Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Welcome to SWFL Fresh Connect. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our website. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our directory of local farms, farmers markets, and plant-based establishments in Southwest Florida.
By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not access the website.
SWFL Fresh Connect is a directory service that connects consumers with local, organic, and sustainable food sources across Southwest Florida. We strive to maintain the highest standards of privacy protection while providing valuable information about local food systems.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide to Us
We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:
- Subscribe to our newsletter or mailing list
- Submit a listing for a farm, market, or restaurant
- Contact us through our contact form or email
- Register for an account on our platform
- Participate in surveys or provide feedback
- Comment on blog posts or community features
This information may include: name, email address, phone number, business name, business address, website URL, social media handles, and any other information you choose to provide.
2.2 Automatically Collected Information
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behavior, including:
- IP address and device identifiers
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring website addresses
- Pages viewed and time spent on pages
- Geographic location (city/region level)
- Date and time of visits
2.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information about you from publicly available sources, social media platforms (if you choose to connect your account), and business directories. This helps us maintain accurate and up-to-date listings for farms, markets, and restaurants.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- Providing, operating, and maintaining our directory services
- Processing and managing listing submissions
- Sending newsletters, updates, and marketing communications (with your consent)
- Responding to your inquiries and providing customer support
- Improving our website and user experience through analytics
- Detecting, preventing, and addressing technical issues or fraudulent activity
- Complying with legal obligations and protecting our rights
- Personalizing your experience and showing relevant content
- Conducting research and analysis to improve our services
- Sending administrative information such as policy updates
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason that is compatible with the original purpose.
4. Information Sharing and Disclosure
We may share your information in the following situations:
4.1 Public Directory Information
Information submitted for farm, market, or restaurant listings (such as business name, address, hours, contact information) is displayed publicly on our website as part of our directory service.
4.2 Service Providers
We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as web hosting, email delivery, analytics, payment processing, and customer support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
4.3 Legal Requirements
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (such as a court or government agency), to protect our rights or property, or to ensure the safety of our users.
4.4 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information.
4.5 With Your Consent
We may share your information for any other purpose with your consent or at your direction.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
6. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS technology
- Secure server infrastructure and regular security updates
- Access controls and authentication mechanisms
- Regular security assessments and monitoring
- Employee training on data protection and privacy
- Incident response procedures
However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
7. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:
7.1 Access and Portability
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to receive a copy of that information in a portable format.
7.2 Correction and Update
You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
7.3 Deletion
You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions (such as legal obligations to retain certain records).
7.4 Opt-Out of Marketing
You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us directly. Please note that you will still receive essential service-related communications.
7.5 Restriction and Objection
You may have the right to restrict or object to certain processing of your personal information, such as direct marketing or automated decision-making.
7.6 Withdraw Consent
Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the Contact Us section below. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law.
8. Children's Privacy
Our website is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as quickly as possible.
If you are under 18 years of age, you may use our website only with the involvement and consent of a parent or guardian.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by:
- Posting the updated policy on this page with a new "Last Updated" date
- Sending an email notification to the email address associated with your account (if applicable)
- Displaying a prominent notice on our website
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
Previous versions of this Privacy Policy will be archived and available upon request.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
SWFL Fresh Connect
Email:
[email protected]Phone:
(239) 555-0100Mailing Address:
SWFL Fresh Connect
Southwest Florida, FL
We will make reasonable efforts to respond to your inquiry within 30 days. For privacy-related complaints or concerns, we are committed to working with you to reach a fair resolution.