A.G. Gancarski
Going into November, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam had all the momentum he could want in his bid for the 2018 GOP nod for Governor.
Putnam is riding high in all polls against potential primary rivals, and — with over $19 million banked as September ended — he had more resources than the rest of the presumptive GOP field combined (to say nothing of the field of under-capitalized Democrats).
Running for office since April, his campaign shook off early organizational stumbles. And when he addressed Tallahassee media at “AP Day” on Thursday morning, he did so with the momentum — and the stump speech — of a presumptive nominee.
He balanced that with the responsibilities of a Cabinet officer tasked with handling the aftermath of Hurricane Irma’s devastation to Florida’s agriculture industry.
And he took questions at the end of his prepared remarks on both.
____
“I’m talking about hurricanes and wildfires and child nutrition — it’s hard to compete with sex, but I’ll do my best to keep it interesting,” Putnam quipped in his opener, referring to the previous session with Senate President Joe Negron dealing with a lot of questions about the Senate’s sexual harassment policy.
Putnam went on to discuss the hurricane, noting that Florida’s produce crop will be reduced this Holiday season, and expressing hope that federal assistance would be provided.
Another issue Florida dealt with this year: wildfires across the state, with Putnam describing the paradox of seeing charred forest land immersed by Irma’s floods, and warning that heavy rain this fall could lead to a replication of those conditions this spring.
To that end, Putnam is going to ask for a “significant number” for capital equipment for wildfire prevention, including dozers.
In better news, Putnam noted that school lunch participation has gone up during his tenure.
“These are outside the norms,” Putnam said about what people expected from a commissioner of agriculture.
However, “Florida’s most important crop is our children.”
Putnam also noted a commitment to conservation easements, with an ask for $75 million for the Rural and Family Land Program.
Overall, Putnam noted that during his tenure, Florida’s economy has turned around, with unemployment below the traditional “full employment” number of 6 percent, and the biggest complain being infrastructure not keeping up with growth.
____
Eleven minutes in, Putnam dispensed with the overview of his tenure as commissioner, pivoting to stump speech oratory about Florida as a “launch pad for the American dream.”
Career and technical education, Putnam said, needs to be brought into Florida schools to that end.
Putnam then launched into a stump speech riff extolling men and women in “bucket trucks” and people removing debris “without tearing up your water line.”
“Those are all good-paying jobs,” Putnam said.
Workforce development: a key priority of Putnam’s, specifically regarding giving community colleges a bigger piece of the pie.
“We need to reverse that talent flow” out of Florida, Putnam said, and “become a magnet … diversifying our economy: manufacturing, logistics, and trades.”
The payoff could be “generational in nature,” if “generational challenges” like preparing young people to compete in the global economy are met.
“Those future nurses,” Putnam said, “are going to come from a community college … 31 maybe 32 … balancing not just one job but several jobs … and they need an education that is local and affordable.”
“By putting Florida first,” Putnam said as he has for months on the stump, “we’ll be the launch pad for the American dream.”
____
The stump speech wrapped, Putnam took questions — and one of them was existential regarding his current role.
Putnam was asked about the necessity of the role of the agriculture commissioner, calling it an important role — even in light of aspersions cast by one questioner as to whether the role was necessary.
“When you look at what we’ve done in the department collectively,’ Putnam said regarding child nutrition, water policy, and conservation, there is a “strength of having an elected leader on the Cabinet who recognizes these challenges.”
Putnam added that the lack of an agriculture commissioner could potentially be fatal for the sector.
Another question had to do with campaigning — specifically, raising big money from special interests.
Advertising is “extraordinarily expensive,” Putnam said, “given the number of media markets in the state” and the multiple platforms on which one must advertise.
Putnam, as any sentient candidate would, went on to emphasize the importance of grassroots.
“But grassroots isn’t free,” Putnam added. “Running statewide in Florida has to be done on more than car washes and bake sales.”
