Florida Farm Bureau honors three state legislators

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Rod Hemphill, director, Public Relations 352-374-1545
Kathy Richardson, manager, Public Relations Programs, 352-374-1533

(Gainesville, Fla.) – The Florida Farm Bureau Federation recognized Sen. Mike Haridopolos and Reps. Denise Grimsley and Baxter Troutman as Legislators of the Year for 2007 for their leadership, vision and support of Florida’s agriculture industry. The awards were presented at the Federation’s 2007 annual meeting Oct. 10-12 at the Daytona Beach Hilton.

“As the state’s general agricultural organization, we are pleased to recognize these legislators for their efforts to support the state’s second-largest industry,” said John L. Hoblick, Florida Farm Bureau president.

Sen. Haridopolos represents Senate District 26, which includes parts of Brevard, Indian River, Osceola and St. Lucie counties. He has been featured in Florida Trend magazine as one “…who could shape Florida politics.” The Hotline recently named him one of six rising stars among Republican state legislators. He chairs the Senate Committee on Finance and Tax and is Majority Whip. In the 2007 session of the Florida Legislature he sponsored legislation that will encourage agritourism activities on farms and ranches.

Rep. Grimsley represents House District 77, which includes Hendry, Glades and parts of Collier and Highlands counties. In only her second term in office, she chaired the House Agribusiness Committee. She is also a member of the influential Environment and Natural Resources Council as well the Healthcare Council. “Widely respected for her integrity, she has become an excellent advocate for the agricultural industry, championing both our substantive and our fiscal issues. With her experience in citrus and her strong ties to the agriculture industry as a whole, Denise understands the needs and challenges facing Florida’s farmers and ranchers today,” said Ben Parks, Florida Farm Bureau’s director of state legislative affairs.

Rep. Troutman represents House District 66, which includes parts of Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties. He currently serves as vice chair of both the Environment and Natural Resources Council and the Environmental Protection Committee. In 2007, Baxter was instrumental in the fight to remove the sales tax from all electricity used on farms and authored a bill to protect agriculturalists from trespassers.

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general-interest agricultural association with about 140,000 member-families statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, nonprofit agricultural organization. More information about Florida Farm Bureau is available on the organization’s website, FloridaFarmBureau.org.