Florida 500 Includes Citrus Leaders

Several men with strong ties to the citrus industry have been included in the 2025 edition of Florida Trend’s Florida 500. The Florida 500 highlights 500 influential executives from various economic sectors in the state. 

Florida Trend places a high premium on community service and philanthropy when selecting the Florida 500. “We look for individuals to whom others in their communities or industry sectors turn to for leadership or who set a standard for best practices in their sector,” according to Florida Trend.

Those with citrus ties include:

• J. Scott Angle, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, is the leader of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The UF/IFAS research, education and Extension programs have a large impact on the Florida citrus industry. Angle has led the organization for nearly three years.
• Johnnie P. James Jr. is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lykes Bros. The large land-owning company has numerous agricultural interests — including citrus — in Florida and Texas.
• Mike Joyner has been president of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) since 2018. Citrus is one of the Florida agricultural industries that FFVA represents.
• John Kiernan is president and CEO of Alico. Alico has historically been a large citrus grower in Florida, but announced early in 2025 that it was ceasing its citrus operations. Kiernan joined Alico as chief financial officer in 2015 and became CEO in 2019.
• Clint Richardson is vice president of Deseret Ranches of Florida. The 295,000-acre Deseret Ranch in Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties includes citrus. Richardson has been with the company for more than a quarter of a century.

Others included in the Florida 500 from the agriculture industry are Greg Asbed, Ernie Barnett, Michael Basore, Lucas Benitez, Lucy Bowers, Jon Esformes, Pepe Fanjul Jr., Dusty Holley, Alex Johns, Elyse Lipman, Avery Roberts, Jeb Smith and Joche Smith.

See the list of all the Florida 500 honorees here.

Source: Florida Trend