The FPPC has the best interests of the Florida phosphate industry at heart

THOUGH MANY fewer mining and processing companies are involved than there used to be, the 135-year-old phosphate industry remains an important one in Florida. Looking out for its interests politically, legislatively, and industrially is the Florida Phosphate Political Committee (FPPC).

A statement on the committee’s website — a message from its board of directors — provides a brief history about the organization and its reason for being. The statement reads, in part:

“Since November of 1979 the phosphate industry has come together as a group to educate policy leaders and promote the interests of this industry. The phosphate we mine and the fertilizer we produce is vital to our local and state economy and our nation’s agriculture. As the global population grows, ensuring an adequate food supply is a challenge that the Florida phosphate industry is meeting head-on.

“We are quite literally helping to feed the world.

“We have made great strides. However, in the current political environment it is more critical now than ever for the industry to maintain a strong presence in the political arena. Our industry is a highly technical one with many important issues that need to be understood by policymakers.

“The Florida Phosphate Political Committee is a critical component of ensuring our voice is heard. …”

Phosphate is a key component of agricultural fertilizer. That fact is evident on the FPPC logo, which includes this as the slogan: “Florida Phosphate. So America Grows.”

The FPPC plays much of the role the former Florida Phosphate Council played before it was disbanded on Dec. 31, 2004, following a 40-year run.

Based in Mulberry, the Central Florida home of Safety Solutions & Supply, the FPPC’s anchor members are Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC, and Nutrien, LTD. Mosaic Fertilizer is a subsidiary of The Mosaic Company, the largest U.S. producer of potash and phosphate fertilizer and the largest phosphate company in the world. Nutrien is a Canadian company, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that, according to its website, produces and distributes more than 26 million tons of potash, nitrogen, and phosphate products for agricultural, industrial, and feed customers worldwide.

The FPPC also has nearly 80 associate members, companies that provide supplies and services to the phosphate industry.

Many of the companies the FPPC lists as members and associate members are companies Safety Solutions & Supply helps with safety training and occupational safety and health services, so it’s with pleasure that we support the committee and the venerable industry it represents. Last year, our company participated in the FPPC’s annual Phosphate Spring Conference. The 2018 conference is under way now (April 19-21) at the Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande. The annual conference is open to committee member and associate member companies and vendors to the phosphate industry.

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