Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Grimsley has the right resume to be GOP nominee Nikki Fried is unconventional and best option for Democrats
Florida Republicans have four candidates running to be their nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
But one candidate rises above the rest in this robust primary. That is state Sen. Denise Grimsley, awoman whosework ethic, experience and temperament is best suited to lead the agriculture department.
Unlike the other three candidates, you don’t get the sense that Grimsley sees the job of Agriculture Commissioner as a steppingstone to higher office. Rather, it speaks to her core.
Grimsley, 58, is a fifth-generation Floridian who hasworked in her family’s cattle, citrus and petroleum distribution businesses. She’s also a mother, a nurse and the administrator of Florida Hospital W au ch ula. And she’s a respected veteran of the Florida Legislature —the current chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Grimsley speaks softly, but carries a big stick.
With her demonstrated leadership and administrative experience, you can believe Grimsley would impose order on the agriculture department’s flawed concealed-weapons permit system, help the state’s beleaguered farmers and ranchers, and muscle up the department’s lackluster consumer protection office.
Gri ms leyk now show Tallahassee works, howthe money flows from Washington, and the importance of using the bully pulpit to influence the Florida Legislature and Congress, something we’ve not seen enough of from Commissioner Adam Putnam.
“I’m concerned about seniors and fraud. I’m concerned that the average age (of a farmer) is 59. We need to keep young people interested,” Grimsley said. “When I went to Tallahassee, I sawthe common sense lacking.”
Grimsley remembers a cold winter weekend some years back, when an inspector fromthe agriculture department dropped by the convenience store shewas running. The agriculture department, among its many duties, inspects gas pumps and food services.
She shared the problem shewas having with the water heater in the back. Hewound up red-tagging her coffee dispensers. So she couldn’t dispense coffee over a long, really cold weekend. Neither could she find someone at the agency towork with her. Grimsley is quick to say, however, that customer service improved under Putnam.
Grimsley has three opponents: State Rep. Matt Caldwell, a property appraiser who grew up in Fort Myers; former state Rep. Baxter Troutman, an entrepreneur; and Mike McCalister, a retired Army colonel who owns a tree farm and has previously run for governor and the U.S. Senate.
On Wednesday, Grimsley and Caldwell, 36, met with editorial page editors fromthe Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald for an interview that will be broadcast on WLRN Public Media. McCalister, 67, was unable to make the meeting, but spoke later by phone. Troutman, 51, declined the invitation. In a questionnaire submitted before the interview, Cald well was succinct aboutwhy he’s seeking the job. “I am running to address the issues that I believe will define this office in the coming decades: jobs, water and our Second Amendment rights.”
Caldwell has received the NRA’s endorsement. Lobbyist Marion Hammer say she is “the only candidate in this race with a perfect record of unyielding support of the Second Amendment.”
(By contrast, the NRA dings Grimsley for voting against a bill that, during emergency evacuations, would let people carry concealed weapons without a permit. It also criticizes Trout man for voting against the “Guns at Work bill,” which requires employers to let workers keep guns in locked cars at work.)
Like the other candidates, Caldwell is critical of NAFTA. He says it has decimated the state’s fruit and vegetable growers, and that a new agreement is needed to allow competition on equal footing. “I love what the president says: ‘Let’s go full free trade and see who wins.’”
On his questionnaire, Caldwell listed his “current civic activities” with oneword: “church.”
Troutman is the grandson of Ben Hill Griffin, the legendary Florida citrus grower. Troutman still grows some citrus, but his primary business is Labor Solutions, a staffing company.
In his questionnaire, Troutman similarly said that NAFTA has hurt Florida agriculture. He said the trade agreement benefitted major agricultural states at the expense of “minor crop” states like Florida. He praised President Donald Trump for “his leadership on the issue.”
Troutman has reportedly given his campaign $2.5 million— a formidable sum that worries his opponents. He is currently paying to air television ads in the I-4 corridor.
McCalister spent 33 years in the Army, Army Reserves and National Guard. He’s owned a tree farm since 2006. In 2010 he ran for governor and got 10 percent of the vote, spending very little money. In 2012, he ran in the Republican primary to replace U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, but came in third behind Connie Mack and Dave Weldon.
McCalister’s goals resemble those of his competitors. His top objective is to “protect Florida’s families, freedom, food, water and animals.” Hewants to create more jobs, eradicate citrus greening and Texas palm disease, restore Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, and protect Second Amendment rights.
He also wants to shut down illegal animal slaughterhouses and protect Floridians from “scams and fraud,” according to his questionnaire.
Whoever wins themost votes in this fourway contest will appear on the November ballot.
Itwould be something, in this year of #MeToo, to see two women face off for agriculture commissioner: Grimsley and Democrat Nicole “Nikki” Fried, whom we’ve also endorsed.
But that is the match-up we’d like to see. Eitherway, Florida would win.
Democratic voters have an easy choice on Aug. 28 if they want to win the race for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services in November. They need to nominate attorney Nicole “Nikki” Fried, a candidate with fresh ideas about howthe job should be done.
Ever since 2001, a Republican man has held the office and every one of them has had ties to north and central Florida and the state’s agriculture industry. To win, Democrats should focus on the “consumer services” part of the job title.
Fried, 40, grew up in Miami and got her bachelor’s and law degrees fromthe University of Florida, where shewas student body president. She’s sharp, well-spoken and makes a strong case that the agency has failed in its mission to protect consumers. She cites problems with the Do Not Call list and credit-card skimmers at gas stations.
As a lobbyist for the medical marijuana industry, Fried also saw how Republicans “slow-rolled and stopped the will of the people” in gaining access to cannabis. She also wants to reform howthe state issues concealed weapons permits and explore whether the process should be handled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In a video announcing her candidacy, she speaks over slow-motion images of a recoiling assault rifle. “There is no clearer example of our broken government than medical marijuana and this deadlyweapon,” she says. “One helps sick and dying Floridians and is overregulated, and the other one is used to terrorize our schools and communities and is barely regulated at all.”
Fried also supports the legalization of recreational marijuana for people aged 21and older. She says that if adult use were legalized, Florida could see added tax revenues of between $20 billion and $30 billion a year, an impossible number. It was her only stumble in our interview.
Since earning her law degree in 2003, Fried hasworked for the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office and two lawfirms. She nowruns a oneperson lobbying firm called Igniting Florida. Until recently, she lobbied for the Broward County School Board.
During a joint endorsement interview with the editorial page editors of the Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald— for broadcast on WLRN Public Media— Fried demonstrated a clear command of the issues. Equally important, she’s running a high-energy campaign— the kind needed to get her name out there and win.
Also seeking the nomination are Jeff Porter, the mayor of Homestead; and Roy David Walker, an environmental advocate who once worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Porter, 58, is a more traditional Agriculture Commissioner candidate. He is the owner of World wide Supply Solutions and said he works with farmers as part of his business. He served on the Homestead City Council for 10 years before being elected mayor.
In his questionnaire, Porter said his primary goal is “protecting our farmers and ranchers from getting entangled in a tariff war that will hurt our local businesses and laborers due to President Trump’s risky strategies involving NAFTA and other countries.” During the interview, however, he criticized the trade agreement. He said it has killed Florida’s tomato industry because “we don’t get the advantage thatwe used to have. … NAFTA gives preferences to offshore products.”
Unlike his opponents, Porter urges caution in pushing for the legalization of recreational marijuana for people aged 21and older. “We’ve got to deal with medicalmarijuana and some of those aspects before we start dealing with adult-use. Other states that have recreational, it creates some problems.”
Porter is a salt-of-the-earth candidate who offers thoughtful, measured answers. But his low-key campaign has failed to elevate his profile. It’s hard to have confidence that for Democrats, he could win back a seat on the four-member Florida Cabinet.
Walker, 33, said that hewants to ensure decisions are based on scientific research, particularly those affecting the environment andwater quality. He said that when he worked for the state, he wasn’t allowed to use thewords “climate change.” Pressed for the name of who told him that, he said “my supervisor.” He couldn’t recall the person’s name.
All of the Democratic candidates want more of an emphasis on the department’s consumer protection role. Allwould support changing the clemency process to make it easier for felons to recover their voting rights. Allwant to protect the state’swater supply, address the harmful discharges fromLake Okeechobee and control the algae blooms plaguing parts of the state. And all give current Commissioner Adam Putnam failing marks for his performance on the job.
Fried is an unconventional choice— and not just because she’s a young woman, a plus in this year of#MeToo. She’s also high-energy, focused and solutions-driven. If Democratswant to win, Fried is the ticket.
Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Rosemary O’Hara, Andy Reid and Editor-in-Chief JulieAnderson.