Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
On Wednesday, Aug. 24, Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson made a trip to Madison. While in town, he met with students at Madison Creative Arts Academy (MCAA), at their new campus on Rocky Ford Road. Sen. Simpson also spoke at the regular meeting of the Madison Rotary Club at noon and took the time to visit other places in and around Madison.
While at MCAA, Sen. Simpson spoke with students in the seventh grade Civics class, where he challenged the students to take on the responsibility of civic leadership and reminded them of the importance of agriculture to the economy and communities. Sen. Simpson also shared his wisdom and expertise with students in the seventh and eighth grade Agriscience program.
Following his time at MCAA, Sen. Simpson went on to be the featured speaker for the Madison Rotary Club, during their regular meeting. While speaking to the Rotarians, Sen. Simpson spoke on a variety of subjects and issues facing Florida, specifically in the area of Agriculture. Sen. Simpson spoke of the need to replant forest areas of North Florida that were leveled as a result of Hurricane Michael, that devastated the Florida panhandle with winds of over 160 miles per hour in October of 2018. "If we don't replant those areas, we could see 'California type' forest fires," said Sen. Simpson. Sen. Simpson also spoke of the need to prioritize food as a "national security issue," along with the availability of clean water, which he said he saw as the number one concern for Floridians. Sen. Simpson also mentioned many of the accomplishments the state has enjoyed over the past years, despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these major accomplishments on the horizon will be the opening of a teaching college of medicine at Florida State University. Once completed, the college will help provide North Florida with "as good of a healthcare system as anywhere in the United States."
Sen. Simpson's trip to Madison came on the heels of his securing the Republican nomination to be Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture during the mid-term primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
Sen. Simpson was first elected to the State Senate in 2012 and served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2016 to 2018. He represents District 10, which consists of Citrus and Hernando Counties, as well as parts of Pasco County.