I may have thought I was going to cruise into Marco on autopilot, but these last few weeks have been as busy as ever. From Washington DC, to Wauchula, FCA Leadership has been fully engaged at the State and Federal level of policy making.
On our trip to DC, to attend the NCBA Legislative Conference, we met with many of our Representatives in the House and the Senate. We were also very fortunate to have a sit-down visit with the House Agricultural Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson at a NCBA Function.
Let’s just say that we were pleasantly surprised with the engagement and conversations that we had with Florida’s representation and Chairman Thompson, though, many of them don’t anticipate much movement of agricultural policy until after the next election.
In contrast, the political climate in Florida is much more advantageous to our legislative agenda.
We’ve continued to strengthen our relationship with Governor DeSantis and enjoy the strong leadership and friendship of Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
So, what happened in Wauchula, that has to do with Tallahassee?
Well….to kick off BEEF Month, Governor DeSantis signed SB 1084 into law. President-Elect Dale Carlton, a Hardee County native, and I were very honored to be asked to speak at the bill signing along with Commissioner Simpson and Senator Jay Collins. Check out the QR Code below to view the press conference in its entirety.
Things like this don’t happen without a diligent staff and a focused effort on political engagement. The relationships we have built, and strengthened in Tallahassee certainly did not just start yesterday. With an ever-evolving political environment, it’s never been more important for us to have a strong PAC and a focused legislative agenda.
As I prepare to hand the reins over to my good friend, Dale Carlton, I have never been more confident in our Association’s leadership and their ability to take us to new heights.
It has been my honor and privilege to represent the hardest working and best people in the State of Florida. I assure you that I will not be hanging up my spurs. I’ve still got plenty of fight left in me and look forward to assisting the future leaders of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association in any way possible. Cow people are the best people and y’all certainly are the best of them.
God Bless.
And as always,
Pat Durden
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