Florida: Ride Along with Plant and Insect Experts

I don’t know about other public information offices, but we at the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Division of Plant Industry have a heck of a time getting our good news stories covered. Of course, the stories have to be told in order for them to be covered.


And, being a member of the Florida Public Relations Association, I am always thinking about Golden Image Award entries also – you know, win/win stuff.

So once the canker eradication program ended and there was actually some time to be pro-active, we started discussing ways to engage the media by educating them about the wide range of important work that DPI does on a routine basis.

We thought if we could bring the media to our headquarters facility in Gainesville where we have all sorts of cool stuff like one of the world’s largest arthropod museums including over 8.5 million pinned specimens; a biological control facility that rears insects like phorid flies that parasitize fire ants, eventually causing the ants’ heads to fall off; and many experts in the fields of botany, plant pathology and entomology, that we might attract reporters from around the state with promises of great story ideas and photo ops.

Using the textbook public relations’ criteria for strategic planning, we started with research. We sent out a survey via Survey Monkey to over 200 garden and ag business reporters. We received a respectable 15% response and learned that travel time and tight budgets would probably prevent most from attending – though there was considerable interest in learning more about DPI.

We then thought if they can’t come to us, how about if we go to them. That’s how the idea for Ride Along with Plant and Insect Experts was born. We have plant and apiary inspectors, plant pathologists, entomologists and botanists throughout the state that could spend one-on-one time with reporters and take them along as they go about the business of protecting Florida’s agricultural industry and natural areas.

The Division certifies over 9,000 Florida nurseries, catalogues Florida’s native, endangered, and invasive plants, finds natural solutions to plant pest and disease problems through the rearing and release of biological control methods, certifies and inspects over 200,000 honey bee colonies, protects Florida’s valuable citrus germplasm for the production of horticulturally superior citrus trees, and provides oversight of ports and road guard inspection stations to observe first hand how cargo entering the state is inspected for pests and diseases.

The intent of our Ride-Along Program is to provide ‘vehicles’ to further educate the public about plant pests and diseases. Scientists estimate that one new plant pest or disease is introduced into Florida every month. An informed and observant public can help us prevent future introductions and notify us if they see any unusual plant pests or plant disease symptoms.

The Ride Alongs are being offered on a regional basis, providing story material that is relevant to local audiences.

We sent the initial invitation out (via email) the first part of June. The response has been slow so far, but we will not be deterred. We will follow up with calls and are determined to sign up a minimum of 5 reporters (one from each region of Florida) that will hopefully result in 10 stories in major publications over a six month period (measurable goals). We could shoot higher, but I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. Wish us luck, we’ll keep you posted.
-- Denise Feiber