Maddox Confirms Run for Ag Commissioner

   Former Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox confirmed that he plans to file papers to run for agriculture commissioner, joining former lawmaker Rick Minton and lobbyist Eric Draper, among others, in the Democratic primary. Maddox, who also headed the state Democratic Party, said he'll be a better fundraiser than the current candidates. He said he respects the Democrats already in the race, “but the top one has raised a little over $30,000 and (Republican candidate) Adam Putnam has three-quarters of a million in the bank,” Maddox told The News Service. “I think we'll be competitive.”
   Maddox also burnished his agriculture credentials a bit, noting that he grew up on a farm in Homestead, and that his wife also grew up in farming. “I gave her a pig for our first Christmas,” Maddox said. (Despite the gift, his wife is still with Maddox.) But, he said, the job doesn't have to go to a farmer anyway, although he said he would be a cheerleader for the industry. “It's really about consumer protection,” Maddox said. “It's about protecting the public and consumer affairs."