HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - Large parts of the Tampa Bay region, including both urban and rural areas, meet the USDA’s definition of food deserts. These are low-income areas where residents live far from grocery stores or markets selling fresh food.

What we know:

For many families, that means relying on convenience stores for most of their groceries, making it harder to maintain healthy diets. While the need for nutritious food is clear, for-profit grocers often avoid opening in poorer neighborhoods due to low profit margins and higher operating costs.

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The Proposal:

State Rep. Michele Rayner has introduced House Bill 337 , which would allow local governments to streamline zoning rules and expedite appr

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