Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of articles examining the use of chemical herbicides to control invasive aquatic plant growth in Lake Okeechobee.

A candidate for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture has made chemical herbicide spraying of Florida waters a campaign issue.

Matt Taylor, aka “Matt the Welder” is a Republican candidate for Commission of Agriculture in the 2026 election. Taylor has been posting videos on social media explaining his reasons for seeking election.

“The top priority? We’re going to end the spraying of herbicide in the Florida waterways,” Taylor explained in an online video on his Facebook page. “The FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) is allowed to spray diquat and glyphosate into our waterways,” Taylor explained.

“They don’t even tell you where they are going to spray beforehand,” he continued. “The FWC is the lead agency for spraying herbicide into our waterways. The Department of Ag though, has the authority to say what chemicals they are allowed to spray.

“I’m going to unregister the chemicals they are using right now and I’m going to bring Rodney Baretto and the FWC to the table. We’re going to get oversight. We’re going to get transparency.”

Taylor has also shared videos of property owners and anglers who voice their own concerns about the herbicide spraying.

In a Dec. 2 interview, Taylor said  he grew up on a small farm in Hillsborough County. "I'm an outdoorsman," he explained. "I just love the wildlife."

He said while enjoying the outdoors, he often ran into fishermen  who shared their concerns about the aquatic spraying, "telling me they (FWC) target the invasive species, but are also killing off the native plants."

He said diquat is sprayed in the Indian River Lagoon.  Research into effects of diquat exposure  is starting to point to neurological disorders,  he continued. "Dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon are starting to show symptoms of neurological disorders."

Taylor said  FWC claims mechanical harvesting to control the spread of invasive plants is too expensive. "We live in a  time where robots deliver packages for Amazon, but there are no innovations for mechanical harvesting?"

While invasive plants are a  problem because they crowd out the native plants, the invasives do help uptake nutrients from the water, he said. The challenge is to find a way to mechanically remove the invasives from the water and efficiently get the plant material back to the shore.

Taylor said the people do not want chemical herbicides in their water.  "If the public tells you they don't want it, and you do it anyway, you're not working for the public," he added.

"It will take everyone continuing to speak out to make a change," he said.

Taylor said he also wants to update Florida’s Greenbelt law so that it is easier for small farmers to get the tax break, but harder for developers to use it to dodge property taxes. “The way we do this is if you get Greenbelt, you give up development rights for X number of years,” he suggested.

NOTE: This is a continuing series. We welcome feedback from the public. Email kelsken@iniusa.org to share your views and photos.

Other stories in this  series include:

Residents who live  on canals oppose herbicide spraying

FWC uses GPS to track spray contractors

Invasive plants disrupt Florida’s food chain

Herbicides sometimes hit native plants

A history of the controversy over spraying

FWC please show us: What’s Happening on My Lake?

Does herbicide spraying impact drinking water?

FWC responds to questions about canal spraying