Eric Draper is pulling out of the race for Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture

Eric Draper has announced that he is pulling out of the race for Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Florida. It may be a loss for the government of Florida, but it's a win/win for the state of Florida!

Eric has served for many years as the state policy director for Audubon of Florida and is well known around our state capitol. In fact, I have quite often passed him in the halls there in between meetings. He was always willing to stop and chat for a few minutes to let me know the current issues at hand.

"Keeping our state staff and volunteer leaders focused on protecting the environment is very important to me and is ultimately important for all Floridians who want strong advocates for our environment," Draper said. "We face serious challenges - from proposed coastal oil drilling to keeping Florida Forever and Everglades restoration going."

It was reported that Eric lacked the state-wide name recognition that is needed to win the race. But for those of us who have been working on the environmental issues in Florida, we know that Eric is a champion. With his hard work, dedication to the environment, and his vast amount of knowledge, Eric will remain one of the leaders that will help Florida stay on course with it's environmental goals. There is a lot on the plate in this upcoming session. Education is vital to our survival and Eric will keep the train moving in that direction.

Eric, we are glad you are still on board!