Attorney General and Commissioner of Agriculture Breakdown

Jessica May and Carly Kramer

Attorney General

The Attorney General is the leader of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. They are responsible for citizen protection, prosecution, development of legal opinion and being a representative in statewide cases of litigation. The annual salary is $128,872 according to runforoffice.org.

Ashley Moody (R)

Moody is a graduate of Stetson University, where she earned a law degree, as well as the University of Florida, where she studied accounting and earned her Juris Doctorate.

Moody was a judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida before resigning to run for the Florida Attorney General. Prior to being a judge for the Thirteenth Circuit, Moody served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida. Her experience also includes work as an associate for a law firm, an assistant to the president of the American Bar Association and an adjunct professor for Stetson University College of Law.

Sean Shaw (D)

Shaw mainly wants to challenge the status quo of what past attorney generals have done. He says he wants to work with law enforcement more closely to increase security in schools and communities. Shaw also pledges to focus on preventing human trafficking and online predators. According to his website, Shaw would fight against opioids and find prevention treatments.

 

Commissioner of Agriculture

The Commissioner of Agriculture oversees the agricultural industry and consumer service organizations. They also manage 13 agricultural regulation divisions. According to runforoffice.org, the annual salary for the position is $128,972.

Term: Four years

Matt Caldwell (R)

Caldwell is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives and was first elected in 2010. Caldwell has served in the East County Water Control District and as a member of the South Florida Water Management District’s Lake Okeechobee Subcommittee.

Caldwell graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a B.A. in history. Caldwell’s platform highlights job growth, preserving Second Amendment Rights, supporting pro-life ideals, ensuring farmers’ success, preserving water and the environment, and withdrawing from NAFTA.

Nicole “Nikki” Fried (D)

Fried vows to legalize medical marijuana in Florida. According to her website, 72 percent of Floridians voted to approve the legalization, but Governor Rick Scott has not enacted this change. Fried also wants to work to prevent Citrus Greening, which causes decreased crops and death of infected trees. She says she’ll do this by working with farmers and University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to solve the problem. She also wants to work to ensure that school lunches are fresh and nutritious. Fried also says she’ll work with local government to prepare Florida to combat effects of climate change and sea-level rise.

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