![State Representative Matt Caldwell (left) talks with County Commissioner Graham Fountain (middle) and Mayor David Cadle (right). Caldwell is running for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. [AARON JACOBS|NEWS BULLETIN]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-6a0c085b-7c58-1ae2-e053-0100007f3572-a0e7ab76.jpeg)
CRESTVIEW — A candidate for state Commissioner of Agriculture passed through Crestview Monday on the campaign trail.
Matt Caldwell stopped at Hub City Smokehouse in Crestview on April 16 for a roundtable with officials from the city and county. He also made an appearance at the Okaloosa County Republican Executive Committee meeting Monday evening in Niceville.
Caldwell is currently the state representative for Florida’s 79th District, which covers the northern part of Lee County in Southwest Florida. He announced his candidacy to replace Adam Putnam as agriculture commissioner in May of last year. Putnam is running for Governor this year.
“This morning was to get with community leaders, making sure I’ve got a good understanding of what’s important here in Crestview and Okaloosa,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell said he is committed to visiting Northwest Florida at least once a month while on the campaign trail. To date, he says he’s traveled nearly 60,000 miles crisscrossing the state.
The issues that are important to people in Northwest Florida, Caldwell said, are the same as they are in the rest of the state.
“The issues really aren’t that different. Fundamentally, all people want to make sure that they’ve got a secure future and that their kids have a secure future.”
One issue Caldwell feels is important to Northwest Florida as well as the rest of the state is water policy.
“It has been one of my signature issues in my eight years in the legislature. Looking forward with a state that’s growing as much as we are – a thousand people a day – making sure you put in the right policy and the right infrastructure so that the urban sector is able to be successful without putting the squeeze on rural Florida.”
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees a wide range of areas including business services, forests and wildfire, energy and even the concealed weapons program.
“People really view that office as the second amendment office in the cabinet, and I’ve got a very strong record when it comes to that,” Caldwell said.
On his campaign website, Caldwell writes that he’s running to protect Floridians’ second amendment rights, natural resources and property rights.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Agriculture candidate stops in Crestview