Florida Commissioner Of Agriculture - Agriculture In Florida

The Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the head of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The position is elected by voters statewide and is one of four members in the Florida Cabinet. The eleventh and current commissioner is Adam Putnam, who took office on January 4, 2011.

The commissioner serves a four-year term, and is limited to two consecutive terms. Although the department is largely referred to by agriculture portion of name, the vast majority of FDACS is dedicated to consumer regulation and the protection of goods to market.

History

The Florida Constitution of 1868 created the Commissioner of Immigration, whose job was to encourage farmers to settle in Florida. An 1871 amendment created a Commissioner of Lands and Immigration while eliminating the Surveyor General.

The Commissioner of Lands and Immigration became the Commissioner of Agriculture when the Florida Constitution was revised in 1885. The newly renamed post also included supervision of state prisons until the Division of Corrections was established in 1957.

The Agricultural Services Reorganization Act was passed in 1959 and took effect in 1961. It eliminated a number of independent bureaus and boards while transferring their duties and responsibilities to divisions under the Commissioner of Agriculture. The resulting divisions included Administration, Animal Industry, Chemistry, Dairy Industry, Fruit and Vegetable Inspection, Inspection and Standards, Marketing, and Plant Industry.

The Office of Consumer Services was established by the legislature in 1967 under the purview of the Commissioner of Agriculture. Two years later, it was renamed the Division of Consumer Services under the Executive Reorganization Act of 1969. The department officially became the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the 1927 Board of Forestry moved to the FDACS as the Division of Forestry. The FDACS was reorganized again in 1992 along 13 functional divisions.

Below is a list of past officeholders: