Wilton Simpson

The proposal to add golf courses and pickleball courts to Florida state parks drew harsh response from Republican lawmakers and subscribers to WUSF's Wake Up Call morning newsletter.

Wilton Simpson told a Tallahassee business group, "Imagine one week of no food in the grocery stores ... You’d have total chaos in this country."

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is seeking $300 million for a program designed to keep swaths of rural land from commercial and residential development, triple the amount vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this year.

The vetoes included $100 million for Conservation And Rural Land Protection easements. "Agriculture was harmed today," Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said he’s heard reports workers failing to show up at construction sites, but said he hasn’t seen such actions.

State Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan spoke during a news conference in Hillsborough County about what has already proven to be a busy fire season.

The 2022-23 state budget held $300 million in conservation money in reserve until Jan. 1. Simpson expects a big part of the money will go through the state’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

A crowd of supporters fanned out in front of the Old Capitol as Gov. Ron DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, CFO Jimmy Patronis and new Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson took their oaths.

Outgoing Senate President Wilton Simpson was elected agriculture commissioner while Attorney General Ashley Moody and CFO Jimmy Patronis won second terms.

While Democrats have had a decades-long advantage in voter registration numbers and Florida has been considered a swing state in presidential elections, those days appear gone.

Sen. Lori Berman, D-Delray Beach, said her colleagues need to quickly review the suspension but added that she hopes they don't “rubber-stamp anything.”

HB 461 allows 100 hours of paid work experience to replace community service hours required for Bright Futures.