Home > Floripedia > State Department of Florida	Site Map

State Department of Florida

Know Florida

Circa 1935

The Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Comptroller. Treasurer, Superintendent of Education, and Commissioner of Agriculture constitute the cabinet of the Florida State Government. These are constitutional officers whose duties are executive.

There are numerous boards and commissions authorized by various legislative acts: some of which are not connected with any cabinet officer other than the Governor, and some are composed of all the cabinet officers, and others are composed of certain members of the cabinet. The Commissioner of Agriculture is a member of the following:

1—Board of Commissioners of State Institutions; 2—Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund; 3— Board of Pardons; 4—Textbook Commission; 5—Budget Commission; 6—Board of the Okeechobee Flood Control District. The above boards are composed of members of the cabinet. The 7th board listed below, is composed of the Governor, the Commissioner of Agriculture and the Marketing Commissioner. The 8th board is composed of Dr. Henry Hanson, W. H. Bryant, G. C. Blume, Avery Guyton and the Commissioner of Agriculture. 7—The State Marketing Board; 8—The Milk Control Board.

These boards and commissions require a great deal of time of members. Many of the affairs of the State government are directed by these executive bodies. The duties connected therewith are in addition to the regular duties of their respective offices.

The office of the Commissioner of Agriculture has nine divisions.

1—The State Marketing Bereau—the Marketing Commissioner is appointed by the Governor on the nomination of the Commissioner of Agriculture.

2—The office of the State Chemist—the State Chemist is appointed by the Governor on the nomination of the Commissioner.

3—The Division of Agriculture and Bureau of Immigration; 4—The Bureau of Inspection; 5—The Land Division; 6—The Field Note Division; 7—The Prison Division; 8—The Dairy Inspection Division; 9—The Citrus Inspection Division.

The Constitution of the State of Florida sets forth the duties of the Commissioner of Agriculture as was authorized in 1885. It says that the Commissioner of Agriculture shall perform

1. "Such duties in relation to agriculture as may be prescribed by law."
2. "Shall have supervision over all matters pertaining to public lands."
3. "Shall keep the bureau of immigration."
4. "Shall have supervision of the State prison."
5. "Shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by law."

From the above it is quite clear that the Commissioner of Agriculture is not limited in his duties to that of the vocation of farming. Any duty which the Legislature may impose upon him will be in accord with the Consitution. He is already Prison Commissioner—and this takes more of his time than any other one division. He is Land Commissioner, Immigration Commissioner and Inspection Commissioner.

Source:
Excerpt from "State Department" Know Florida, Issued by the State Department of Agriculture, Tallahassee, Circa 1935, pg. 2.

Exploring Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2005.