FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Below is an excerpt on the FSBA history written by Laurence Cutts
Early Florida beekeepers moved their colonies from one honey flow to another long before migratory beekeeping was practiced elsewhere. These movements were by boat. Bees moved from the tupelo swamps to the farm land by steamboat. They also moved from the mainland to the keys by boat. Migratory movement has always presented a risk. Truck loads today may be lost to a wreck. A beekeeper at Pensacola was reported to have lost a boatload of bees when a sudden squall caught him in Pensacola Bay (Hawkins, 1920).
Apiary Inspection was created by Legislative Act on June 9, 1919. The Plant Commissioner in 1919, Dr. Wilmon Newell, was experienced in bee diseases, having been in charge of the Texas program for five years. He appointed Mr. C. E. Bartholomew as the first State Inspector and assisted him with inspections the first year (Morse, 1955). Initial inspections were in the Apalachicola river region which was reported to have more bees than any other area of the state. The tupelo honey produced in this region was valued at this time as a good honey to blend with other varieties of honey to retard granulation (Newell, 1920). Beekeeping in this area was also enhanced by steamboat transportation and bees were routinely moved into Alabama and Georgia for the summer and back into Florida for the spring. The number of colonies in the area coupled with the migratory nature of beekeeping there made the spread of disease a major concern. The finding of disease in one large apiary in 1918 caused beekeepers there to petition the legislature for an apiary inspection program with laws that would help prevent the movement of diseased colonies into Florida.
The Florida State Beekeepers Association was organized at Gainesville on October 6, 1920. It was anticipated that it would make for rapid improvement in the beekeeping industry of Florida ( Newell, 1921). A report of the organizational meeting states that a group of 100 enthusiastic beekeepers from all over the state were in attendance. The first officers were: J. W. Barney of Bradenton, President; F. K. Isbell of Wewahitchka, Vice President; K. E. Bragdon of Cocoa, Secretary; and J. R. Hunter of Wewahitchka, Treasurer. It is also stated that the establishment of the state association followed the organization of several strong local associations. On the same page is a classified ad for 2 or 3 frame nuclei from the Sarasota Bee Company, the beginning of a segment of the beekeeping industry that became a major part of the industry here in later years (Anonymous, 1921).
PAST FSBA PRESIDENTS
FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
Past FSBA presidents and their years of tenure.
1920-1929 J.W. Barney
1930 W.V. Blanton
1931-1933 Dr. Waldo Horton
1934-1941 L.M. Dewey
1942-1943 L.M. Lewis
1944-1945 W.C. Milton
1946 John Wilbanks
1947-1948 Paul Cutts
1949 F.C. Markham
1950 C. Wade
1951 Orren Davis
1952 R.L. Leath
1953 Roy Novinger
1954 Ralph Wadlow
1955-1956 Millard Coggshall
1957-1958 David Phillips
1959-1960 Felix Uzzell
1961-1962 G.E. Tanner
1963 H.E. Orelup
1964 G.E. Tanner
1965 Wayne Judan
1966 Vern Davis
1967 Ross J. Haynes
1968-1970 Ray Bailey
1971-1972 Frank Robinson
1973 Laurence Cutts
1974-1975 Bill Craft
1976-1977 Felix Uzell
1978-1979 Phil Packard
1980-1981 Bill Sherman
1982-1983 Bill Merritt
1984-1985 Frank Randall
1986-1987 Hank Will
1988 Frank Randall
1989-1990 Conrad Cramer
1991-1992 Ralph Russ
1993-1994 John Westervelt
1995-1996 Robert Kelly
1997-1998 Charlotte Randall
1999 Earl Russell
2000-2003 Elmore Herman
2004-2005 Laurence Cutts
2006-2007 Elmore Herman
2008 Laurence Cutts
2009 Reno Plenge
2010 Tommy Duggar
2011-2012 Gary Ranker
2013 Keith Councell
2014-2015 Tom Nolan
2016-2017 Tony Hogg
2018-2020 Jennifer Holmes
2021 Brandon Stanford
2022 Brandon Stanford & John Coldwell 2023-2024 John Coldwell
2025-2026 Colby Sadler
FLORIDA HONEY QUEENS
FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
HUBBARD AWARD COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Florida Honey Queens Duties are to represent the Florida State Beekeepers Association and Local Beekeeper Associations when asked.
1949-1950 Mildred O'Neal
1950-1951 Lewis
1951-1953 Louise Larkin
1954-1955 Joan Gaskin
1956-1957 Dorthy Prescott
1957-1958 Judy Whitely
1959-1960 Mary Frances Rigney
1960-1961 Pat McGinnis American Honey Princess then Queen
1961-1962 Mary Alice Boykin
1962-1963 Janell K. Johnson
1963-1964 Gail Latham
1964-1965 Karen Ann Roeter
1965-1966 Elizabeth Pardow
1967-1968 Evelyn Christian
1968-1969 Cathy Hitchman
1969-1970 Roxanne Herrington
1970-1971 Jan Ward
1971-1972 Kathy Brenner
1972-1973 Sharon Revell
1973-1974 Susan Harris - American Honey Queen
1974-1975 Pamela Lane
1974-1975 Miss Sunflavor
1974-1975 Renee Cutts
1975-1976 Beth Scovil
1976-1977 Sandra Whitfield
1977-1978 Jill Jacobs
1977-1978 Kelly Gowan
1978-1979 Lorna Biondi
1979-1980 Kimberly Gainey American Honey Queen
1980-1981 Robin Kyle
1981-1982 Grace Jones
1982-1983 Carol Tschida American Honey Queen
1983-1984 Crystal Jones American Honey Princess
1984-1985 Alicia Watson
1985-1986 Leah Fischer
1986-1988 Cindy Riggs
1989-1990 Rachel Roach
1992-1993 Chris Prettyman
1993-1994 Carolyn Burnett
1994-1996 Tori McGlon
1997 Kim Hall
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010 Jayla Gillaspie
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017 Susannah Austin
2018 Susannah Austin American Honey Queen
2018 WinDi
2019
2020
2021
2022 Selena Rampolla
2023 Selena Rampolla American Honey Queen
2024
2025 Camryn Brown
2026
HUBBARD AWARD COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR
HUBBARD AWARD COMMERCIAL BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR
This award was Given to the beekeeper that made his sole living from beekeeping and contributed to the Association Not awarded after 1990
1971 Ray Bailey
1972 Felix Uzell
1973 Arthur Brady
1974 Paul Cutts
1975 Bill Craft
1976 D.P. Green
1977 George Curtis
1978 Jourdian Demuth
1979 Phil Packard
1980 Marvin Brown
1981 Bill Shearman
1982 Laurence Cutts
1983 Conrad Cramer
1984 George Lorton
1985 Bill Merritt
1986 Earl Escot
1987 Phil Packard
1988 Dr. Harvey Cromroy
1989 Ralph Russ
1990 Dr. Glenn Hall
Not awarded after 1990
BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Currently given to the beekeeper who has contributed the most to beekeeping, and the FSBA feels justly deserves recognition.
1982 Vern Davis
1983 Floyd Moore
1984 Jim Moore 1
985 Frank Robinson
1986 Marvin Brown
1987 Bill Shearman
1988 Charlotte Randall
1989 Frank Randall
1990 Jimmy Cook
1991 Ralph Wadlow
1992 Horace Bell
1993 Conrad Cramer
1994 Tony York
1995 David K. McGinnis
1996 Peter Fonda AKA Ulee Jackson
1997 Joe Bradley
1998 Ralph Russ
1999 William "Bill" Roberts
2000
2001 Bert and Vernon Gwaltney
2002 Malcolm "Doc" Bullard
2003
2004
2005 Lee Del Signore
2006 Rodney Jones
2007 Bert Kelley
2008
2009
2010 Gary Ranker
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
WOMAN/BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Given to the woman that has helped the Association the most in the past year. This woman's name is also forwarded to the State Department of Agriculture where she is put in as a nominee for the Florida Woman of the Year in Agriculture.
1987 Charlotte Randall
1988 Heidi Nixson
1989 Hazel Will
1990 Eloise Cutts
1991 Carlene Croft
1992 Luella Bell
1993 Betsy Woodward
1994 Essie Mashburn
1995 Josephine Emde
1996 Maria Hall
1997 Charlotte Randal
1998 Sylvia Bullard
1999 Mary Faye Roberts
2001 Vernon Gwaltney
2002
2003
2004
2005 Carolee Howe
2006 Sylvia Bullard
2007 Nancy Gentry
2008
2009 Beth Fox
2010 Caryl Kelley
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
PIONEER AWARD
ANNUAL MEETING - CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by the Randall Family Established in the memory of Frank Randall, Past president of the Florida State Beekeepers Association, member of the Board of Directors of the Sioux Honey Association, Director to the American Beekeepers Federation.
Awarded to some of our older members for their contribution to the State Association in past years, and maybe have not been recognized for their many hours of work bofore.
1996 Felix Uzell
1997 Ed Russ
1998 James H. "Jimmy" Cook
1999 Conrad Cramer
2000 Malcolm "Doc" Bullard
2002 Millard Coggshall
2003 Malcolm "Doc" Bullard
2006 John Westervelt
2010 Frank Robinson
RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
ANNUAL MEETING - CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by: Groeb Farms, Inc. Belleview, FL
Given to the person that has done the most for Florida beekeepers in the line of research
1991 Dr. Scott Yocum
1992 Dr. Harvey Cromroy
1993 Dr. Orley Taylor
1994 Dr. Glenn Hall
1995 Dr. Keith Delaplane
1996 Mr. Dean Breaux
1997 David Westervelt
1998 Patti Elzen & James Baxter
1999 David Westervelt
2000 Dr. Peter Teal
2001
2002
2003 David Miksa
2004
2005
2006 Jim Amrine/Bob Noel
2007 Dr. James Ellis
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
ANNUAL MEETING - CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
ANNUAL MEETING - CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
ANNUAL MEETING - CONFERENCE LOCATIONS
The FSBA Annual Meeting and Conference is a yearly event to unite all the Florida Beekeepers for industry updates, FSBA board elections and discuss & decide the plans for the following year(s).
2013 Tampa
2016 Gainesville
2018 Gainesville
2022 Gainesville
2023 Orange County/Orlando
2024 Ocala
2025 Kissimmee
2026 Howey in the Hills
2027 Howey in the Hills
2028 Howey in the Hills