Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, today issued the following statement regarding the Governor’s Re-Open Florida Task Force:
“This is sadly more of the same politics over state from the Governor. I was not asked to serve alongside my fellow Cabinet members on the task force, which has no voice on its membership representing Florida’s $137 billion agriculture industry. That is deeply concerning given the impacts of COVID-19 on Florida’s second largest industry, and given the progress my team has made working with federal, state, local, and retail partners to reduce negative impacts to Florida agriculture. It’s equally concerning that the Governor neglected to mention agriculture on the initial call – I hope he will join my commitment to supporting our farmers and feeding our families.”
