Thread by @NikkiFriedFL

295 days ago, I was sworn in as Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services and the first female elected to this office.

The people didn’t elect me to continue the status quo — but to take a fresh approach to governing and a new direction for our state. #APFL

Since January, I've worked to modernize @FDACS & take action on priority issues important to the people:

Building a new state hemp program — providing farmers with a successful alternative crop, ensuring equal economic opportunity, & making Florida a national leader on hemp.

I promised to fix the failures of weapons licensing & did just that.

We changed the culture: a 30-year law enforcement veteran runs the Division & we hired 25 new staff.

Review times for gun permits are down by up to 98%, while ensuring all background checks are done, period.

No state in America is more vulnerable to the #ClimateCrisis than Florida.

We've taken the 1st real steps towards action on climate change in a decade.

Our Office of Energy held the Florida Energy & Climate Summit, the 1st state-level summit on climate change since 2008.

Water is Florida's lifeblood — we must conserve & protect it.

That's why I hired a new Ag Water Policy Director.

Since then, we've invested nearly $1 million to upgrade farm irrigation infrastructure in areas impacted by #HurricaneMichael — we’re just getting started on water.

Water, energy & climate don’t exist in a vacuum — our air matters too.

I've announced the biggest changes to prescribed burns in 30 years, adding air quality index & other additions to improve air quality & public safety.

We’ll have a 2nd phase with more upgrades by year’s end.

Agriculture is Florida's 2nd largest industry, with 2 million jobs — I'm committed to supporting the people who feed our families & country.

I created a new Ag Innovation Committee, bringing innovators & international trade partners together so we can lead in new ag technology.

But it’s not enough to sit back, rest & reflect on what we’ve done.

If you know me – and if you’ve seen me at the gym – you know I’m not going to rest for even a moment.

There’s more work to be done in the coming 2020 legislative session.

I‘m proposing the most ambitious energy & climate legislation in Florida in a long time.

These are reasonable proposals that will fund resiliency & climate mitigation, & create a climate change research center at one of our state universities to help us make smarter decisions.

We’re taking bold steps on our state’s water.

Best Management Practices, or BMPs, are how we manage water impacts — but many of these BMPs haven’t been updated since the mid-2000s.

We’re updating BMPs right now, to reflect the latest scientific standards for water conservation.

Our farmers are key partners on conservation of our lands & waters.

The Rural & Family Lands Program conserves our land for future generations.

Last year, this program was funded at $0.

I’m asking lawmakers to fund this important program at a reasonable $32 million this year.

Because our @FLForestService rangers & wildland firefighters have some of our state’s toughest jobs, I’ve asked lawmakers for $17 million for Forest Service fire suppression equipment & to replace aging firefighting aircraft that dates back to the Korean War.

Our legislation to address food insecurity & school nutrition includes adding share tables to schools, which shares excess foods like extra milk with students in need, provides additional reimbursement for increased school breakfasts & requires schools to reduce food waste.

Our @freshfromFL marketing program is critical to defending growers.

The program has an amazing record, with a $22 return on investment for every $1 spent & creates hundreds of millions in revenue for food producers.

We need lawmakers to hold the line on this crucial program.

I pledged to clean up our concealed weapons licensing program & we’ve accomplished a big part of that. Now, we’re looking ahead to the next phase.

Our new legislation will enhance the weapons licensing program with more accountability & common-sense public safety measures.

Our bill will create automatic fingerprint retention for concealed weapons to close loopholes, reduce renewals to 5 years from 7, and require the CWL course taken again at renewal.

These measures ensure all granted the right to concealed carry are equipped to exercise it.

There’s a lot of noise on clemency, from Amendment 4 to lawsuits.

The truth is — clemency is an executive function, we can make changes right now.

I wrote to my Clemency Board colleagues on Sept 27, asking for a special meeting to adopt new clemency rules pending since January.

Those rules would let us restore civil rights to Floridians who have waited for years after paying their dues.

But so far under this Clemency Board, four people have gotten their rights back — yes, just four.

We can change that, right now, and I’ll keep fighting until we do.

The responsibilities of this office are as vast & varied as the opportunities before us.

We’re on our way to delivering the change the people voted for.

We’re on our way to change that will keep Florida growing. #APFL

Read my full remarks from Florida @AP Day: bit.ly/FriedAPday