Herald recommends: Democratic field for ag commissioner is thin; no recommendation in GOP race | Editorial

Republican and Democratic voters will nominate candidates for Florida commissioner of agriculture on Aug. 23.

Incumbent Nikki Fried, a Democrat, is not seeking reelection because she’s running for governor. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees a slew of functions, from agriculture to concealed weapon permits, food safety and consumer complaints.

Only one of the five people running in both parties has the infrastructure to run a statewide campaign: Republican Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, a wealthy egg farmer from Pasco County who’s got the backing of Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis and $2 million raised.

Democratic primary

The Democratic field is disappointing — a sign that the party has all but conceded an important statewide race to the GOP. None of the candidates has amassed an operation large enough to run a statewide campaign.

Ryan Morales is the best choice because of his knowledge and policy proposals and because he’s the only candidate with experience in agriculture. Morales, of Clermont, owns a marketing and business consulting firm and a hemp farm, where he uses precision agriculture, which he explained, uses “robotics drones and sensors.” He told the Editorial Board one of the main issues that the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services must confront is invasive species, such as Brazilian pepper and giant African land snails.

Morales said hemp, a cannabis plant that doesn’t have the hallucinogenic properties that marijuana does, represents the future of agriculture and sustainability in Florida, could replace dying citrus fields and become a source of green energy. He’s also a cannabis activist and plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Fried against the federal government to allow medical marijuana patients to have concealed carry permits.

In 2017, Morales was arrested, accused of battery in Osceola County during an altercation with his wife. The state attorney’s office dropped the charges. Morales told the Editorial Board he was protecting his mother from his wife, who he said suffered from postpartum depression at the time.

Morales faces Naomi Blemur of North Miami and J.R. Gaillot of Jacksonville.

Blemur is the top Democratic fundraiser with $38,000. She operates a small accounting firm and is the granddaughter of an Immokalee farm worker. She wants to give farmers better access to credit and ensure that the hemp licensing process is “equitable.” But when she was off her talking points, Blemur seemed out of her depth during an interview with the Editorial Board.

Some Democrats, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, withdrew their endorsement of Blemur after screenshots appearing to be of her old social media posts containing anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion rhetoric surfaced, Florida Politics reported. One of the screenshots shows a post in which Blemur shared a video of someone who claimed to be an “ex-homosexual.”

Blemur issued a statement Sunday saying she’s pro-choice and an LGBTQIA+ ally and that she’s been “smeared” during her campaign. But she didn’t say the screenshots were fake. She couldn’t be reached for comment.

Gaillot, a political consultant and crisis manager who worked on Andrew Gillum’s gubernatorial campaign, said he would use his authority to address Florida’s affordable-housing crisis. But that’s not necessarily the role of the agriculture commissioner.

The Herald recommends RYAN MORALES in the Democratic primary for commissioner of agriculture.

GOP primary

Wilton Simpson declined to meet with the Herald Editorial Board. His opponent, James Shaw, a worm and compost farmer and former trucking company executive from Vero Beach, lacks elementary knowledge about the issues and solutions for challenges like the decline of the citrus industry. Shaw also believes in conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections. With little name recognition and $51,000 raised, Shaw faces an uphill battle against Simpson.

The Herald will not recommend in the Republican primary.

This story was originally published August 8, 2022 at 6:17 PM.