Marketing agreements; powers of department.

(1) In order to effectuate the declared policy and purposes of this act, the department shall have the power to enter into, administer, and enforce marketing agreements with handlers and distributors engaged in any one or more of the citrus districts established in and by s. 601.09, in the handling and distributing of citrus fruit in fresh fruit form or any variety or varieties, grade, size, or quality thereof, regulating the handling of such citrus fruit in the way and manner and to the extent therein prescribed and agreed upon, which said marketing agreements shall be binding only upon the signatories thereto exclusively. The execution of any such marketing agreement shall in no manner affect the issuance, administration, or enforcement of any marketing order otherwise provided for by chapter 601, and any marketing agreement executed hereunder shall be ineffective to the extent that it is in conflict with any rule, regulation, marketing order, or marketing agreement under any federal law relating to the handling of citrus fruit grown in Florida.

(2) The department may issue and execute a marketing agreement, or any amendment thereof after its issuance, if it finds and sets forth in such marketing agreement that such agreement or amendment, as the case may be, will, with respect to the citrus fruit covered thereby, tend to:

(a) Reestablish or maintain prices received by producers for citrus fruit at a level which will give to such citrus fruit a purchasing power, with respect to the articles and services which producers commonly buy, equivalent to the purchasing power of such citrus fruit in the base period. The base period shall be such prior period in which the department finds that:

1. The volume of production of citrus fruit was adequate to supply the requirements of consumers thereof; and

2. The returns to producer of citrus fruit were sufficient to provide an adequate standard of living to the citrus fruit producer and his or her family.

(b) Approach such equality of purchasing power at as rapid a rate as is feasible in view of the market demand for citrus fruit.

(c) Prevent the unreasonable or unnecessary waste of the wealth of the citrus fruit industry of Florida by developing new and larger markets for citrus fruit.

(d) Protect the interests of consumers of citrus fruit by exercising the powers of this act only to such extent as is necessary to establish the equality of purchasing power described in paragraph (a).

(3) In making the findings set forth above in this section, the department shall take into consideration any and all facts available to it with respect to the following economic factors:

(a) The quantity of citrus fruit available for distribution.

(b) The quantity of citrus fruit normally required by consumers.

(c) The cost of producing citrus fruit as determined by available records, statistics, and surveys.

(d) The purchasing power of consumers as indicated by reports and indices.

(e) The level of prices of similar and other commodities which compete with or are utilized as substitutes for Florida citrus fruit.

(4) Subject to the legislative restrictions and limitations set forth herein, any marketing agreement entered into between the department and signatories thereto pursuant to this act may contain any or all of the following provisions for regulating the handling or distributing of citrus fruit in fresh fruit form within this state in the primary channel of trade, but no others:

(a) Provisions for determining the existence and extent of the surplus of citrus fruit or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, and providing for the control and distribution of such surplus and for equalizing the burden of such surplus elimination or control among the handlers or other distributors affected.

(b) Provisions for limiting the total quantity of citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, which may be distributed or otherwise handled in the primary channel of trade by any and all affected persons engaged in such distributing or handling during any specified period or periods. The total quantity of any such citrus fruit so regulated and permitted to be distributed, or otherwise handled, shall not be less than the quantity which the department finds is reasonably necessary to supply the market demands of consumers of such citrus fruit.

(c) Provisions for allotting the quantity of citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, which each handler signatory to such agreement may purchase or acquire from, or handle on behalf of, any and all producers thereof in the primary channel of trade during any specified period or periods, under a uniform rule applicable to all handlers so regulated based upon the current season’s production or sales of such producers, or upon production or sales of such producers in such prior period as the department determines to be representative, or both, to the end that the total quantity of such citrus fruit or any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof, so purchased or handled in the primary channel of trade, shall be apportioned equitably among the producers thereof.

(d) Provisions for the establishment of surplus or reserve pools of citrus fruit, or of the representative value of such citrus fruit, or of any variety, grade, size or quality thereof, and providing for the sale or other disposition of such surplus citrus fruit and the equitable distribution among the persons interested therein of the net returns or other consideration derived from the sale or other disposition of such citrus fruit or such distribution of such representative value of such citrus fruit.

(e) Prohibiting unfair methods of competition and unfair trade practices.

(f) Provisions for the establishment of plans or programs for advertising, merchandising, sales promotion and incentive payments, or matters connected therewith, to create new or larger markets for citrus fruit or any variety, grade, size, or quality thereof grown in the state.

(g) Provisions incidental to and not inconsistent with the terms, conditions, and provisions hereinbefore specified and necessary to effectuate the other provisions of such marketing agreement and the provisions of this act, including, but not limited to, provisions for paying the costs and expenses of administration of any such agreement, and provisions for penalties and for liquidated damages for violation of any such agreement.