Nikki Fried
(TALLAHASSEE, FL/NSF) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Tuesday her office was notified that Gov. Ron DeSantis canceled a scheduled June 28 meeting of the Florida Cabinet and a June 29 meeting of the state Board of Executive Clemency.
The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fried, the only Democrat on the Cabinet and a candidate for governor this year, said in a news release that DeSantis’ office did not explain why the meetings were canceled. The Cabinet meeting would have been the second for DeSantis and members of the Cabinet — Fried, Attorney General Ashley Moody and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — since September. The other meeting was in March.
Fried, who has frequently clashed with DeSantis over Cabinet-related issues, criticized the cancellation. “While not surprising given the number of Cabinet and Clemency Board meetings canceled without cause by Governor DeSantis over the years, his continued unwillingness to do his job and focus on the urgent challenges facing our state is an insult to the people of Florida,” Fried said in a prepared statement.
