Mutual Representatives Meet With Legislators
On March 27, Florida Citrus Mutual President Jay Clark and Executive Vice President/CEO Michael W. Sparks joined the Florida Citrus Commission in Tallahassee for a series of meetings. The Florida Department of Citrus had previously arranged a meeting with the Governor’s office, and Florida Citrus Mutual leveraged its current relationship with key legislators to set up additional meetings with Senator J.D. Alexander, House representatives Marty Bowen and Baxter Troutman, Senate President Ken Pruitt, Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, as well as a lengthy meeting with Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson. Each of these legislators are not only friends of agriculture and Florida Citrus Mutual, but also hold key committee appointments.
These meetings focused on the need to secure state funds in support of citrus greening research. There was also discussion of other industry needs, but not to the detriment of losing greening research dollars. The following is a brief update of state legislative activities:
The General Agriculture bill (SB1372/HB651) has passed the Senate and is waiting for House action. This is the earliest this bill has passed in several years and increases the likelihood of final passage. It provides for biennial rather than annual pesticide registration renewals, effective January 1, 2009. It authorizes the Department of Agriculture to conduct research projects on citrus diseases recommended by the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council, within the limits of appropriations made specifically
for such purpose.
Changes to Greenbelt have thus been held in check with minimal movement in both the House and the Senate.
Rep. Poppell (R, Vero Beach) has been working with DEP and DACS to propose language allowing the Australian Pine to be used by Florida Citrus Growers as a windbreak. Rep. Poppell visited South America with the Australian Pine has been used with great success helping to slow the spread of citrus canker.
The respective budgets are prepared to pass both the House and the Senate where differences will be worked out during the appropriations conference over the next three weeks. In a year with over $1 billion in spending reductions, we are very please the budget contains $5 million for Citrus Greening/Canker Research.
(Source: Florida Citrus Mutual)
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