ORLANDO, Fla. – Nikki Fried is leaving the Florida commissioner of agriculture seat to run for governor. Three Democrats are vying to replace her in the Aug. 23 primary.
The commissioner of agriculture is about more than farms. As the head of the Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the commissioner oversees a department as varied as citrus crops, medical marijuana, school lunch programs, price gouging complaints, gas pump inspection, firearm licenses and theme park ride inspection.
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Fried was also the only statewide-elected Democrat in the Florida Cabinet, so if the Democrats do not gain any statewide seats (i.e. senate, governor, any Florida cabinet seats), it will be a big setback for the party.
Running to be the Democratic nominee for agriculture commissioner are Naomi Blemur, JR Galliot and Ryan Morales.
Because Florida is a closed-primary state, only Democrats can vote in this primary. There will also be a primary for Republicans, and you can see those candidates HERE. Learn more about what that means for the rest of the election on Aug. 23 HERE.
The winner in this primary will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election, which is open to all voters.
Let’s meet the three Democratic candidates for commissioner of agriculture.
Votes
%
Naomi Esther Blemur(D)
J. R. Gaillot(D)
Ryan Morales(D)
(0 / 106)
Naomi Blemur
Naomi Blemur is a Miami native with a background in finance and a small business owner. She’s served on several local boards in the Miami area and has been active in local Democratic Party politics.
Blemur says she wants to be an advocate for small farmers, describing herself as the granddaughter of female farmers back in Haiti, where her family is from. She wants to use her background in finance to connect more small farmers to resources.
She also wants to expand community garden programs in Florida counties by introducing dedicated land zones.
She wants to continue to expanding industrial hemp in Florida, and decriminalize cannabis (which she cannot do as agriculture commissioner).
Blemur also promises to tightly manage Florida’s weapons license system.
JR Gaillot
Jr Gaillot is also a Haitian American who has worked with large companies as a legislative director and advisor. He has run for Congress before, becoming the first Haitian American to do so in 2012.
Gaillot’s focus is on protecting small and medium farms, going after price gougers and other unethical businesses. He wants to expand the cannabis industry and make it more equitable for minorities who have sued because they say they’ve been shut out of medical marijuana licensing. Gaillot also wants to stop the sugar cane burn in South Florida, increase citrus production, and do more to regulate the environment.
Ryan Morales
Ryan Morales is a cannabis activist and hemp farmer in Clermont who previously ran a wire fraud prevention company.
Morales says marijuana and the environment are on the ballot this fall, and they are his two biggest issues.
He also wants to see an expansion of harvesting biowaste for fuel, allowing more residents to turn their lawns into gardens, getting more incentives to small farmers, supporting medicinal psychedelics, and implementing better agriculture techniques to runoff and help the environment.
He also wants to focus more on protecting consumers from scammers.
Votes
%
Naomi Esther Blemur(D)
J. R. Gaillot(D)
Ryan Morales(D)
(0 / 106)