Two outlooks, but only one state job

TALLAHASSEE -- Adam Putnam and Scott Maddox both want to be Florida's next commissioner of agriculture, but their campaign rhetoric makes it sound like they're running for two separate jobs.

A Democratic lawyer from Tallahassee, Maddox says at least 75 percent of the office is focused on consumer protection. In campaign materials and interviews, he stresses the full name of the agency he would lead: the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

``People view this office as farmer-in-chief, and that's not what it does,'' Maddox said.

Putnam, a Republican congressman from Bartow, underscores his deep roots in agriculture and says consumer issues are one of several key job responsibilities.

``If you're going to be prepared to take the job from day one and take the department to the next level, you need to be comprehensive in your approach,'' he said.

Putnam's campaign signs, like the ballots millions of voters will see, use only the shorthand Department of Agriculture. While underscoring the importance of consumer issues, Putnam said Maddox is focused nearly ``exclusively on the consumer piece of the job.''

Both candidates are relatively young and ambitious. While still in law school at Florida State University, Maddox was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission and became the city's youngest mayor at age 28.

Maddox also had stints as president of the Florida League of Cities and chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. He lost the Democratic primary for attorney general in 2002 and made a brief run for governor in 2005.

He quit that race after an audit revealed that the party, under his watch, neglected to pay $200,000 in federal payroll taxes. The audit did not specifically fault Maddox but said he could have shown more oversight.

Putnam was elected to the Florida House right out of college and won his Polk County-based congressional seat at age 26. A member of the Financial Services committee, Putnam helped write the 2008 farm bill and drafted food safety legislation that passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Putnam, 36, grew up on his family's citrus and cattle farm and owns a 20 percent interest in it. He also studied food and resource economics at UF.

Maddox, 42, doesn't have an extensive agricultural background, though he grew up on a small farm in Homestead and later moved to rural Leon County.

A recent Mason-Dixon Polling and Research survey showed Putnam with a nine-point lead over Maddox, with many undecided voters.

Off-shore oil drilling provides another distinction between the candidates. Under a 2009 bill that cleared the state House but stalled in the Senate, the Cabinet would have to decide whether to lease portions of state-owned water to oil companies.

Maddox has long opposed drilling in Florida waters, calling it shortsighted. Before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill he held several anti-drilling events.

Putnam says he opposes ``near-shore drilling.'' In Congress, he supported opening more federal Florida waters to drilling and says the U.S. should invest in both oil exploration and alternative energy.

Roughly half of the department's $300 million budget covers consumer protection.

Lee Logan can be reached at llogan@sptimes.com.

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