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Senate President Wilton Simpson
By Alix Miller No place was better for Senate President Wilton Simpson’s photoshoot for Florida Truck News than on a farm. His warm eyes and welcoming smile would make everyone from age 3 to 93, imagine themselves sitting on a front porch with him: a glass of sweet tea, the sun setting over a beautiful expanse of Florida farmland and good conversation. I immediately sensed a feeling of calm. A successful agricultural businessman and entrepreneur, Simpson is just as comfortable (and formidable) when walking the halls of the state Capitol or presiding over the Florida Senate. For good reason. He understands Florida—the people, the history and its pulse like few others. Simpson was adopted at age six and spent much of his childhood on an egg farm in Trilby, Florida in Pasco County. Before moving to Trilby, his first job was for his father’s paint contracting business. His most valuable education was working on his family farm starting at age 11—every day, before and after school. The tradition and importance of hard work and learning how to run a farm and business were an education and fostered a lifestyle worth preserving. Family life is just as important to Simpson today, as he and his wife Kathy live near his daughter Lauran and her husband Kenton. Proximity allows for plenty of time with his granddaughters and the light of their lives, Addy (6) and Emy (3). Their son Wilton, Jr. also lives right down the road, and all are looking forward to officially welcoming his fiancée Caroline to the family at the end of April. Simpson has owned and operated several businesses including an environmental services company, which specializes in asbestos removal, mold remediation, and general contracting. He has also owned a number of farms, primarily egg farms, but also citrus, including his farm in Trilby—a largescale egg-laying operation that supplies eggs for Florida’s families through supermarkets all over the state. I couldn’t help but recognize how his childhood and work ethic mapped out his trajectory and placed him right where he belongs today. Was there a specific moment or event that made you want to enter politics? When you start working at a very young age, like we did in my family, you learn really early on about the impacts of government in every aspect of business, so serving in government was something I always thought about. I wanted to make it easier for blue collar workers like me and my family. There are limited circumstances when government intervention and regulation are necessary, but, more often than not, government needs to just get out of the way and let people do their jobs, run their businesses and make a living. I came here with no government experience. I wasn’t born into a political family. I grew up working and was paying Social Security taxes before I had a driver’s license. When I got to Tallahassee, it didn’t take me long to figure out that there are a lot of people here who understand the inner workings of government, but too few who have direct, hands-on, day-to-day experience with running a business. There is great honor in government service, and I respect those who spend their careers in public life. However, in general I think politicians spend too much time focusing on the celebrity and prestige associated with elected service and forget about the quiet dignity of a hard day’s work. I wanted to be a voice for the working men and women of our state. Is there a philosophy by which you live your life? Hakuna Matata – No Worries. Bad things do happen, but most of the time they aren’t the things you spend your time worrying about. If you know that you worked hard, made your best effort, prepared yourself as best as you could, there is no need to worry. Also, my Dad used to say “if you want to be successful you have to work at least a half day every day,” and we all know how many hours are in a day.
What role has trucking played in your business? Trucking is the lifeblood of any agriculture business. On my farm we have a fleet of trucks that transport 24 million dozen eggs a year to supermarkets across the state. But, trucking is more than just the parts of the business that you see. It’s also the things hardly anyone sees or thinks about. We are feeding a million chickens every day, so we rely on a fleet of trucks that deliver 100 tons of chicken feed daily. We are also trucking in the fuel, the packaging, cartons, flats, cleaning materials, all the raw materials that we need to run the farm from day to day. You really can’t overstate the importance of trucking in Florida, and the pandemic has highlighted that even more for people who maybe didn’t think about it before. We have seen the development of the so-called “Zoom Class” of workers whose jobs more easily transitioned to a work from home scenario during the lock down. I have nothing against working from home, but the reality is the only way that works is because farmers and truckers are not working from home. The only way 70 percent of society could lockdown and order groceries, cleaning supplies, clothing, and anything else you can think of online is because we had farmers and truckers who continued to work. We often talk about our healthcare workers as the heroes of the pandemic, and they are, but there is also a lot to be said for the blue-collar men and women whose hard work enabled everyone else to stay home and stay safe. Trucking is critical. That’s one reason it is shocking to see that in Washington they are considering a per mile tax on commercial trucks, which is going to do nothing but drive up the cost of goods for everyone. I was pleased to see the trucking industry push back against that idea. Your biggest accomplishment? I’ve been very blessed and had many great successes in business, and now in politics, and with that comes the
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ability to help others along the way. However, nothing compares to the blessing of family. Politics can give you a big head. That’s why I come home as often as I can. Being called “Mr. President” around Tallahassee is quite an honor, but it does pale in comparison to being called “Papa” and spending time on the farm with Addy and Emy. What is the biggest challenge the Legislature will face this year? The budget is certainly going to put some constraints on us that didn’t exist a year ago. Right now, things aren’t looking as bad as they once did, and federal funding has been a part of that. But none of that funding is recurring. We have quite a bit more federal funding coming our way with the new federal relief act that just passed. In my view, our priority should be to reinvigorate this economy. We can do that with dynamic, one-time investments in our shovel-ready road projects and our water infrastructure. I believe we also ought to replenish our unemployment trust fund which would be a major tax cut for our Florida businesses. The balance of funds should go into our state reserves. What are your overall goals during your time as Senate President?
I’ve always disagreed with the view that presiding officers need to have some kind of checklist to determine whether or not they have been successful. To me the job is more about being responsive to the needs at hand. The pandemic has changed so many aspects of our lives in ways no one could have imagined, and so a lot of our work this session is going to be to address those issues – from the budget deficit I mentioned, to passing liability protections for businesses that are trying to safely reopen, to protecting our healthcare providers who have gone over and above the call of duty to help our citizens, there is a lot of work to be done. I also established a select committee to take a look at areas, like our unemployment system, where government fell short, so that we can be better prepared in the future. A personal priority of mine is fixing our child welfare system. The pandemic has created a tough budget year, but this is one area where we really have to step up. There’s so much potential in each and every child, but some are weighed down with issues that keep them from reaching it. Dollars wisely spent on the front end are dollars saved – more importantly lives that are saved through the opportunities created. Government makes a horrible parent, but I think there are ways we can make it easier for loving adults to help children in need. I also realize there is a need to restore the honor associated with our “blue collar” workers. There is value and, quite frankly, high wages in jobs that do not require a four-year degree. I think there is a damaging narrative in our culture that promotes so-called “white collar” jobs that require a university degree as more important and more valuable than “blue collar” jobs that require a two-year degree or certificate. There is more we can do to incentivize students to enter in to the high wage and high value jobs our communities need, regardless of whether or not those jobs require a university degree. What comes next? Most people in my district, let alone the rest of the state, don’t know who I am, and that is fine with me. I’m not worried about what comes next. My goal is to look back on this time and know that I used my experience as an adopted child, a farmer, a business owner, and an entrepreneur to be voice for children in state care and for the hard-working “blue collar” men and women who are the backbone of our state workforce. Photos by Norma Molina
