PRIMARY ELECTION CANDIDATES

We contacted all the candidates for State Representative in our area (District 72) to ask them to complete our questionnaire on issues important to EMPA and its supporters. Here are the answers from candidates that will appear on ballots for the August 20th Primary Election. We will add a new post with candidates who will appear on the General Election Ballots in November after the August Primary Election. Thank you to all the candidates who took time out of their busy schedules to answer our questions so thoroughly!

East Manatee Preservation Association does NOT endorse candidates, but we encourage voters to be informed. Here are the candidates' positions on issues that are important to us!

(Click HERE to view the County Commission Race Questionnaire)

State House Primary Candidates

Question 1: Is there any current legislation you believe negatively impacts agriculture and should be changed? Which new or existing state policies or programs do you support that help farmers?

Alyssa Gay’s Answer:

Florida offers many programs that benefit farmers and agricultural producers such as funding for UF/IFAS research which helps ranchers & farmers work more efficiently, Rural & Family Lands Program, Florida Forever, and more. I support these programs, the funding of these programs, as well as looking for solutions for ranchers and farmers that reduce red tape around their land management work.

In my discussions with various agriculture, conservation, farm and ranching groups, the primary concern is their tax burden – whether that is on tangible property, such as trailers and specialized equipment, or property tax on their lands. Another area to be aware of to support this community is when it comes to conservation easements and PES (payment for environmental services). When a farmer/agricultural producer/rancher receives money for land that is put in a conservation easement, they do not just put that money in the bank. It is rolled into purchasing additional land, equipment, and for environmental management services, such as methane sequestration, creating wildlife habitats, and more. While there have been strides made to further support this community when it comes to PES, there is more to be done to ensure they are being adequately compensated for their ongoing work and management of the state owned conservation land.

Richard Green’s Answer:

Two specific pieces of legislation come to mind. The first is the Florida Immigration Law requiring employers to use the federal E-verify system to confirm or deny workers’ legal status. This law, seemingly just implementing already in place federal law, has had and will continue to have salient unintended impacts. Many individuals, whether undocumented or not, illegal or not, do not understand the implication of the system and will be concerned about “big brother” knowing too much information. As such, they will seek easier roads to employment. This is also a cost burden to farmers who cannot use day workers because there isn’t the ability to obtain the needed information to verify the worker before the day is up. This has had a direct impact on farmers including farming in Manatee County. Perhaps things will balance and the issue will not be one of major significance some years down the road but as of right now, this is raising the cost to farm to the detriment of the farmer as well as the consumer.

The second are the laws which were intended to improve farming and help farmers adapt to the new landscape. Section 570.85 and .87, Florida Statutes, which are Florida’s Agritourism statutes, are clearly intended to help farmers increase revenue. However, the laws intentionally do not define agritourism so that farmers are not constrained. However, because it is not defined, local governments are determining what is and what is not agritourism. And this is causing influence and oversight by local governments over farms on what they can and cannot do, to the point of shutting down farms. While we shouldn’t put constraints on farmers on what constitutes agritourism, the legislature needs to provide guidance on what activities constitute agritourism.

I support the state’s policy of trying to protect farmland through conservation; however, this is likely not a long-term viable solution. Placing lands in conservation provides immediate funding for investment in the farm but the consequence is permanent. The more land that is placed in conservation, the more farmers are limited in what they can do with their

land. While we certainly want farmers to continue farming, other factors may occur which simply make farming untenable. Conservation intentionally devalues land which means a farmer’s livelihood and future is also substantially limited in terms of transferring the land.

The state’s policy of partnering with the University of Florida to explore new methods for farming including AI and also learning more about how to improve the individual crop is a key component to our farmers in Manatee County. Funding needs to be increased for more research as farmers continue to adapt their operations to absorb costs of farming and produce a profitable yield.

Rich Tatem’s Answer:

• Existing negative legislation: The tangible business property tax, which requires annual taxes on all tangible personal property with a $25,000 exemption, is an unjust tax. Large agricultural operations have a lot of tangible property – and therefore owe a lot of annual tax on it. Once tangible property is bought, and the sales tax paid, no more “annual taxes” should be due on such property
• New/existing policies and programs I support:
  • I support conservation easements because they help to keep agricultural land from being developed while simultaneously allowing agricultural property owners to receive compensation for giving up some of their property rights. And, the land often remains in agricultural use
  • Agro-tourism – the state must maintain a regulatory and tax structure that does not unduly punish the agro-tourism industry. I am a frequent customer of Dakin Dairy and Fiorelli Winery, two good examples of agro-tourism in the community

Bill Conerly Did Not Send Responses.

Question 2: Solar fields are popping up across our county and state, most of them encroaching rural lands. Is this cause for concern? And if so, is it something you believe could (or should) be addressed at the state level?

Alyssa Gay’s Answer:

While I believe we should be looking at additional energy sources, I do have concerns with solar fields/energy. One concern is that most, if not all, of the solar energy programs across the country are being subsidized by the federal government which is not fiscally responsible; second, we do not have enough data on the viability and long-term environmental effects of actual solar panels, such as how they are not recyclable, how they are affecting the earth underneath them while in use, how wildlife is affected during use, water runoff from land beneath solar panels, and more. Additionally, once land is declassified from being farm/agriculture use, statistically it’s not going to ever be re-classified as such. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure we are balancing research and usage of renewable energy, while also ensuring the best interests of the state – both human residents, the environment, and wildlife.

Richard Green’s Answer:

Alternative energy, including renewable energy like solar is very attractive to Florida. The state is committed to increasing energy production and thus is committed to energy sources being developed, including solar farms. The question becomes one of harmony between the landowner that wishes to use the land for solar and the neighboring

farming operation. There are programs in place to try creating solar panels which are elevated and thus beneath the solar panels is either grazing or some sort of harvesting operation. These programs are exploratory at this time but both agriculture and energy production are state concerns.

The massive amount of space and attention a solar farm needs in order to be useful is a concern for me. The land effectively becomes useless for any other purpose than to try and capture sunlight. I’m interested in learning more about the harmonizing programs with ag to try and make use of the farmland while also producing energy. But absent that, the state needs to be careful not to allow solar farms to be like residential development where

the system becomes easy to allow for these activities because they are lucrative, and they exploit rural lands and communities in need of money to make ends meet.

The opportunity to utilize solar in conjunction with agriculture could be a state interest to promote. Solar panel development does not require land holdings and selling these panels to farmers for use while farmers can still utilize the land for agriculture would be something I would further pursue and providing funding for to explore.

Rich Tatem’s Answer:

Yes, I believe it is cause for concern for three reasons:

• Solar power is not necessarily cheaper than power produced from other sources. The profit margins are often slim in the agricultural industry, and increased energy costs reduce profit margins even further
• The amount of plastic and other components involved in production of solar panels produces a lot of pollution now – and it will produce a trash nightmare in the not-too-distant future because it is often not practical to recycle solar panels
• Thousands of acres of land are needed to produce solar large amounts of solar power. According to the website nei.org, “Nuclear power…generates more power with less land—31 times less than solar facilities and 173 times less than wind farms.”

Bill Conerly Did Not Send Responses.

Question 3: Are you concerned about the future access and availability of water from our aquifers, lakes, and reservoirs—for agricultural and residential use—in our state? If so, what, if anything, do you think should be done at the state level to address future water concerns.

Alyssa Gay’s Answer:

Water is a critical component for residents and agriculture production. Unlike western states where water can be owned, Florida’s law recognizes that water constitutes a public resource benefiting the entire state. Water rights in Florida are vested to existing and future legal users in the form of a permit that is only granted after an applicant demonstrates that their water use is in the public interest, won’t interfere with other existing legal users, and the water will be used for beneficial use. As the state continues to grow, we must respect what has been done to ensure and protect water resources and water quality for generations to come.

Richard Green’s Answer:

Regarding availability of water for treatment and use by the consumer and water available for use agriculturally, no I am not concerned. Right now, in Manatee County, the data is clear that there is absolutely no concern over the access to water for at least the next 50 years. And that is “no concern”. 50 years from now we may have to consider how to best

plan for the next 50 years, but the access issue is simply not one of concern. The issue for Manatee County is where the county will decide to spend its money to increase its consumption and treatment of the water for use. The County has a view of “autonomy” relying solely on the Manatee River. I do not believe that is sustainable long term and it doesn’t need to be. The County also is exploring well credits from the agriculture

community because of the availability of some 50 million gallons of water per day. But the ability to use that resource is more difficult. There are affordable and reasonable options for Manatee to lessen the burden on its system but that is an issue for the County Commission. But money will be spent on increasing capacity within the County.

As for the state, there is always a concern for water use for large agriculture operations because of the large pull from the state’s resources and the impact of nutrient runoff to those resources and the ability to then treat those resources. Lake Okeechobee is a key example. The Lake is a major resource for almost all of south Florida. When the Lake is seeing increased nutrient loads, it impacts a great deal of south Florida. When nutrient loads come from the Atlantic, those can reach as far as the Gulf through Lake management. The state is and like will always be managing these large water resources to balance the interests of agriculture and the general population and the impacts on neighboring local governments.

Again, the data demonstrates that the availability of water far exceeds current projections for population in this state. But money is and will be spent on increasing capacity to capture and treat that water. Depending on where the resource is, dictates if it is a local issue or a state one. For large agricultural production, the state is and needs to be invested in ensuring the resource is well managed and use of the resource is not abused. For growth, the counties need to be cognizant of where their water is coming from and be thinking long term. Short term hard costs now may result in long term stability. But whatever the options, the local jurisdiction should be future focused.

Rich Tatem’s Answer:

Yes, I am concerned about future water availability. In doing some research on this topic, I concur for

the most part with the recommendations I discovered on this topic:

• Land/waterway preservation via conservation easements
• Using less water – for instance using “zero landscaping” and only watering lawns when necessary, instead of regularly
• Sending less pollution into the water – enforcing anti-pollution laws and using conservation easements as water runoff filtration systems
• Being mindful of where our trash goes – picking up trash when the opportunity presents itself –thousands of tons of trash, especially plastic trash, end up in our waterways and oceans every year. Much like planting a tree – picking up a plastic bottle here and a styrofoam cup there may seem like a small gesture, but when millions of people do these small gestures, a big difference can be made

Bill Conerly Did Not Send Responses.

Question 4: What role, if any, should our legislature play in supporting new and existing farmers to encourage steady growth in our state’s agriculture?

Alyssa Gay’s Answer:

Our state legislature plays a large role in supporting farmers’ and agriculture producers’ growth in the state. Some of the ways the legislature currently does this is by working on UF/IFAS funding, various land programs (i.e. Rural & Family Lands, Trust for Public Lands, etc)., agritourism, workforce development, best management practices (BMPs), and ensuring that local ordinances are duplicative or overreaching when it comes to farm and agricultural producers. These are just some of the various ways and programs that the State has and I would continue to support these programs as well as look for other ways to support our farmers and agricultural producers, such as increasing the tangible personal property tax exemption and creating other tax-reducing programs.

Richard Green’s Answer:

The state has a vital role in ensuring that the standards and rules for farming across the state are uniform. I’ve mentioned all throughout my campaign that farmers do not abide by county lines. A farmer may provide a great deal of their product to the county they reside,

but they also will sell to any county where their product sells. This is generally about food. Food is a necessary resource. If counties placed restrictions or added criteria or treated farmers differently then that farmer’s operations cannot depend on a reliable customer base. It may be cost prohibitive for a farmer in Manatee County to sell a particular crop in

Manatee County, instead, all of the crop would have to go to Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, etc. This can cause economic uncertainty. A farmer needs to know that their operation can be uniform, and their product will be treated the same across the state. Also, the state has a compelling interest in ensuring agriculture stability and growth. It’s why we have the

Department of Agriculture and why the state encourages Agritourism. It is imperative that the state continue to help promote the agriculture industry to ensure food stability in this state.

Rich Tatem’s Answer:

Along with supporting conservation easements and agro-tourism, supporting vocational trades is necessary for the success of the agricultural industry. The agricultural industry has become very technically advanced, and it needs all the trades, from carpentry to HVAC to electrical and plumbing, to thrive. And, with artificial intelligence (AI) now becoming a bigger part of the agricultural industry, qualified AI personnel will be necessary.

Bill Conerly Did Not Send Responses.

Question 5: What do you believe are the biggest threats to Florida’s agricultural industry and what can/would you do, as our representative, to address it?

Alyssa Gay’s Answer:

The three biggest threats to Florida’s agricultural industry are: continued growth, increased expenses, and reliable workforce.

As Florida continues to grow, conflicts arise between agriculture and new residents, in regard to noise, traffic and zoning issues, and environmental and retail regulations. This typically results in local governments adopting ordinances that adversely affect agricultural operations and duplicate state regulations. While I generally believe that the best government is the one closest to the people, when local governments and municipalities exercise too much power and create onerous regulations, it is the role of the state to step in to protect its citizens.

Second, as every person and family has felt the economic squeeze, so do our farmers and agricultural producers. The basic cost to do business has increased, and with our continued growth, that has also caused a massive increase in property taxes as well. I will support our farmers and agricultural producers by helping find the best economic solutions to ease the cost burden on their businesses.

Finally, agriculture businesses, like many others, struggle to find a stable, reliable workforce. Recent studies have suggested that average age of a farmer is 55 years old, which is not a sustainable model. One of my core focuses in the legislature will be on workforce development and education. We must increase awareness and programs to students and adults alike to expand their career horizons. We must also work to ensure that people understand the business of agriculture, and that it is so much more than "just working in a field." With the advancements of technology and understanding the

greater impact and importance of agriculture production in our own communities, more

people will view this is a viable, long-term career option.

Richard Green’s Answer:

Lack of awareness and education coupled with increasing population. People do not know about the significant agriculture industry in their County and surrounding counties. People do not understand the process of how their food gets to Publix, Detweillers, farm groceries, and restaurants. It is taken for granted. But they all need this commodity. But with ignorance, comes apathy to what happens to those farmers who produce it. With significant increases in population that are ignorant to these processes, it possesses the potential to expand into the farming world through development. With an increase in population, history teaches us that government will grow, increasing dependency on government and the need for more programs and again, pushing agriculture further away. 

This happens with a system that is out of balance and government leaders asleep at the helm. There is plenty of area to develop for residences, and there are alternative options for residences. What is needed is a balanced system so that farmers do not have to sell because the operation is never going to be profitable. This includes agritourism to educate the public on farming, so they do understand where their food comes from. It also includes entertainment so that people learn where their farming world is and what it entails. These are things like festivals and weddings. Infrastructure enhancement so that farmers can connect to the digital age. It is here, farmers need to adapt now. And representatives need to partner with local government and also federal representatives to ensure that our communities, and therefore government at all levels is doing its part to ensure farming is not unduly burdened. It is a necessary industry in securing our future.

Rich Tatem’s Answer:

• Pest infestations have become a major threat to the agricultural industry in Florida. As a state representative, I will support adequate funding for the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). One of this organization’ functions in research, which can assist with reducing the negative effectives of pest infestations
• Rising production costs are quickly eating into the profit margins of the agricultural industry. Ensuring that conservation easement funding is available, that taxes and regulations are low on agro-tourism (and on all industries for that matter), and that the annual tangible property tax is eliminated, or at least has a much higher exemption threshold – all of these actions will help to reduce the financial threats that currently face the agricultural industry

Bill Conerly Did Not Send Responses.