a nuisance at the time it began. The 2020 amendment (SB 88) sharply tightened standing rules: only owners of property within one-half mile of the activity may sue, claims must be brought within one year of the alleged nuisance, and prevailing farms may recover attorney fees. The consolidated City of Jacksonville covers 875 square miles, including agricultural areas in west and north Duval County zoned AGR. Bona fide farm operations on parcels of five or more acres also enjoy property-tax greenbelt classification under Section 193.461.
Filing a nuisance suit against a covered farm outside the standing rules exposes the plaintiff to attorney-fee liability under Section 823.14(6). Local ordinances inconsistent with the Right to Farm Act are unenforceable against protected farms.
See how Jacksonville's farm nuisance protection rules stack up against other locations.
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