Wilton Simpson and Donald Trump explain a lot about Florida politics
Tampa Bay Times | Michael Van Sickler, Times Political Editor | May 2, 2026
Though once considered a leading contender for governor, Simpson said he’s focused on four more years as commissioner of agriculture.
The Bermuda grass was so dry it crunched as Wilton Simpson walked the rolling hills of his Dade City farm in northeastern Pasco County last last month.
“If it rains like they say it will on Sunday, all of this will be waist high,” Simpson said, sweeping his hand across a horizon filled with 250 acres of grass. “Then we’ll be able to sell it for hay.”
The day before, Simpson had filed to run for reelection as Florida’s commissioner of agriculture. It’s one of three Cabinet-level jobs in the state and oversees not just the agriculture industry but soil and water management, food quality, consumer protection, concealed weapons permits and battling wildfires.
It’s a big job, just not as big as the one many insiders assumed Simpson would be seeking this year: Florida governor.
Simpson has the qualifications of a top GOP candidate for governor. A former state Senate president, he now holds one of Florida’s most powerful elected offices. He’s already raised more than $10 million, padding a campaign war chest that’s the second largest of any candidate seeking statewide office.
But Simpson, 59, lacks one key ingredient: an endorsement for governor from President Donald Trump.
Simpson, for his part, said he’s happy to be running for another term as agriculture commissioner.
“The work that we’ve done in the Florida Senate and now with the commissioner of agriculture has made many lives better,” he said.
Insiders, however, said Simpson’s absence from the governor’s race reveals a larger truth about Florida politics in 2026: Without Trump’s blessing, and the flood of campaign cash that follows, otherwise sure-fire contenders for the party nomination are unthinkable.
Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds last year for Florida governor. Donalds has subsequently surged ahead of the primary field in polling and donations.
“I’m actually surprised there are still so many people challenging Byron,” said Adam Ross, Pinellas County’s GOP chairperson and tax collector, referring to the Republican field that includes Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner and financial investor James Fishback. “There’s nothing that matters like Trump’s endorsement.”
Eight years ago, another commissioner of agriculture seemingly had it all. Polls showed Adam Putnam was up by 20 points or more in his race for governor, with more money than any other challenger. He had the name recognition and experience. But when Trump endorsed a little-known congressman named Ron DeSantis, that proved to be the decisive factor.
Heading into this year’s governor’s race, Simpson seemed like a serious contender. He has an inspirational rags-to-riches story: foster kid adopted into a farming family who takes over its egg farm and transforms it into a massive operation. That, plus managing his family’s asbestos removal company, made him wealthy. He spent a decade as a state lawmaker, reaching the apex of Senate president, where he helped steer millions to a new Pasco campus for Moffitt Cancer Center. During the COVID-19 crisis, his experience with hazardous waste removal helped him navigate the pandemic to keep the Legislature open.
During an interview with the Tampa Bay Times last week, Simpson expressed no regrets and avoided any discussion of what-ifs or could-have-beens. He calls Trump a friend, campaigned with him Friday at The Villages and showcases the endorsement he got from the president for his current job, which he said he loves.
Simpson touted a list of accomplishments from his last four years in office. He helped expand a state program that preserves farmland to protect it from development. He upped salaries for his agency’s 4,000 employees.
“Morale is high because they see that we care about our employees and we’re paying them properly,” Simpson said.
That led to less turnover for an agency that, among other things, helps fight an average of 103 fires a day in a state that’s becoming a tinder box because of a drought.
He’s invested in the necessary equipment and training to better prepare Florida to fight these fires, Simpson said. Three years ago, his agency bought 100 bulldozers and now has a fleet of drones and helicopters in its repertoire. Its prescribed burns consume about 2.5 million acres a year, about a quarter of the U.S. total, so that the wildfires that have ravaged California the past few years don’t happen here.
“Our men and women have fought many large fires this year,” Simpson said. “We’re almost up to 2,000 fires now. Our whole year is generally 2,300 fires.”
Last last month, 61 of 67 of Florida’s sheriffs endorsed Simpson.
“Wilton seamlessly balances the safety of our food supply chain, his own law enforcement team and wildfire threats during record droughts,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
The sheriff’s seal of approval is a reminder that Simpson oversees more than 200 sworn officers certified to work with the federal government to enforce immigration laws. They deported more than 200 migrants last year, something that would sell well in a Republican primary.
How much he publicizes his accomplishments is up to how much he’ll want his campaign to spend. It won’t be driven by pressures of the race, where he faces token opposition.
“We’re going to put our message out, and I trust the voters do the right thing,” Simpson said. “Because there are so many people trying to demagogue your story or who will say nasty things or things that are completely false, and that’s what you fight. So what I do is I just do my job.”
At least for now, that job won’t be governor.
“Ag Commissioner, stand up! What a job he’s doing,“ Trump told Simpson from the stage Friday at The Villages. “You guys are doing a great job.”
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