Two candidates are in the running
Farms.com is continuing its look at the seven agriculture commissioner elections scheduled for 2026 with Florida.
The election is set to take place on Nov. 3, and as of Jan. 9, two candidates are confirmed.
Chase Anderson Romagnano and Matthew Taylor have filed the necessary election paperwork to be the next Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Romagnano is running as a Democrat.
On a webpage for his campaign to represent District 2 on the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, he outlines an area of focus if elected ag commissioner.
“An extreme problem facing Florida is the large number of those who have done prison time who never re-acclimate to society, the large number who never work again after their first prison stint,” he wrote in December 2025. “This will be a critical focus for me as Agriculture Commissioner…”
Romagnano is the founder and CEO of Rusted Cutlass Records, his LinkedIn profile says. He also authored the book Mobile: Future Dubai of the Gulf of Mexico.
Matthew Taylor is running as a Republican.
A welder and mechanic by trade with some experience in ag, Taylor’s campaign website includes five goals if elected ag commissioner.
He wants to protect farmland from overdevelopment, introduce measures to keep farming profitable and “not a fight to survive”, push for Florida products in school meals, advocate for conservation and clean water, and ensure everyday Floridians get what they pay for.
One name missing from the candidate list so far is Wilton Simpson, the current Republican agriculture commissioner.
He hasn’t officially entered the race yet and is considering his options, telling the Daytona Beach News-Journal he would make a decision “in the next couple of months.”
The deadline to file paperwork in Florida is June 12.
In October 2025, President Trump endorsed his re-election.
“Wilson is an incredibly effective Voice for Florida Agriculture, and our amazing Farmers and Ranchers,” the president said in a Truth Social post.