Nikki Fried

Fried ganó la nominación demócrata para comisionada de agricultura de Florida en 2018 , derrotando fácilmente a Jeff Porter, alcalde de Homestead , y a R. David Walker, activista ambiental, a pesar de que sus oponentes en las primarias la criticaron por sus contribuciones de campaña pasadas a los republicanos . ^{[ 10 ] [ 11 ]}

En las elecciones generales, Fried se enfrentó al candidato republicano Matt Caldwell , representante estatal de North Fort Myers . ^{[ 12 ]} Fried se postuló con una plataforma a favor de eliminar los obstáculos al uso de la marihuana medicinal en Florida. ^{[ 13 ]} Se describió a sí misma como "una ferviente defensora de ampliar el acceso a la marihuana medicinal para los floridanos que sufren" ^{[ 14 ]} y pidió que la regulación de la marihuana medicinal quedara bajo la jurisdicción del Departamento de Agricultura y Servicios al Consumidor de Florida en lugar del Departamento de Salud de Florida . ^{[ 15 ]}

Durante la campaña, Fried también se comprometió a "garantizar que se realicen verificaciones de antecedentes completas para los permisos de armas", ^{[ 14 ]} una tarea que recae bajo la jurisdicción del Departamento de Agricultura de Florida. ^{[ 15 ]} Fried respaldó la Enmienda 4 , una iniciativa electoral que restablece el derecho al voto para los delincuentes , excluyendo a los asesinos y a los delincuentes sexuales graves. ^{[ 16 ] [ 17 ]}

El 19 de agosto de 2018, Wells Fargo anunció el cierre de la cuenta bancaria de la campaña de Fried debido a sus vínculos con la marihuana medicinal. ^{[ 18 ]} La campaña de Fried transfirió los $137,000 de la cuenta a una nueva cuenta bancaria en BB&T . ^{[ 19 ]} Sin embargo, el 29 de agosto de 2018, BB&T también anunció el cierre de la cuenta bancaria de la campaña de Fried por los mismos motivos. ^{[ 20 ]}

Fried was endorsed by the Tampa Bay Times,^[16] the Sun Sentinel,^[21] and the Palm Beach Post.^[22] Fried also received the endorsements of the Sierra Club, Equality Florida, Everytown for Gun Safety,^[23] and the Brady Campaign, while Caldwell received the endorsements of business and industry groups, including the Florida Farm Bureau, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and the Associated Industries of Florida.^[24]

Fried defeated Caldwell by an extremely narrow margin. While initial returns on Election Day showed Caldwell in the lead, by the completion of the count, Fried had narrowly taken the lead with a margin of just 0.06% of votes separating the two candidates.^[25] Following both a machine recount and a manual recount, Fried ultimately defeated Caldwell by 6,753 votes (0.08%) out of over eight million votes cast.^[26] Fried became the first Democrat to win the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture position since 1998, as well as becoming the only woman elected to the position. She was also the only Democratic candidate to win a statewide race in Florida in 2018.^[24]

Shortly after entering office in 2019, Fried's office redesigned the Florida Department of Agriculture's certified gas pump stickers, which verify to customers the gas pump is state approved. Previous commissioners had put their own names on the stickers for decades, but Fried was the first to put a color photograph of herself on the sticker. The Republican Party of Florida accused Fried of using taxpayer funds to increase her political exposure, and the Florida Legislature quickly passed a law limiting the taxpayer-funded stickers to only "a combination of lettering, numbering, words, or the department logo". The stickers were quickly replaced with a new design that did not have her photograph.^[27][28]

Fried opposed the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, the free trade agreement that officially replaced the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, on the basis that it contained insufficient protections for Florida farmers.^[29][30]

Fried also crafted legislation with Democratic state representative Javier Fernandez targeting Florida gun laws. The bill, HB 809, would have required retention of fingerprint records, require proof of completion of firearms safety training for a license to be renewed and reduce the term for a concealed-weapons permit from seven to five years. It did not pass the legislature in 2019.^[31]

In August 2019, the Florida Department of Agriculture appointed two registered lobbyists for the Florida Sugar Cane League to consult on the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual Project Delivery Team, which was set to advise the United States Army Corps of Engineers on procedures for lake levels.^[32] Environmentalists called for lake levels to be lowered to prevent harmful discharges and red tides, while the sugar industry advocated for keeping levels high to avoid the threat of low water supply for farmers and municipalities. Republican U.S. representativeBrian Mast, whose district includes part of Lake Okeechobee, sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers seeking the lobbyists' removal, alleging the appointments were an attempt to force sugar industry influence into the process.^[33] Seven Florida environmental groups, including Friends of the Everglades and Everglades Trust, called for the members to be removed and criticized their appointment.^[32] While Fried originally defended the appointments as expert consultants, she later fired their consulting firm and removed them from working on the project.^[34]

In December 2019, Fried abstained from a cabinet vote for the nominee for commissioner of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, Russell Weigel. However, Florida state law states that cabinet officials can not abstain from cabinet votes unless there is a conflict of interest. Fried said she had concerns over the transparency of the nomination and said her interpretation of the law did not mandate her to vote yes or no.^[35]

In 2020, Fried's office requested and was granted federal waivers to provide free meals to students, despite schools being closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[36]

Later in 2020, Fried partly delivered the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, joining 16 other speakers designated as "rising stars".^[37][38] Fried critiqued President Donald Trump's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and reiterated the Democratic Party's commitment to fighting climate change.^[38][39]

Fried's fiancé, Jake Bergmann, is a prominent marijuana entrepreneur in Florida.^[69] Her relationship with him has been criticized as a conflict of interest, as Bergmann's business often results in dealings with the Florida Department of Agriculture.^[70][71]

En junio de 2020, Fried y Bergmann tuvieron una discusión verbal en un hotel de Fort Lauderdale a raíz de un accidente automovilístico en el estacionamiento del hotel. Un guardia de seguridad que presenció el incidente afirmó que Bergmann arrojó un bote de basura y empujó a Fried, aunque Fried niega esto último. ^{[ 72 ] [ 73 ]} El Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale escoltó a Bergmann fuera de la propiedad y se presentó un informe policial formal; no se realizó ningún arresto. ^{[ 74 ]} Después del incidente, Fried negó que Bergmann la hubiera agredido físicamente y reemplazó a varios empleados de alto nivel que lo criticaron. ^{[ 75 ] [ 76 ]}