BARTOW, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed three new members to the Florida Citrus Commission Friday and reappointed four others.
The appointments of John Smoak and Daniel Sutton fill two vacant seats and the appointment of Christopher Groom fills a seat held by a commissioner serving a previously expired term.
Commissioners Carlos Martinez, Martin “Marty” McKenna, Steve Johnson, and William “Bill” Poulton were reappointed.
Smoak, of Lake Placid, is the Chief Executive Officer of Smoak Groves, Inc. He represents District 2, which includes Highlands, Hardee, DeSoto, and Glades counties. Smoak fills a seat left vacant after the departure of J. Ned Hancock.
Sutton, of LaBelle, is President and General Manager of Alico, Inc. He represents District 3, which includes the west coast and southern portion of Florida. Sutton fills a seat left vacant after the retirement of Dan Casper.
Groom, of Orlando, is Chief Operating Officer for Florida’s Natural Growers. He represents District 1, which includes Central Florida and portions of the east coast. Groom replaces Commissioner Ellis G. Hunt Jr. whose term expired. Hunt served on the Commission for 10 years.
Martinez, of Orlando, is Procurement Manager for The Coca-Cola Company. He represents District 1.
McKenna, of Sebring, is President and Owner of McKenna and Associates Citrus, Inc. He is a past chairman of the Commission and represents District 2.
Johnson, of Wauchula, is President and Owner of Johnson Citrus Harvesting. He is the current chairman of the Commission and represents District 2.
Poulton, of Lakewood Ranch, is the Director of Manufacturing for Tropicana Products, Inc. He represents District 3.
The new and reappointed commissioners join Paul Meador (District 3) and Patrick Schirard (District 1) on the commission.
The Florida Citrus Commission is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus, an executive agency of the Florida government charged with the marketing, research, and regulation of the Florida Citrus industry. The commission is a nine-member board appointed by the governor to represent citrus growers, processors, and packers.
Appointments are for three-year terms and are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
About the Florida Citrus Commission
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research, and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs more than 33,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of $6.762 billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida’s schools, roads, and health care services. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org
