Commissioner Nikki Fried Inaugurated as 12th Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Commissioner lays out a fresh agenda that will keep Florida growing

Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried was inaugurated as Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As Commissioner, she will oversee a $1.8 billion department with nearly 4,000 employees, a $137 billion economic impact, and widespread responsibility for Florida’s food production and safety, consumer protection and licensing, and our state’s waters, forests, energy, and more.

“The responsibilities of our department are vast, and the opportunities are great. Today is day one, the day we’ve been working towards — and we’re ready to work on behalf of the people of the great state of Florida,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Our state faces significant challenges, but together, we will rise to the occasion and work to build a Florida that is better for everyone. In a changing economy and environment, we will build a forward-thinking and resilient state, ready to take on the challenges of the future. I’m honored to serve as your next Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.”

Commissioner Fried, the first woman elected to the Cabinet position, and an advocate for children, schools, and medical marijuana, takes office with a bold agenda. Her vision is centered on priorities that include:

• Cleaner Waters: Combating the red tide and blue-green toxic algae choking our waterways and threatening our economy demands our full effort and attention. Commissioner Fried will seek to create a stronger partnership with Florida’s agriculture community and bring all stakeholders to the table to find and implement real solutions to this crisis, and will work towards stronger adoption of best management practices that reduce pollution into our water sources.
• Accountability on Weapons Licensing: Adequately screening applicants for concealed weapons permits is an extraordinary responsibility, and one that prior failures have shown belongs under the purview of law enforcement professionals. Commissioner Fried will ensure that thorough, complete background checks are completed for all concealed weapons permits, because the safety of every Floridian is at stake.
• Expanding Patient Access to Medical Marijuana: The people of Florida spoke clearly when they voted for access to medical marijuana. Commissioner Fried will do everything in her power to ensure that Florida’s patients have access to this medicine in the forms that doctors deem best — not politicians.
• Consumer Services: Florida should never be known as the top state for fraud. Commissioner Fried will make consumer services a top priority of the Department, building stronger relationships with law enforcement, local governments, and other stakeholders to ensure our state’s consumers are protected from those who would do them economic harm.
• Hemp Production: Hemp’s reclassification provides an enormous opportunity for Florida agriculture to drive job growth and revenue in a potential multi-billion-dollar industry. Commissioner Fried will work to harness this potential and make Florida a national leader in hemp.
• Agricultural Innovation: Commissioner Fried will push for innovative technologies and practices that will keep our agriculture community – Florida’s second largest economic driver – competitive and successful.
• Expanded Availability of Healthy Foods: Commissioner Fried will work with our growers to fight food insecurity, ensure quality nutrition in our schools, and take on the challenges that stem from a lack of access to healthy food.
• Renewable Energy and Climate Change: No state in America is more vulnerable to the intensifying effects of climate change. Through the Department’s Office of Energy, Commissioner Fried will push for new, collaborative approaches to increase renewable energy production and mitigate climate change, ensuring Florida does its part to build a sustainable future.

About Commissioner Fried: Nicole “Nikki” Fried, the 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is a lifelong Floridian, attorney, and passionate activist. Fried graduated from the University of Florida, where she received her bachelor’s, master’s, and juris doctorate degrees. While in law school, she served as student body president, the first woman to hold the position in nearly two decades. Before her election, Fried worked as an advocate in Tallahassee, representing at-risk children, the Broward County School Board, and working to expand patient access to medical marijuana. Fried has served in the Alachua County Public Defender’s Office as head of the Felony Division, and worked with law firms as a government consultant, advocating on behalf of clients before the Florida legislature. In private practice in South Florida, she defended homeowners against foreclosure during the 2007-2008 housing crisis. Commissioner Fried was born and raised in South Florida.

Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services