With Florida’s primary elections now behind them, Republican incumbent Wilton Simpson and Democratic nominee Joey Mendoza Atkins are set to face one another in the Nov. 3 general election for agriculture commissioner.
Simpson secured the Republican nomination with 68.9% of the vote, defeating Matt Taylor, who received 31.1%. Atkins captured the Democratic nomination with 60.3% of the vote, defeating Donald Prichard, who received 39.7%, according to official results from the Florida Division of Elections.
Simpson, a fifth-generation Floridian, was elected as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture in 2022. For more than four decades, Simpson has worked in commercial agriculture within his family’s large-scale egg production operation and as a businessman in his family’s commercial environmental abatement company, Simpson Environmental Services, LLC (SES). The agricultural and industrial entrepreneur has also found financial success in certain strategic land investments over his career.
According to his official bio, Simpson is a Pasco County resident, where he resides with his wife, Kathy. The couple has two adult children and two grandchildren.
Before he was elected Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Simpson served from 2012 to 2022 as a member of the Florida Senate and was elected Senate President for the 2020-2022 term. As Florida Senate President, Simpson championed major agricultural and conservation policies, including the Right to Farm Act, the expansion of Florida’s Greenbelt tax-classification laws, and the landmark Florida Wildlife Corridor Act.
A resident of Miami, Atkins is a lifelong Floridian. According to his campaign website, Atkins is running for Florida Agricultural Commissioner to “take on the corruption of multi-millionaire politician Wilton Simpson” and to “protect and preserve Florida’s natural resources, fight for regular Floridians against special interests, and cut costs for Florida families.”
Atkins has previously worked as a sports agent and is a current member of the Florida Bar and a practicing attorney with the Barnes Trial Group law firm.
He obtained a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University, where he majored in political science and minored in criminal justice. He received his Juris Doctor in 2013 from the University of Toledo College of Law and later a Master of Arts in 2018 from the Milano School of Policy, Management and Environment at The New School.
The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected official who leads the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and serves on the four-member Florida Executive Cabinet alongside the Governor, Attorney General, and Chief Financial Officer. While the title may lead one to assume the position is farming-focused, the office actually oversees a wide range of programs that affect everyday Floridians, including food safety inspections, consumer protection, state forests, wildfire response, concealed weapon licensing, and the promotion of Florida's agriculture industry.
As one of Florida’s largest agencies, FDACS oversees multiple divisions and offices, including (but not limited to) the Agricultural Environmental Service, which regulates pesticides, fertilizers, feed, seed, and mosquito programs; the Florida Forest Service, which manages and protects state forest resources and fights wildfires; the Division of Food Safety; the Division of Plant Industry, which is responsible for managing invasive plants and protecting honey bees from pests and disease; and the Division of Consumer Services, which regulates various businesses and handles consumer complaints. Click here for a full list of offices and divisions overseen by FDACS.
The Commissioner's role also includes making decisions on major statewide issues alongside the Governor and the other Cabinet officers.
Simpson has reported raising substantially more in campaign contributions than his Democratic opponent. As of the most recent reporting period, the Republican candidate has raised a total of $1.2 million in monetary contributions and in-kind support. Separately, the Friends of Wilton Simpson political committee, chaired by Simpson, has reported raising more than $22 million in monetary and in-kind contributions since its establishment in 2021—roughly $1.3 million of those funds remain available.
Additional PACs chaired by Simpson—the Florida Green PAC and the Home Grown PAC—have reported combined contributions totaling $11.7 million since both PACs' establishment. Roughly $9.9 million of those funds remain available.
Atkins’ campaign has reported raising $34,475 as of the most recent reporting period, with more than half still available: $20,497.
For more information on candidates, election dates, deadlines, or to register to vote, check your registration, or submit registration updates, visit:
votemanatee.gov.
Campaign finance information is publicly available through the Florida Division of Elections; political committee financial reporting data is also available through the Division of Elections’ online Committee Database Search.
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