JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson emphasized the importance of returning whole milk to Florida schools following a federal rollback of a previous skim milk mandate.
“Children aren’t going to drink skim milk,” he said. “Whole milk has a lot of nutritional values... It will be healthier for these children.” He criticized. “Big government telling us how to live our lives. We drank whole milk back in the 80s...and over time, we’ve developed habits like sitting on a couch and playing video games all day.”
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Simpson also supported the attorney general and Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters by addressing the removal of kratom and a potent compound called 700 H from retail shelves.
“700 H is essentially what we call gasoline morphine,” Simpson explained. “It’s much more powerful than regular morphine.”
The attorney general recently classified 700 H as a Schedule I drug, making it illegal to sell or possess. “We’ve already removed 18,000 packages in just the first few weeks,” Simpson said.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration.
“This is what a strong team looks like...Our consumer services division is a force multiplier for any of our sheriffs that are getting after this product,” Simpson said.
On government efficiency, Simpson highlighted efforts to streamline the Department of Agriculture.
“We have reduced voluntarily 130 of those members...consolidating buildings...saving the taxpayer about $50 million,” he said.
The department is also unifying its software systems to improve communication and service delivery, expecting to reduce staff further through these efficiencies.
Regarding forestry, Simpson described improvements in firefighting capabilities.
“We’ve bought 80 to 90 dozers...brought that average age down...We now have a fleet of ten helicopters...and drones with infrared cameras,” he said.
These technologies enhance safety and effectiveness in fighting Florida’s 2,500 annual wildfires.
“We want you to be the best...but we want you to go home at night very safely done,” he said.
Modernization is a key focus across the department.
“When I got there, we had 20 divisions and probably 17 different software companies administering software,” Simpson said. “By the middle of next year, we’re going to have 100% of all of them on Microsoft-based systems.”
In forestry, the department has modernized firefighting capabilities significantly.
“We’ve bought 80 to 90 dozers... brought that average age down... We now have a fleet of ten helicopters... and drones with infrared cameras,” Simpson said.
Finally, Simpson spoke about the state’s wildlife corridor program, which he helped establish in statute as Senate president. The program protects critical natural areas by purchasing development rights from farmers, ensuring the land remains in agriculture and conservation.
“We now are very close to 250,000 acres... We’re getting close to the 10 million acre mark,” he said. “It’s important to Florida’s future to make that happen.”
To watch the full interview with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, tune in to This Week in Jacksonville, Sunday morning at 9 a.m.