BARTOW – A divided Florida Citrus Commission search committee voted to recommend Publix executive Douglas Ackerman to become the next executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus.
The search committee voted 4-2 to make the recommendation to the nine-member Citrus Commission, which will meet Wednesday. All six committee members are also citrus commissioners, and Ackerman will need five votes to win the job.
Commissioners Mike Garavaglia Jr., a Fort Pierce packinghouse executive, and Michael Haycock, an executive with Tropicana Products Inc., the state's largest orange juice processor, voted against hiring Ackerman because of his inexperience. Both said they would like to restart the three-month search process.
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