Baxter Troutman
Republican
Submitted by the candidate
Baxter Troutman is a family farmer and rancher with a lifetime of experience working in citrus and cattle. For two decades, Troutman has been the CEO of Labor Solutions, a personnel services company with five locations in Central Florida. Since opening their doors in 1997, Labor Solutions has helped place over 52,000 Floridians in jobs throughout the Sunshine State.
Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch is his beef cattle operation, which is located in Highlands County. He served as the first president of the Florida AgriTourism Association Board of Directors and was a former board member of Farm Credit of Florida, Alico and Polk County Farm Bureau. Troutman is also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
In addition to his success in agriculture and as a job creator, Troutman has been a community leader and citizen servant. From 2002 to 2010 he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, serving House District 66 with a record as a common-sense conservative. While a state representative, Troutman was vice chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, Environment & Natural Resources Council and chaired the General Government Council. Troutman also helped form the Florida Legislature’s Sportsmen Caucus, a group of representatives and senators dedicated to maintaining and promoting second amendment rights.
Troutman is married to Becky Troutman, a former teacher with a graduate degree in school psychology. She works in her community to make local education better, especially for children from low-income areas. They are proud parents raising their daughter Holly-Kate, who has just started the third grade.
For more information on Troutman, visit https://baxtertroutman.com/.
Denise Grimsley
Republican
From https://denisegrimsley.com/
Growing up in Wauchula, Florida, Denise Grimsley’s family has deep roots going back generations in Florida agriculture as cattle ranchers and citrus growers. Grimsley is a member of the Peace River Valley and Highlands County Citrus Grower’s Associations, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and the Florida Farm Bureau.
She received her degrees from Polk Community College and Warner Southern College, and earned an MBA from the University of Miami.
Grimsley has spent most of her career serving those in need as a registered nurse. But when her father became ill, she left nursing to run her family’s small business and experienced the frustrations of government red tape and bureaucracy firsthand. Those frustrations and her commitment to serving others is what led her to run for office in the Florida House and Senate.
In the Legislature, Grimsley has been an advocate for Florida agriculture. She currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and is the recipient of the 2017 Florida Farm Bureau Legislator of the Year award.
Today, Grimsley serves as a hospital administrator, focusing on patient care, customer satisfaction and fiscal responsibility. And she still works her family’s citrus and cattle operations.
Family and faith are central to Grimsley’s life. She is proud and grateful for her parents, who have been married more than 60 years, her daughter Nicole, and her grandchildren Tyson and Jillian.
As Commissioner of Agriculture, Grimsley said she will bring her conservative Heartland values and commitment to serving others to Tallahassee to fight for farmers, protect consumers and seniors and defend Second Amendment rights. She said her mission will be to run a Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that puts people first, responsibly uses tax dollars and meets the needs of Florida farmers.
For more information on Grimsley, visit https://denisegrimsley.com/.
Jeff Porter
Democrat
Submitted by the candidate
Jeff Porter was born in the City of Homestead, Florida, and moved to Mississippi after the death of his father. He returned to Homestead, where he attended Miami Dade College. He and his wife Cindy have been married for over 21 years. Twelve years ago, Porter founded World Wide Supply Solutions, which is a small business located in Homestead. The native Floridian is 58 years old.
Porter was elected in 2017 to his third term as Homestead’s mayor. He had previously been elected vice-mayor and served on the City Council for 10 years in Miami-Dade County’s fifth largest city.
As the mayor of Homestead, Porter represents one of the leading agricultural cities in Miami-Dade County, which is second only to Palm Beach County in agricultural products sold in Florida.
Porter has worked with both farm laborers and growers during many tough times including floods, hurricanes, frost warnings and fruit fly infestation. Porter currently serves on many boards including Florida’s Municipal Electric Association, The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County League of Cities and the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization.
Throughout Porter’s reelection campaign, he ran on a "promises made - promises kept" platform. As mayor, he has never raised taxes, yet oversaw a revitalization of his city that many have praised for being one of the most “family friendly” cities to live in Florida. Property values have gone up and the crime rate has gone down under the leadership of Porter.
For more information on Porter, visit https://porter4florida.com/.
Matt Caldwell
Republican
Matt Caldwell is a seventh-generation Florida native whose family has a long history of being farmers, small business owners, ministers and doctors.
He was born in Gainesville but grew up in Lee County where he eventually met his wife, Yvonne. They live in North Fort Myers, where Yvonne serves as a teacher and they raise their daughter, Ava.
After attending local schools in Lee County, Caldwell received his associate degree from Edison College and his Bachelor of Arts in history from Florida Gulf Coast University. He then began his career as a real estate appraiser with Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons in Fort Myers. He has attained the highest state certification in his field and is qualified as an expert witness in multiple states and federal court.
Caldwell’s desire to serve his community took him to Tallahassee when he was first elected to the Florida House in 2010. He has served on several committees during his tenure, including transportation, tax policy, redistricting, insurance, banking and local government and federal government affairs. He has chaired subcommittees and committees related to agriculture and natural resources. He currently chairs the Government Accountability Committee, which oversees subcommittees regarding natural resources and public lands, transportation and infrastructure, local, federal and military issues, and oversight of government operations, such as pensions & elections.
For more information on Caldwell, visit http://votecaldwell.org/.
Mike McCalister
Republican
From https://mikemccalister.com/
Col. Mike McCalister served honorably in the Army Reserves, Army National Guard and on active duty for a total of 33 years. He retired in 2005. He is a licensed and degreed agriculture professional and owner-operator of a small tree farm.
McCalister was a university instructor in accredited MBA and DBA programs, teaching working professionals about today’s global economy in areas of operations management, strategy & policy, entrepreneurship and strategic thinking.
He was the custodial parent of a son from the age of 4 through college; both McCalister and his son are Eagle Scouts and earned the God & Country Award. Additionally, McCalister is a recipient of the Valley Forge Cross for Heroism.
McCalister’s education includes a Bachelor of Science in science with a major in agriculture and a minor in earth science from Southeast Missouri State University and a Ph.D. in management from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a graduate of The Command and General Staff College, and completed both the U.S. Army War College Defense Strategy and the The Air War College Curriculums. Additionally, he has completed the Harvard University Program on Senior Executive Leadership.
For more information on McCalister, visit https://mikemccalister.com/.
Nicole ‘Nikki’ Fried
Democrat
Submitted by the candidate
Nicole “Nikki” Fried was born and raised in South Florida and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a law degree. At UF, she served as student body president, the first woman to hold the position in nearly two decades prior.
Fried worked for the Alachua County Public Defender’s office after law school, where she was the head of the Felony Division. In private practice, Fried defended homeowners against foreclosure during the 2007-2008 housing crisis, fighting big banks to keep families from evictions.
As an advocate, Fried has fought for access to medical marijuana, Broward County Public Schools and funding for foster children with special needs.
Fried lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
For more information on Fried, visit https://nikkifried.com/.
Roy David Walker
Democrat
From http://walkerforflorida.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/WalkerForFlorida/
Roy David Walker is a fifth-generation Floridian. He was born in Plant City, Florida to two public servants: His father was a firefighter and his mother was a schoolteacher.
Walker’s interests led him to obtain a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a master’s degree in environmental policy and management from American Public University, graduating with honors. He had done research with United States Geological Survey, National Park Service and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, among others. Walker researched and explored the impact of climate change and invasive species in the Everglades, and has advocated for air, land and water conversation.
Walker is president of the South Florida Audubon Society, sits on the Everglades Regional Conservation Committee and is vice president of the Broward Chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus. He is also involved with a wide range of professional associations.
Walker believes in protecting the state’s natural resources and growing Florida. He said he is driven to run for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services due to what he described as “disturbing policies” that are detrimental to the environment, pollute water, discourage renewable energy and accelerate climate change to benefit big businesses and the fossil fuel industry.
Walker said he knows that Florida’s economy depends on the strength of the environment, and as Commissioner of Agriculture, he said he will ensure that the state bolsters its commitment to conserve natural resources, public land, clean water, high food and nutrient standards, and grow agriculture and aquaculture industries. He said he will work to encourage clean, renewable energy sources, protect consumers and grow local businesses and the economy.
For more information on Walker, visit http://walkerforflorida.com/.
