Wilton Simpson Re-Elected as Florida's Agriculture Commissioner
Wilton Simpson secured a second term as Florida’s agriculture commissioner on Tuesday, marking the end of a well-funded campaign backed by numerous businesses and entities he oversees. He defeated Democratic challenger Joey Atkins, a lawyer.
Simpson's campaign focused on his achievements, including:
- Expanding the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, allowing farmers to continue farming while giving up development rights for their land.
- Investing in wildfire prevention.
- Advocating for a statewide ban on lab-grown meat.
- Collaborating with the Trump administration on immigration policies.
- Reducing wait times for concealed weapons licenses.
This year, Simpson raised a substantial $6.1 million, a 50-to-1 advantage over Atkins, with support from prominent Florida businesses and individuals. Major donors included Florida’s sugar producers U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, NextEra Energy (Florida Power & Light’s parent company), and Enrique Tomeu, who sold Simpson's agency a $10 million conservation easement on his ranch.
Atkins, on the other hand, focused his campaign on opposing data centers and tariffs, promising to reform guest worker programs for foreign farmworkers in Florida.
Nicolás Rivero, an environmental accountability reporter at The Florida Trib, based in Miami, has previously covered climate change and the environment for various publications, including the Washington Post, Miami Herald, and Quartz. He has been recognized for his work, having been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting for his coverage of Hurricane Helene in 2024. You can reach him at [EMAIL_REDACTED].
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