MAITLAND, Fla. – The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association presented its Legislator of the Year awards to Florida Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Tom Goodson.
Stargel (R-Lakeland) sponsored the agriculture industry’s sales tax exemption bill (SB 398) and the agritourism bill (SB 594). Goodson (R-Titusville) is the chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee.
“Sen. Stargel became a champion for our industry during the legislative session even though she doesn’t come from an agricultural background,” said FFVA Government Relations Director Butch Calhoun. “She fought hard for agriculture and was successful in passing the proposed sales tax exemption bill, which will save our industry more than $13 million a year.
“Even though Rep. Goodson didn’t sponsor any of our priority bills, he made sure that our issues were heard in his committee,” Calhoun added. “He put the bills we supported on the agenda early in the session so they could move in a timely way through the process.”
The annual awards were announced at FFVA’s 72nd Annual Convention in Palm Beach.
Past recipients of the Legislator of the Year Award include Sens. Denise Grimsley, Wilton Simpson, Alan Hays, Anitere Flores, Durell Peaden Jr., Charlie Dean, Cary Baker, Mike Bennett, Jeff Atwater, Nancy Argenziano and Bill Posey; and Reps. Jake Raburn, Matt Caldwell, Ben Albritton, Seth McKeel, Steve Crisafulli, Trudi Williams, Denise Grimsley, Baxter Troutman, Dean Cannon, Dudley J. Goodlette and Marty Bowen.
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association is a full-service organization serving Florida’s grower-shipper community for more than 70 years. FFVA represents a broad range of crops: vegetables, citrus, tropical fruit, berries, sod, sugar cane, treecrops and more. Its mission is to enhance the business and competitive environment for producing and marketing fruits, vegetables and other crops. You can follow FFVA on Facebook and Twitter.
Source: Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
