Joey Mendoza Atkins

About the candidate

Commissioner of Agriculture candidate • Democratic Party • Submitted October 8, 2026 • Campaign contact: Joey Mendoza Atkins, (561) 718-7244 • joeyforflorida.com

Biography

A proud lifelong Floridian, Joey spent the past decade working for small businesses in Miami, and grew up in Palm Beach County. Currently he's a practicing Tampa based trial attorney with experience in Legal Aid for farmworkers and DACA recipients, family law, and business litigation. His policy experience includes work with the UN Global Compact, working with CEOs and businesses to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, including on labour, the environment and anti-corruption. He Majored in Political Science with a Minor in Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and holds an MA from the Milano School of Policy, Management and Environment.

Response: Reducing the clemency application backlog

In my first year I would focus on the following initial three priorities to reduce the backlog: 1) modernize the application pipeline through the Office of Executive Clemency to digitize records, verify sentence completion faster, and sort applications by time elapsed since completion. 2) Allocate dedicated field investigators from the Florida Commission on Offender Review to clear legacy files and separate low-risk non-violent applicants from complex cases, and 3) set statutory or internal performance metrics for application screening so returning citizens receive a disposition within a predictable window rather than waiting years.

Questionnaire responses: Questions 2–5

2. Restoring civil rights without an application

Would you support restoring civil rights without an application for people who meet the eligibility requirements?

Candidate response: Yes

3. Restoring firearm rights

Would you support a path to restore firearm rights for people with nonviolent felony convictions who have completed their sentences?

Candidate response: Yes

4. Clemency Board accountability and community partnerships

For years, community-based organizations have played an important role in helping Floridians understand clemency, navigate the application process, and avoid having applications rejected simply because people did not understand the process. Will you commit to holding the Clemency Board accountable for consistently holding its required meetings and, just as importantly, re-establishing meaningful partnerships with community-based organizations to educate the public about clemency and provide clear guidance on how to apply properly?

Candidate response: Yes

5. Concealed weapon licensing after restoration of firearm rights

Your department issues concealed weapon licenses. If a person’s firearm rights have been restored through clemency, would your department treat that person as fully eligible to apply?

Candidate response: Yes

Response: Occupational licensing and reentry employment opportunities

I would focus on removing regulatory barriers, expanding in-prison training, and incentivizing Ag employers, including establishing a transparent "pre-determination" process enabling returning citizens to see if their record disqualifies them before they spend time and money on required training or schooling, and allowing them to receive provisional or supervised licenses while they complete probation or transition back into the workforce. I’d also look to expand partnerships with UF IFAS and others to offer certified training programs inside correctional facilities. I’d also look into returning citizens receiving provisional or supervised licenses while they complete probation or transition back into the workforce and programs that help to connect them directly to employers upon release.