Cake Decorating Community - Cakes We Bake

I am reposting this discussion from the group Florida Cakesters by Barbara..I think it is important to all FL residents:

 

Hello my name is  Barbara I live in Largo Florida, just west of Tampa.  I have only been making cakes for a year self taught.  I love this site and have learned a lot from everyone.  I am a ICES member as well, and those of you who are ICES members there will be a day of sharing in Daytona.

 

Some of us are trying to get a bill passed in Florida called the Cottaged Food Act which allows us to make cakes and pasteries from our homes and sell them to the public.  All you need to do is write a letter to your local and state representative to present this request the next time the legislation meets.  They need to get it on the docs in order to discuss it and decide weather to pass it or not.  So far there are 13 states that have the Cottage Food Act and if Florida wants to be included we need everyones support.  I do have letters pre writtten all you would need to do is put your information and mail it to your representative.  I also have a letter for your family and friends to send too.

 

Attached is a copy of the letter to send to your local and state rep...here is a link to find your representatives http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/contentViewer.aspx?Category=PublicGui...

 

Have a Sweet Day,

Barbara

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Karen, that is great. I am in Pembroke Pines, FL and would love for that Act to pass. You can count on me. I am going to have all my friends and family send the letter. Thanks.
Thank you Terry!

Teresita (Terry) Hernandez said:
Karen, that is great. I am in Pembroke Pines, FL and would love for that Act to pass. You can count on me. I am going to have all my friends and family send the letter. Thanks.
Hi Karen,
I noticed from some of the Threads regarding getting the Cottage Food Act passed that you are getting a lot of response. I'm glad you are getting others to respond and send the letters. If you are getting any RSVP regarding the meeting that I am having on Sept 11 at 1:00 pm at the Cheese Cake Factory in Tampa, I need to know so there will be enough seating. I have about 10 people coming. WFLA 97 AM will be doing a phone interview with me on air sometime before the meeting and I don't know the exact day or time yet. Being on the air may bring more people too. I noticed since you reposted my discussion on this post that several members think you are the one that started this mission. That is fine but, please notify me if you are contacted by email if someone is coming to the meeting. Please let me know if you have heard from any one that plan on attending the meeting. We do have one State Representative John Wood who is wanting to help us. I just found this out on Friday. If we can get more State Representatives to support us the better the chance of getting the bill passed.

Karen Marie said:
Thank you Terry!

Teresita (Terry) Hernandez said:
Karen, that is great. I am in Pembroke Pines, FL and would love for that Act to pass. You can count on me. I am going to have all my friends and family send the letter. Thanks.
Hi Barbara....I know that I didnt take the credit just re-posted your thread and said so in the beginning....but to anyone reading this please reply to Barbara's post about the meeting for the cottage food act...she has worked very hard getting everything up to this point and we need this bill to be passed. Please Floridians help in any way you can, Here is the link to her meeting post:
http://www.cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/meeting-for-florida-cottage

Barbara said:
Hi Karen,
I noticed from some of the Threads regarding getting the Cottage Food Act passed that you are getting a lot of response. I'm glad you are getting others to respond and send the letters. If you are getting any RSVP regarding the meeting that I am having on Sept 11 at 1:00 pm at the Cheese Cake Factory in Tampa, I need to know so there will be enough seating. I have about 10 people coming. WFLA 97 AM will be doing a phone interview with me on air sometime before the meeting and I don't know the exact day or time yet. Being on the air may bring more people too. I noticed since you reposted my discussion on this post that several members think you are the one that started this mission. That is fine but, please notify me if you are contacted by email if someone is coming to the meeting. Please let me know if you have heard from any one that plan on attending the meeting. We do have one State Representative John Wood who is wanting to help us. I just found this out on Friday. If we can get more State Representatives to support us the better the chance of getting the bill passed.

Karen Marie said:
Thank you Terry!

Teresita (Terry) Hernandez said:
Karen, that is great. I am in Pembroke Pines, FL and would love for that Act to pass. You can count on me. I am going to have all my friends and family send the letter. Thanks.
You're very welcome. I'd appreciate it if you kept me up to date on this issue. Take care.

Karen Marie said:
Hi Barbara....I know that I didnt take the credit just re-posted your thread and said so in the beginning....but to anyone reading this please reply to Barbara's post about the meeting for the cottage food act...she has worked very hard getting everything up to this point and we need this bill to be passed. Please Floridians help in any way you can, Here is the link to her meeting post:
http://www.cakeswebake.com/forum/topics/meeting-for-florida-cottage

Barbara said:
Hi Karen,
I noticed from some of the Threads regarding getting the Cottage Food Act passed that you are getting a lot of response. I'm glad you are getting others to respond and send the letters. If you are getting any RSVP regarding the meeting that I am having on Sept 11 at 1:00 pm at the Cheese Cake Factory in Tampa, I need to know so there will be enough seating. I have about 10 people coming. WFLA 97 AM will be doing a phone interview with me on air sometime before the meeting and I don't know the exact day or time yet. Being on the air may bring more people too. I noticed since you reposted my discussion on this post that several members think you are the one that started this mission. That is fine but, please notify me if you are contacted by email if someone is coming to the meeting. Please let me know if you have heard from any one that plan on attending the meeting. We do have one State Representative John Wood who is wanting to help us. I just found this out on Friday. If we can get more State Representatives to support us the better the chance of getting the bill passed.

Karen Marie said:
Thank you Terry!

Teresita (Terry) Hernandez said:
Karen, that is great. I am in Pembroke Pines, FL and would love for that Act to pass. You can count on me. I am going to have all my friends and family send the letter. Thanks.
Hi Barbara,
I'm in Clearwater and just ran across this as I was researching this subject. I've been decorating cakes for family and friends for many years, and I would love to be able to have a home based business doing this very thing. Of course I know the law in Florida prohibits that so I'm glad to see an effort is being made to introduce a Cottage Food law here. As you point out, having another source of income during this recession would be a great relief to creative people like us. I would like to help in the effort to promote this change, if I can. Thanks for the work you are doing.

Barbara said:
Jodie,
Thank you so much for your support. It was something I really needed today because I was feeling like all my hard work isn't enough but, when I get support like yours and from the few here in Florida it makes me feel like I need to pursue on. I asked the state a different question and wanted to see how they would respond and just as I thought same laws apply. I asked if I wanted to start a cake decorating busines NO baking I would purchase the undecorated cakes from Sam's Club or Costco or the client could bring their cakes to me to decorate. I received their response and it was the same. Here in Florida the laws they have are more geared to retail, restaurant or professional bakeries. I would think they could have laws for a smaller scale. What do I need a 3 compartment sink I use a dishwasher. HELLO. I know everyone isn't the same but neither are the licensed establishments, you have the ones that follow the law and the ones who try to get away with stuff. I am disappointed that the bakers are not wanting to help more. I posted a meeting for September 11 to discuss a plan to get this law passed but, again just a handful. I will do whatever it takes and hope it will make a difference and be able to make a difference in other peoples lives.

Thank you again for your support.
Barbara

Oh I did email Paula Dean to join us at our meeting on 9/11 it would be awesome if she showed up. After all this is how she got her start and maybe she can give us some inspiration.

Jodie Valenti said:
Hello from Michigan! I just wanted to wish you luck on your quest. I am a home baker who turned my hobby into a business this past year so that I could stay home with my 2 small children and suppliment my husband's income. I too dealt with the same fears that you all have, getting caught and being forced to stop, or worse yet being fined or jailed. Fortunately Michigan just passed (July 16, 2010) a cottage food bill, making it legal for me to now make and sell baked goods from my home, provided that they are properly labeled. It took just under a year from the time the bill was introduced to the time it was approved and signed! Before that, Michigan had some of the strictest laws on this subject (considering it a felony to operate a business without proper licensing)! Hopefully this gives you inspiration that it is possible to get it passed!

PS... I have some friends and relatives thatt live in FL and I am going to ask them if they would be willing to sign a letter for you as well!
Thank you for the link.

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