Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried Archives

Nikki Fried’s Republican Donations Complicate Attacks on Charlie Crist

July 7, 2022July 7, 2022 Steve Stewart

Less than two months out from the Democratic primary for Florida governor, Fried’s attacks on Charlie Crist for his time as a Republican has become complicated due to Fried’s own campaign donations to GOP candidates.

Crist, who served as a Republican governor in Florida from 2007 to 20011, changed parties and won the Democratic nomination for governor in 2014 and lost to then-Gov. Rick Scott. Crist now serves as a Democratic member of Congress.

Fried’s message to Democratic voters has attempted to take advantage of Crist’s past ties to Republican causes.

“They’re tired of recycled politicians especially people that haven’t delivered for Democrats ever,” Fried stated. She also said that Crist needs to be held “accountable” for his past “destructive” record assisting Republicans.

Specifically, Fried has highlighted Crist’s past positions on guns and abortion.

New Poll Shows DeSantis Crushing Competition in Race for Reelection

February 2, 2022February 1, 2022 Peter D'Abrosca

A poll of 500 likely Florida voters that was conducted between January 26 and 29 via live telephone interviews has found that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is leading both his Democrat primary challengers in the 2022 election cycle.

The poll was conducted by Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network.

Florida Department of Health to Accept Applications from African American Farmers for Medical Marijuana Licenses

December 12, 2021December 11, 2021 Casey Owens

Almost six months after the Florida Supreme Court upheld a law that designated a single medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) license for an African American farmer with business ties in the state, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) issued rules for the licensing process on Thursday.

Eligible applicants for $50 million MMTC license are African American farmers who were litigants in the Pigford vs. Glickman lawsuit from 1999 that successfully ruled the U.S. Department of Agriculture of discriminating against African American farmers when allocating farm loans and other financial assistance from 1981-1996.

Florida Department of Education Begins Website Review Based on Florida Capital Star Report

December 12, 2021December 11, 2021 Steve Stewart

Based on a report by the Florida Capital Star, the Florida Department of Education (DOE) has initiated a review of all links on the FDOE website “to make sure information is relevant, current, and appropriate.”

A report by the Florida Capital Star found that there were external links on the FDOE webpage related to bullying that redirected users to left-wing advocacy groups promoting controversial gender policies. After the report, FDOE officials took down the webpage.

Agriculture Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried criticized the DeSantis administration for FDOE taking down the webpage. Fried said the move was dangerous for students.

Tampa General Hospital CEO Highly Critical of Biden’s Monoclonal Rations

September 22, 2021September 21, 2021 Grant Holcomb

The CEO of Tampa General Hospital has gone on the offensive, criticizing the President Joe Biden administration’s decision to ration monoclonal antibody treatments to states like Florida. The Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) announced they will be handling the nationwide distribution of the treatments, earning much criticism from Florida officials who have been implementing the treatment for months.

Republican Candidates Lead Democratic Candidates in 2022 Campaign Funding

September 14, 2021September 13, 2021 Casey Owens

Governor DeSantis and other Republican leaders currently lead their Democratic counterparts in campaign funding by what gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) said was an “ungodly” amount.

August finance reports for the state candidates and political committees who are fundraising for the 2022 elections were filed on Friday to the Florida Division of Elections (FDE) part of the Florida Department of State (FDS).

Nikki Fried Falsely Claims FDOH Not Reporting COVID Deaths by Age Group

August 10, 2021August 9, 2021 Grant Holcomb

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried falsely claimed on Twitter on Sunday the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) is no longer reporting COVID deaths by age group.

Fried Suspends Weapons Permits of Florida January 6 Protestors

July 30, 2021July 29, 2021 Grant Holcomb

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried suspended 22 concealed weapons permits for Floridians involved at the January 6 U.S. Capitol breach. The names of the permit holders were not revealed, which is in accordance with the law, but Fried offered a statement calling the January 6 incidents “treason” and “domestic terrorism.”

Nikki Fried Encourages DeSantis to Form Task Force Following Surfside Tragedy

July 26, 2021July 25, 2021 Casey Owens

In response to the Surfside condo collapse, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried held a press conference Friday to encourage the Legislature to update regulations for condominiums and establish a task force to examine said regulations to prevent future tragedies.

Fried also announced the steps being taken to address consumer and homeowner complaints through Florida’s Division of Consumer Services (FDCS), as well as their dedication to weed out fraudulent charities in relation to the condo collapse.

U.S. Rep. Al Lawson Jr. Endorses Charlie Crist for Florida Governor in 2022

July 24, 2021July 23, 2021 Casey Owens

U.S. Representative for Florida’s 5th Congressional District, Al Lawson Jr., announced his endorsement of 2022 Gubernatorial candidate and current U.S. Representative, Charlie Crist on Thursday.

Lawson, a Democrat, was re-elected to his third term in 2020 and has represented the 5th Congressional District in North Florida since 2017. Before Congress, Lawson represented North Florida for 28 years in the state legislature.

Nikki Fried Misses Deadline for 2020 Financial Disclosure

July 9, 2021July 8, 2021 Casey Owens

Florida’s Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried has failed to publicly disclose her 2020 financial interests to the Florida Commission on Ethics (FCOE) by last week’s July 1st deadline.

Disclosure of financial interest is required by all constitutional officers as well as candidates for constitutional offices, and is submitted through what is known as Form 6.

Nikki Fried Announces $813,000 in Campaign Funds Raised in June

July 7, 2021July 6, 2021 Casey Owens

Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Florida’s current Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried released the amount of funds she was able to raise in the first month of her campaign.

Compared to other candidates like fellow Democrat Charlie Crist, and current Governor Ron DeSantis, Fried significantly trails both in total cash on hand towards campaigning.