Faircracker FALL 2019
What a year it has been in the sunshine state! As you will re- call in October 2018, we were in the sprint towards a Novem- ber election which brought us three new cabinet members;
Governor Ron DeSantis, Commissioner Nikki Fried and Attorney General Ashley Moody. The fourth cabinet member CFO Jimmy Patronis was also elected (yet he had previously been serving in the capacity of CFO as he was appointed by then Governor Rick Scott to complete the term of Jeff Atwater who left his post early). Unrelated to the political changes, the land- scape and lives of many in the Florida Panhandle were changed forever on October 10th, 2018 as Category 5 Hurricane Michael devastated the region. The impact of this storm will take years to fully recover and added to the state’s challenges to rebuild other areas of Flor- ida which were impacted by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Legislatively, it feels as though Tallahassee has been
a year-round grind. Following the election in Novem- ber, three members of the House of Representatives were asked by Gov. DeSantis to serve as agency Sec- retaries. This prompted special elections which ex- tended campaigns through the session and in the summer. Notwithstanding the special elections, the Legislature began committee meetings in September as we move towards the 2020 Session, which will begin in January. Upon completion of the 2020 ses- sion, attention will focus to national and state elec- tions in November 2020. In addition, 2020 marks the decennial census. Data collected from the census will be used, among other things, as the basis for redis- tricting Congressional, State House and State Senate seats. The takeaway: truly, we have reached the point where Tallahassee is a constant grind between com- mittee meetings, session and elections. There is al- ways something that we can be doing. Further under- scoring this point, term limits force the hands of elect- ed officials and candidates to hustle year-round. So, what does this “new normal” mean for you? Alt-
hough this is an overused cliché the words should res- onate “If you aren’t at the table, you are on the menu!” Gone are the days where we can assume many of our elected officials understand agriculture and the connection between youth agricultural events or simply just an understanding of the connection be- tween policies and business. If you only follow the
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headlines on local news and newspapers you might come to this conclusion: agriculture is responsible for our water quality issues, herbicides we use in agricul- ture and landscape setting cause cancer and there are no less than two dozen law firms begging to represent you; we really don’t need animal agriculture because its cruel and is the cause for global warming! Further- more, we have seen a direct disconnect in the Florida Legislature highlighted by the shift away from funding for programs like 4H. Additionally, now more than ev- er, we are wrestling with the consequences from an election. We endeavor to remind folks our issues aren’t Republican or Democrat yet, politics and party can never be truly removed from a political discussion. Suffice it to say, we have found ourselves in the dubi- ous place where it appears to no longer be an educa- tion curve but more an education sinkhole from which we must climb out. Given the divisiveness of politics, it would be easy to throw up your hands and walk away. To the contrary, the cross-roads we find ourselves facing seems to lend itself to digging in, rolling your sleeves up and fighting for the policies and programs important to you. To developing champions and highlight the value in the very things you do! Right now, is the time to be meeting with your elect-
ed officials. Now is when you should be educating on the importance of your events, the impacts to the community, the history and heritage which makes your event unique. Now is also the time to make your plans to attend the Florida Farm Bureau Taste of Flori- da reception which is scheduled for December 10. Let this event not be an inconvenience to attend but, an opportunity to show off and educate with excitement legislators and staff members. Don’t fall into the trap of only talking to those people within your echo cham- ber, be bold and break through on a new trail, dare to find out what can happen when you show up and help frame the discussion. We look forward to seeing you all in Tallahassee lat-
er this year and, as issues arise, we look forward to working through them on your behalf. Thank you again for the opportunity to work with you and please do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of assis- tance.
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