Abrams Law Firm recently represented a licensed dog breeder from western Broward County at an administrative trial before a value adjustment board special magistrate on April 2, 2025. The case challenged the property appraiser’s denial of an agricultural classification application submitted nearly a year earlier. Until now, no dog breeder in Florida had received approval for agricultural classification.

This case holds particular significance because agricultural classification exempts businesses from local zoning requirements through a legal principle known as “preemption.” Under the Florida Right to Farm Act, agricultural uses are protected from restriction by local zoning regulations.

The magistrate ruled in favor of the petition, determining that the dog breeding operation qualifies as agricultural because it produces animal products that are “useful to humans”, the statutory requirement for agricultural classification. This landmark decision establishes the client as Broward County’s first agriculturally classified dog breeder and potentially among the first in the entire state.

For more information about agricultural classifications or to discuss how this precedent might apply to your business, please contact:

Abrams Law Firm

Phone: (954) 332-2358
Email: admin@abrams-law.com
Website: www.abramslawfirm.com

Principal Contact: Ryan Abrams, Esq. and Sydney Satz, Esq.
Practice Areas: Agricultural Law, Property Tax Appeals, Land Use & Zoning