ROBERT COKER

RETIRED, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, U.S. SUGAR, Clewiston

Coker stepped aside at year-end 2023 after more than four decades at the sugar industry giant where he served as head of communications and lobbying and oversaw corporate philanthropy. He was named Ag Lobbyist of the Year a number of times, and his influence stretched from Tallahassee to Washington D.C. on behalf of the sugar, corn and citrus- growing company. He helped defeat the Penny-A-Pound sugar tax in 1996 and helped form environmental policy in the state, notably the Everglades Forever Act and the multidecade, multibillion-dollar Everglades restoration plan. He also was a big supporter of the Clewiston Sugar Festival. A Gainesville native, he earned degrees in political science and public administration from Florida State University.