David Altmaier Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier has been elected president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame Inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame were:
- Dr. Wayne Smith Dr. Smith taught at his alma mater, the University of Florida, and in his retirement served as interim dean for UF/IFAS Research and the College of Agricultural and Life Science. Smith played a crucial part in developing and implementing the first Best Management Practices for silviculture. His research in fertilization led to practices that increased pine forest productivity by up to 300 percent, and his work in bio-energy earned accolades from the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Reggie Brown His family is well-known in Alachua County for its multigenerational Brown’s Farm and legendary roadside produce stand. After 12 years as a UF/IFAS Extension Service agent and 10 years at the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Brown was named executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange while at the same time leading the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange.
- John Stitt Stitt understood that the agricultural ecosystem in Southwest Florida was vastly different from that in Central Florida and the region around Lake Okeechobee and the need to research in beef cattle pastures, citrus, and sandland sugarcane production. His vision led to the development of the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. He worked to create the South Florida Agricultural Council, and with the cooperation of the legislative delegation, the council secured $2.39 million in funding for construction.
- Bobby McKown McKown spent his career championing and defending Florida agriculture and the Florida citrus industry’s health and well-being. McKown served as executive vice president and CEO of the Florida Citrus Mutual where he led Florida’s citrus industry through a critical period. He was appointed by five presidential administrations to various trade committees, task forces, and advisory positions and participated in developing four different trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement for Tariff and Trade.
Florida Commission on Human Relations Appointed interim executive director was Cheyanne Costilla, the Commission’s general counsel. She replaces former executive director Michelle Wilson, who was let go by the Commission earlier this year.