Photograph
of Sen. Argenziano
Photograph
of Rep. Pickens
Photograph
of Rep. Evers
Florida Farm Bureau honors four “Legislators
of the Year”
(ORLANDO, Fla.) - Florida Farm Bureau Federation,
the state’s largest general-interest agricultural organization,
has honored Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, Sen. J.D.
Alexander, R-Winter Haven, Rep. Joe Pickens, R-Palatka and Rep.
Greg Evers, R-Baker, as “Legislators of the Year”
for outstanding work on behalf of Florida agriculture during
the 2004 session of the Florida legislature. The awards were
announced at the organization’s annual meeting Oct. 27-29
at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort.
“Florida Farm Bureau’s legislative
team made great progress on behalf of the state’s agricultural
community during the 2004 legislative session,” said Ben
Parks, FFBF director of legislative affairs. “These four
individuals understand the important contributions agriculture
makes to the economy of the state and the well-being of its
citizens. We are proud to recognize their accomplishments.”
Sen. Argenziano served in the House of Representatives
for six years before moving to the Senate following the 2002
elections. She was appointed chair of the Senate Agriculture
Committee. “She has proven to be a stalwart champion of
agriculture, defending our industry against severe budget cuts
within the Department of Agriculture and sponsoring Senate Bill
1712, the Ag Economic Development Act – our top legislative
priority,” said Parks. Although it was passed by overwhelming
majorities in both the House and Senate, the governor vetoed
the Act.
Sen. Alexander is a citrus grower and a past president
and current board member of the Polk County Farm Bureau. He
served in the Florida House of Representatives for four years
before being elected to the Senate in 2002. “J.D. is a
long-time champion of agriculture and has worked with the Farm
Bureau and other agricultural organizations on many issues including
sponsoring the Beef Market Development Act, a migrant farmworker
bill, a farm equipment dealers bill, and legislation regarding
eradication of citrus canker,” said Parks. Rep. Alexander
serves on many committees relevant to agriculure, including
Agriculture and Transportation; he also serves as chair of the
Joint Committee on Everglades Oversight.
Rep. Pickens is the first Republican ever elected
to represent Putnam County in the House. He began his tenure
in 2000 and was subsequently re-elected in 2002. During this
legislative session, Rep. Pickens sponsored the House version
of the Ag Economic Development Act, steering it through the
committee system and onto the floor for an overwhelmingly positive
vote in favor of the bill. He chaired the House’s Select
Committee on Constitutional Amendments and the House’s
Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Water Resources,
where he was a leading force in both protecting and promoting
the needs of Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers.
Parks affirmed this stating, “Joe’s work in the
House was invaluable to the ag industry on three major fronts
this year.”
Rep. Evers has been active in Farm Bureau and
has served as president of the Okaloosa County Farm Bureau.
His farming operations include strawberries, peanuts, cotton
and a variety of vegetables. He was first elected to represent
parts of Okaloosa, Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties in the state
House in a special election in October of 2001. He has been
a champion for both agriculture and business. “Greg’s
contributions to Farm Bureau’s legislative endeavors have
been many. He has been instrumental in working behind the scenes
in the appropriations process to protect both IFAS and the Department
of Ag’s budgets,” Parks said.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation congratulates
these four outstanding legislative leaders for their agricultural
advocacy during the 2004 legislative session.
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state's
largest general-interest agricultural association with more
than 152,000 member-families statewide. There are Farm Bureaus
in 65 counties in Florida, where agriculture comprises a stable,
vital leg of Florida's economy, rivaling the tourism industry
in economic importance. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation
is an independent, non-profit agricultural organization and
is not associated with any arm of the government. More information
is available on the organization’s website, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.
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Florida
Farm Bureau Federation
