Wilton Simpson
Incumbent (13th Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, took office 1/3/2023, current term ends 1/5/2027; born 6/28/1966, Lakeland, FL, fifth-generation Floridian; AA, Pasco-Hernando Community College, 1997; owner/operator of a large-scale egg-laying operation for 40+ years; also owns Simpson Environmental Services, Inc.; served in the Florida Senate 2012–2022, Senate President 2020–2022; in 2025 engaged in a public policy feud with Gov. DeSantis over illegal immigration enforcement)
Last updated: 2026-08-21
Integrity & Legal Record 25 / 25
Criminal History
`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" arrested OR convicted OR indicted — 2026-08-14]`. No adverse findings.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-14 — no adverse matches
Civil Court History
`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" lawsuit OR litigation — 2026-08-14]`. No adverse civil litigation found against him personally (see Identity note above regarding an unrelated industry-wide antitrust case).
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-14 — no adverse matches
Ethics Violations
No formal ethics complaints found. Noted for context: in 2025, Simpson became embroiled in a public policy feud with Gov. Ron DeSantis over illegal immigration enforcement; this is documented as a political/policy disagreement between officials, not an ethics violation.
- Ballotpedia; Wikipedia — 2026-08-14
- Florida Commission on Ethics — https://ethics.state.fl.us/Complaints/Complaints.aspx — 2026-08-14 — no complaint found
Campaign Finance Violations
(Revised 2026-08-14 — additional PAC-network check per Methodology Addenda.) `[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" campaign finance FEC violation — 2026-08-14]`. No formal violation found. Simpson entered the 2026 re-election race with $33 million spread across four political committees he controls or chairs (Friends of Wilton Simpson, Home Grown PAC, Future Florida, and Florida Green PAC) — a large but not inherently improper multi-committee structure common among powerful statewide incumbents. Separately noted: Florida Courage, a state political committee chaired/treasured/registered by Tallahassee operative William Stafford Jones (the same operative separately flagged in this project's research on Megan Weinberger, HD-94, for controlling both her own committee and outside PACs donating to her), contributed $100,000 to Friends of Wilton Simpson in 2025. (Resolved 2026-08-15): The Florida Division of Elections' official committee record for Friends of Wilton Simpson (Simpson's primary committee, account #79644) confirms its Chairperson is Wilton Simpson himself and its Treasurer/Registered Agent is Noreen A. Fenner — William Stafford Jones holds no listed role in this committee. This confirms the relationship is a standard outside-PAC-to-candidate-committee contribution, not the same-operative-on-both-sides circular-financing pattern confirmed for Weinberger. (The other three Simpson-linked committees — Home Grown PAC, Future Florida, Florida Green PAC — were not individually re-checked, but the primary committee result is the most relevant to the "circular financing" concern this flag was tracking.)
- Transparency USA — Wilton Simpson candidate finance record — 2026-08-14
- News From The States / WGCU — "Who is pouring millions into the sleepy race for Florida's ag commissioner" — 2026-08-14
- Florida Division of Elections — Friends of Wilton Simpson committee detail, account #79644 — https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/committees/ComDetail.asp?account=79644 — retrieved 2026-08-15 — confirms Treasurer/Registered Agent is Noreen A. Fenner, not William Stafford Jones
Residency Confirmed
Documented lifelong Florida resident; his farming operation and prior Senate district (SD-10/12, Pasco/Hernando/Citrus area) confirm his residency in that region.
- FDACS official bio; Ballotpedia — 2026-08-14
- Investigated and found unconnected: a nationwide egg-industry antitrust price-fixing case involving other major producers; Simpson's operation was not named.
- Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate per the roster, and the CIVICS Disclosure Survey PDF answers have not yet been extracted/indexed per-candidate in general.
Professional & Business Transparency 22 / 25
Business Ownership
Florida Sunbiz officer/registered-agent search for "Simpson, Wilton" and "Simpson, Wilton E" returns 14 distinct entities. Confirmed via direct Sunbiz detail lookups: Simpson Farms, Inc. (H79549, President, filed 1985, family egg-farm predecessor entity, Trilby FL, INACTIVE/admin-dissolved 1993; co-officer VST Gloria J. Simpson, likely a family member); SES Holdco, Inc. (P19000088667, President, filed 2019, Trilby FL, INACTIVE/admin-dissolved 2023 — a holding entity connected to Simpson Environmental Services); BankFlorida (P07000060636, Director, ACTIVE, Dade City FL) and its holding company BankFlorida Bancorp, Inc. (P21000007104, Director, ACTIVE, Dade City FL) — confirmed independently via the bank's own published director list/annual report, which identifies him by his title "Florida Commissioner of Agriculture"; Pasco County Farm Bureau, Inc. (N13000000951, Director, ACTIVE nonprofit) — see Board Memberships. Additional entities appearing in the Sunbiz officer list but not individually detail-verified for current status: Pasco County Farm Bureau Limited Agricultural Association (790667), Triple J Investment Co., Inc. (J71741), Belly Wadding, L.L.C. (L04000050057), 14217 3rd Street, LLC (L25000260085), Simpson Homes, Inc. (P01000105982), Pangallo & Simpson Construction, Inc. (P03000149168), Simpson Environmental Services, Inc. (P03000149907, already documented in Category 1), WSMB, LLC (L14000188440), WES Florida, LLC (L18000000093), and 80 FT Road Citrus, LLC (L22000432685).
- Florida Sunbiz (search.sunbiz.org) — Officer/Registered Agent search "Simpson, Wilton" / "Simpson, Wilton E" — 2026-08-15
- Florida Sunbiz — Detail by Document Number, H79549, P19000088667, P07000060636, P21000007104, N13000000951 — 2026-08-15
- BankFlorida — 2024 Annual Report / Directors listing (bankflorida.com) — 2026-08-15 — confirms Simpson as director, identified by his state office title
Financial Conflicts of Interest
Task-specific inquiry per project brief: searched specifically for FDACS subsidies, contracts, or regulatory benefits flowing to Simpson's personal egg-laying operation or to Simpson Environmental Services, Inc. `[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" egg farm FDACS subsidy/contract, FDACS press releases and site content — 2026-08-15]`. No specific state contract, grant, or subsidy award to his personal operation was identified in available public reporting; this does not rule one out, as USDA/FDACS agricultural program payments are not always itemized publicly at the individual-recipient level in an easily searchable form. Two other financial-proximity findings were confirmed independently: (1) Simpson sits on the board of directors of BankFlorida and BankFlorida Bancorp, Inc., a state-chartered bank/holding company headquartered in his home county (Dade City, Pasco County) — this bank is primarily regulated by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, not FDACS, so no direct regulatory conflict was identified, but it is a notable outside financial directorship for a sitting statewide constitutional officer, publicly disclosed by the bank itself. (2) Simpson is a director of the Pasco County Farm Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)(5) agricultural advocacy/lobbying organization (confirmed via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 59-0829841) whose mission — agricultural policy advocacy — directly overlaps with FDACS's regulatory and legislative portfolio. (3) Separately noted for context (previously documented in Category 1): Simpson's political committees received over $690,000 from agriculture-related donors and at least $314,000 more in direct campaign donations from agriculture-occupation donors, per News From The States/WGCU reporting — i.e., his campaign is heavily funded by the industries his office regulates, a pattern common among agriculture commissioners nationally but worth flagging for transparency.
- Nationwide Google/news search: "Wilton Simpson" egg farm FDACS subsidy/contract — 2026-08-15 — no adverse/connecting matches found
- BankFlorida — 2024 Annual Report (bankflorida.com) — 2026-08-15
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — Pasco County Farm Bureau (Florida Farm Bureau Federation Inc.), EIN 59-0829841 — 2026-08-15
- Florida Sunbiz — Detail by Document Number, N13000000951, P07000060636, P21000007104 — 2026-08-15
- News From The States / WGCU — "Who is pouring millions into the sleepy race for Florida's ag commissioner" (referenced in Category 1) — 2026-08-15
Bankruptcy History
`[NOT FOUND — searched: CourtListener/RECAP bankruptcy-court-filtered search (flmb/flnb/flsb) for "Wilton Simpson" (zero results), nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" bankruptcy — 2026-08-15]`. No bankruptcy filings found.
- CourtListener (courtlistener.com) — API search, Florida bankruptcy courts — 2026-08-15 — zero results
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-15 — no adverse matches
Tax Liens
`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" tax lien, CourtListener federal court search — 2026-08-15]`. No tax liens found. Per project methodology, this absence of indexed results does not constitute a confirmed clean record, as lien indexing is inconsistent online.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-15 — no adverse matches
- CourtListener (courtlistener.com) — 2026-08-15 — no matching records
Board Memberships
Confirmed via Sunbiz: Director, Pasco County Farm Bureau, Inc. (N13000000951), a 501(c)(5) agricultural advocacy nonprofit (ProPublica-confirmed, EIN 59-0829841, ~$466,191 recent annual revenue); Director, BankFlorida and BankFlorida Bancorp, Inc. (both ACTIVE, Dade City FL) — for-profit corporate bank boards. See Financial Conflicts of Interest above for analysis of overlap with his office.
- Florida Sunbiz — Detail by Document Number, N13000000951, P07000060636, P21000007104 — 2026-08-15
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer — Pasco County Farm Bureau — 2026-08-15
Spouse Business Check
Simpson's wife is identified in public bios as "Kathy" (one secondary source gives the surname "Shotts"). A Sunbiz search for "Shotts, Kathy" returned no exact match (nearest alphabetical entries were unrelated "Shotts, Kenneth"-through-"Shotts, Shing-Huei" individuals). A Sunbiz search for "Simpson, Kathy" returned one hit, Simpson Group Holding Company (P07000127329) — but direct detail lookup confirmed this is a different, unrelated Kathy Simpson (co-officer/President "James C. Simpson," principal address in Jupiter, FL/Palm Beach County, with no connection to Wilton Simpson's Pasco County operations). Per the project's name-collision protocol, this entity is not attributed to the candidate's spouse. `[No confirmed Sunbiz entity for the candidate's spouse found — searched "Shotts, Kathy" and "Simpson, Kathy" — 2026-08-15]`.
- Florida Sunbiz — Officer/Registered Agent search "Shotts, Kathy" and "Simpson, Kathy"; Detail by Document Number P07000127329 — 2026-08-15
- ⚠️ PRIORITY REVIEW FLAG: Simpson holds concurrent board seats on a state-chartered bank (BankFlorida/BankFlorida Bancorp) and the Pasco County Farm Bureau (an agricultural advocacy nonprofit), while heavily funded by agriculture-sector campaign donors — a cluster of overlapping financial/advocacy interests for a sitting Commissioner of Agriculture. No direct FDACS subsidy or contract to his personal egg operation was found in available records.
- Spouse name-collision investigated and ruled out (Simpson Group Holding Company, Jupiter FL — different Kathy Simpson).
- Business Ownership and Board Memberships were researched via direct Sunbiz primary-source queries (officer/registered-agent name search plus document-number detail lookups), not secondary reporting.
Policy & Platform Consistency 19 / 20
Voting Record
Simpson served in the Florida Senate (2012–2022), as Senate Majority Leader (2016–2018) and Senate President (2020–2022), before becoming Florida's 13th Agriculture Commissioner in January 2023. As a senator, he sponsored legislation expanding market-based/interstate health-insurance options (with a pre-existing-conditions coverage requirement contingent on ACA repeal), and — directly relevant to his current sector — as Senate President helped pass a law shielding sugar growers from lawsuits over air pollution from field-burning, a documented legislative action in the same agricultural sector he now regulates as Commissioner. He has also supported stronger state-level immigration enforcement (E-Verify promotion, law-enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, opposition to sanctuary cities).
- Ballotpedia — "Wilton Simpson" — 2026-08-21
- BillTrack50 — legislator profile — 2026-08-21
Position Consistency
Simpson's pro-agriculture-industry, limited-government, immigration-enforcement positions have been consistent from his Senate tenure through his service as Commissioner. `[No documented reversal identified — searched: nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-21]`.
- Ballotpedia — "Wilton Simpson" — 2026-08-21
Flip-Flops
`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" flip-flop reversed changed position criticized — 2026-08-21]`. No documented instance of Simpson reversing a stated position was identified.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-21 — no matches
Endorsements
Received: President Trump ("true America First Patriot"); Gov. Ron DeSantis; the Florida Chamber of Commerce; 61 of Florida's 67 sheriffs; the Republican Party of Florida. He won the 8/18/2026 Republican primary decisively and faces Democratic nominee Joey Atkins in November. `[Endorsements given — NOT FOUND — 2026-08-21]`.
- Florida GOP — "Republican Party of Florida Congratulates Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson on Re-Election Announcement" — 2026-08-21
- FL Voice News — "Wilton Simpson cruises to victory in Republican primary for agriculture commissioner" — 2026-08-21
- ⚠️ REVIEW FLAG: His Senate-era sugar-grower liability-shield legislation is directly relevant to his current regulatory authority as Agriculture Commissioner; recommend reading alongside the existing Category 2 PRIORITY finding on his bank/Farm Bureau board seats and agriculture-sector campaign funding.
- Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.
Community Engagement & Character 15 / 25
Community Involvement
Simpson was placed in foster care and adopted at age 6 — a documented personal background he has publicly cited as informing his understanding of "the trials and tribulations foster kids go through." `[No specific current nonprofit board membership or dedicated volunteer role beyond his business/political career was found — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" volunteer nonprofit board — 2026-08-24]`. He has an extensive record of elected leadership (FL Senate 2012–2022, Senate President 2020–2022, Agriculture Commissioner since 2023) and 40+ years operating a family agricultural business.
- Chronicle Online — "Simpson: From egg farmer to state Senate president" — 2026-08-24
- Wikipedia — "Wilton Simpson" — 2026-08-24
Veteran / First Responder Service
`[NOT FOUND — Simpson has not served in the military himself — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" military veteran service — 2026-08-24]`. He maintains a dedicated "Veterans" section on his official campaign/office website and lists supporting troops as a stated policy priority — documented public advocacy, not personal service.
- wiltonsimpson.com — "Veterans" — 2026-08-24
Faith-Based Involvement (scored on character consistency)
`[No specific denomination/congregation membership was documented — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" church faith — 2026-08-24]`. Not scored negatively per protocol. On character consistency: his publicly-cited foster-care background and his stated policy focus on veterans, agriculture, and rural Florida are consistent with his documented public record; no contradictions identified. This section does not address the separate, already-documented Category 3 policy feud with Gov. DeSantis over immigration enforcement, which is a substantive policy disagreement, not a faith/character matter.
- (cross-referenced from Community Involvement sources above) — 2026-08-24
Debates / Town Halls
`[No documented debate/town hall invitations or appearances for the 2026 general election were found this pass — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" Agriculture Commissioner debate 2026 — 2026-08-24]`. He is a sitting incumbent facing a Democratic challenger (Atkins) in the general election.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-24 — no matches
Social Media Presence & Consistency
Active official/campaign presence consistent with his role as a sitting statewide Cabinet officer and former Senate President. `[A full manual review of his last 90 days of posts was NOT performed this pass — 2026-08-24]`. No inflammatory personal-tone content was surfaced in general search.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-24 — no adverse content found
- ⚠️ REVIEW FLAG: No debate coverage or full social-media audit completed this pass; recommend follow-up closer to November.
- Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.
Campaign Transparency 9 / 25
Top Donors / Donor Composition
``` DONOR COMPOSITION (2026): Raised this year from outside sources: $4.8 million+ (campaign + affiliated political committees) Cash on hand across all accounts: ~$31 million Notable donors: Florida Crystals — $250,000; U.S. Sugar — $102,500 Donor base: sugar growers, ranchers, food distributors, supermarkets, lobbyists, a fireworks distributor, and a landowner who sold a $10 million conservation easement to the state ``` This is a textbook regulatory-conflict donor profile: as Florida's Agriculture Commissioner, Simpson's department directly regulates or interacts with the agricultural and food-distribution industries that constitute the overwhelming majority of his documented donor base, including Florida's two largest sugar growers. WLRN's own reporting characterizes this explicitly as "who is pouring millions into the sleepy race for Florida's ag commissioner."
- WLRN — "Who is pouring millions into the sleepy race for Florida's ag commissioner?" — 2026-08-26
- Florida Politics — "Flush with $31M, Wilton Simpson steers $3M to Senate GOP campaigns" — 2026-08-26
PAC / LLC / Funneling Structures
Simpson controls four political committees in addition to his campaign account: Friends of Wilton Simpson, Home Grown PAC, Future Florida, and Florida Green PAC — an unusually elaborate multi-committee structure holding approximately $31 million combined. No LLC or dark-money funding was identified, but the scale and structural complexity of maintaining four separate committees for a single down-ballot statewide race is itself a notable transparency consideration. `[PAC NOTED — Friends of Wilton Simpson / Home Grown PAC / Future Florida / Florida Green PAC — ~$31M combined — Fully disclosed traditional PACs — Florida Politics/WLRN]`
- Florida Politics — as above — 2026-08-26
Advertising Spend
With approximately $31 million in combined available resources for what multiple outlets characterize as a low-profile, historically low-turnout Cabinet race ("the sleepy race for Florida's ag commissioner"), Simpson's spending capacity is dramatically disproportionate to the race's typical scale and visibility.
- WLRN — as above — 2026-08-26
Grassroots Engagement
`[No documented door-knocking, phone-banking, or in-person voter-contact ground game was located this session — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Wilton Simpson" campaign canvassing volunteer 2026 — 2026-08-26]`. His documented profile centers on fundraising scale and inter-committee/inter-candidate financial transfers (see Donations to Political Figures below) rather than field organizing.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
Donations to Political Figures
Simpson transferred $3 million from his campaign/committee resources to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, a legitimate party committee supporting statewide FL Senate GOP candidates — not a corrupt or ethically-questionable figure, but a large, notable political transfer reflecting his cash surplus and continued influence within state Senate politics (where he previously served as Senate President).
- Florida Politics — "Flush with $31M, Wilton Simpson steers $3M to Senate GOP campaigns" — 2026-08-26
- ⚠️ REVIEW FLAG: This candidate's Category 5 profile is among the most concerning documented in this project — a $31M multi-PAC war chest for a low-profile Cabinet race, funded overwhelmingly by industries his own department regulates.
- Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.
Issue-Based Positions 29 / 40
2A Rights Score
NRA-affiliated Marion Hammer (Unified Sportsmen of Florida) praised Simpson: "A lot of people talk about defending the Second Amendment, but Wilton Simpson has actually defended our right to bear arms." A separate 2022 AmmoLand piece characterized him as a "lukewarm 2A supporter" during his Senate presidency, indicating some mixed reception.
- floridanewsheadlines.com — "NRA endorses Wilton Simpson for Agriculture Commissioner" — 2026-08-26; AmmoLand — "Florida Senate President Simpson Lukewarm 2A Supporter?" — 2026-08-26
Pro-Life / Pro-Family Score
Describes himself as "100% pro-life," helped advance a 15-week abortion prohibition, and supported parental-consent requirements and protections for infants born alive.
- wiltonsimpson.com — 2026-08-26
Fiscal Conservatism Score
Supports lowering and limiting taxes for families, businesses, and agricultural producers; emphasizes fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets. No formal Club for Growth/AFP rating was located this session.
- wiltonsimpson.com — 2026-08-26
Parental Rights Score
Supported parental-consent requirements in the abortion context (noted under Pro-Life above); `[no distinct parental-rights-in-education position located — scored per protocol accordingly — sources searched: Moms for Liberty, campaign website — 2026-08-26]`.
- wiltonsimpson.com — 2026-08-26
Election Integrity Position
`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
Housing / Insurance Position
`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
Education / School Choice Position
`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: Parents Defending Education, campaign website — 2026-08-26]`.
- Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
Environment / Everglades Position
As FL Senate President, championed expedited implementation of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project — the state's most important northern-Everglades restoration element — and other Everglades Restoration Act initiatives.
- wiltonsimpson.com/environment — 2026-08-26
- ⚠️ CROSS-REFERENCE: the 5/5 Environment/Everglades score reflects a genuine legislative record (Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project); it should be read alongside the existing Cat5 PRIORITY finding on sugar/agriculture PAC funding, which raises a separate donor-transparency question about the same policy area.
- Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.