Wilton Simpson, Blaise Ingoglia on hand for JJ Grow’s kickoff

Rep. JJ Grow kicked off his re-election campaign before a host of family and supporters, including two members of the Cabinet. Grow, an Inverness Republican, is seeking his second term in House District 23. With ballot qualifying just two weeks ago, Grow’s lone primary opponent is retired Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Cloud. There are no other candidates. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who both represented Citrus County in the Senate, were on hand to offer support to Grow. “You have to have people with integrity. He’s here to do the work,” Simpson said. “If you have conservative values, you have a great representative. If you have business issues, you have a great representative.” Citrus County Sheriff Dave Vincent expressed support for Grow through video. “He has consistently stood by law enforcement,” Vincent said. “He understands the challenges facing our deputies.” Speaker-Designate Sam Garrison also provided a video boost to Grow. Garrison, whose parents, brother, and sister live in Citrus County, said Grow has a strong future. “The king of Citrus County, that’s what we call him,” Garrison said in the video with Grow at his side. “This is our guy. He’s going to be a leader, not just when I’m Speaker, but long after that.” Grow, speaking to about 280 attendees at Fenco Farms in Floral City, acknowledged the challenges of state politics. “A lot of people say, ‘Are you trying to do good things up there?’ And the politicians in the room will tell you, we are trying to do good things up there. We’re also trying to make sure bad things don’t happen.” Grow said he’s returned millions of dollars to the district in projects, such as septic-to-sewer grants that lower or eliminate the thousands of dollars in hookup fees that residents face. He also announced that both the House and Senate budgets include $750,000 for the expansion of Jessie’s Place, a children’s advocacy center. Grow noted that the Florida Chamber of Commerce lauded him and six other Republican lawmakers with its highest ranking — Distinguished Advocate Award. He said his focus on priorities is the key to lawmaking. “It’s an easy job if we say I’m putting families first, I’m putting my constituents before myself…if you can do those things and make decisions up there, those will be good decisions for your community,” Grow said. “If you find a politician who puts himself before you, find another politician.”