Governor 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.
For more information: floridacitrus.org