Juice agency feels squeeze

Shannon Shepp faces some serious challenges in her new gig at the helm of the Florida Department of Citrus, based in Polk County.

She'll come face-to-face with two almost immediately. One is a recent report in The Journal of Clinical Oncology that showed a possible link between orange juice and skin cancer. The other is the on-going greening issue. Both of those complicate the agency's core mission: marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry.

There's also the fact that Shepp's recent promotion wasn't planned, but required after the previous executive director, Doug Ackerman, left because of a DUI arrest.

Shepp is undeterred. “I have confidence in the team and programs we have in place, and I am confident that the commission will continue to chart our industry's way forward. We won't miss a beat,” she says.

The Florida Citrus Commission named Shepp interim executive director in late July. Until this appointment, Shepp, 46, was the FDOC's deputy executive director of operations and research. Prior to her arrival in 2013, she was a top agriculture official under Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. With a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications/Public Relations from USF and an associate degree from St. Petersburg Junior College, Shepp also previously ran government affairs for the Polk County Builders Association.

“We know it will be full of challenges, but we also know that we have the people and programs in place to make a difference,” Shepp tells Coffee Talk. “Florida's citrus growers deserve and expect nothing less.”