‘Berry good bill’ to make strawberry shortcake Florida’s official state dessert clears final Senate committee

A proposal to create Florida’s official state dessert moved closer to reality Thursday when it cruised smoothly through its final Senate committee with nary a jam.

The Senate Rules Committee unanimously approved SB 1006, which would establish strawberry shortcake as the state’s primo post-dinner delicacy. The bill previously cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee with identical support.

Its sponsor, Sen. Danny Burgess of Zephyrhills, spoke briefly on behalf of his “berry good” bill, which is a companion to one Reps. Lawrence McClure of Dover and Demi Busatta Cabrera of Coral Gables filed in November.

“Probably my most controversial bill of the Legislative Session, SB 1006, is the bill you’ve been waiting for,” Burgess said. “I have the great honor, with my colleague in the House … of representing the greater Plant City area. There are more than 10,000 acres of strawberries annually planted, which makes up 75% of the country’s winter strawberry production.

“The economic impact of strawberries in this state is profound, and … as fun as this bill is, it recognizes a very serious contribution to one of the pillars of our community, which is our agricultural community.”

While it’s easily the sweetest piece of legislation to move through Tallahassee this Session, Burgess wasn’t juicing up how fruitful strawberries are to the state economy. Hillsborough County produces roughly 15% of the nation’s strawberries and virtually all the berries grown during the winter, according to the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, which said the 20 million flats of strawberries produced yearly has a more than $700 million economic impact on the community.

That figure is growing, according to McClure.

“The Florida strawberry is our economic driver, almost a billion-dollar economic impact,” he told the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee last week. “So, this bill is really meant to bring some fun attention to what drives our economy.”

But unlike Burgess’ bill, which sailed through the Senate, several lawmakers picked at the House version, worried about its effect on Florida’s official state pie, Key lime.

“As a fan of Key lime pie, I have a little concern that this would prioritize it as a state dessert,” said Rep. Erin Grall, who suggested altering the bill to designate the sweet as a state cake instead of a dessert.

Rep. Blaise Ingoglia joked that passing the bill could open the state to lawsuits from the “Key lime pie lobby.” He then suggested a substitute dessert: the cannoli, which he said made sense “with all the influx of New Yorkers coming to the state of Florida fleeing lockdown.”

An analysis of the House bill, which advanced but still awaits a hearing in the chamber’s State Affairs Committee, shows Florida’s strawberry industry is the second-largest producing region.

___

Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics contributed to this report.