Doyle E. Carlton Jr.
Doyle E. Carlton Jr., 68, is a lifelong cattleman and a former member of the Florida Senate where he was chosen Outstanding Freshman Senator in 1953, and received the St. Petersburg Times award as outstanding member in the 1959 session. As senator, Carlton was able to persuade two-thirds of the Senate to support an appropriation to fund the Osceola County pilot program for the eradication of the screwworm fly, a major and costly pest. This was the first successful application of sterile male fly technology which was developed by Dr. Ed Knipling of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With state and federal efforts, screwworms were eradicated from Florida within a few years. Carlton, whose father Doyle Elam Carlton Sr. served as governor, was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1960, losing to Gov. C. Farris Bryant in the second primary. He has been a major contributor to Florida agriculture, serving as chairman of the Florida State Fair Authority for 11 years, during which attendance grew from some 176,000 to a record 876,934 in 1988. Major additions were made to the Fair during his tenure, including Cracker Country, a link to the Florida past, and major exhibition facilities. He also serves as chairman of the board of Havatampa Corp. and is a member of the board of United Telephone Co. of Florida. He is a member of the boards of trustees of the University of Tampa and Stetson University, Deland. Carlton attended the University of Florida before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. He received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award in 1955, the coveted Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services External Distinguished Service Award in 1981, the D. B. McKay Award Extraordinaire from the Tampa Historical Society in 1987 for his contributions to Florida history, the White Hat Award in 1988 from the Agribusiness Institute of Florida, and in 1990 he received the Charles P. Lykes Award for Champion steer and the Florida Cattlemen's Award as breeder of the Grand Champion carcass selected from over 800 entries.
