Dr. Trevor Smith
State Plant Regulatory Official / Division Director,
FDACS Division of Plant Industry
Dr. Trevor Smith is the Director of the Division of Plant Industry (DPI), one of the largest and most technical divisions within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Dr. Smith began his career with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 2006 as a Laboratory Technician in Gainesville while working on his Ph.D. He subsequently held positions as the State Survey Coordinator for the Florida Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program and Chief of the Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control. Dr. Smith is also a courtesy Professor with the Entomology and Nematology Department and graduate faculty at the University of Florida. As the Director of the Division of Plant Industry, he is responsible for almost 700 employees in 54 offices from Pensacola to Florida City working to protect Florida’s agriculture and natural resources from exotic plant and honeybee pests and diseases. He is also the State Plant Regulatory Official (SPRO) for Florida and represents the state on pest and disease issues nationally and internationally. He has a Ph.D. and M.S. in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida and a B.S. in biology from the University of Central Florida.
During his tenure with the Department, Dr. Smith has authored and co-authored dozens of publications on invasive species, including, but not limited to, scale insects, whiteflies, stinkbugs, lygus bugs, tephritid fruit flies, the rat lungworm, and invasive land snails. He has worked on and led many major eradication campaigns, such as the cotton seed bug, lime swallowtail, giant African land snail, various Mediterranean fruit fly, and Oriental fruit fly, as well as numerous early detection and rapid-response programs. He also managed numerous successful biological control programs, including tropical soda apple, air potato vine, pink hibiscus mealybug, imported fire ant, cactus moth, Asian citrus psyllid, diaprepes root weevil, Caribbean fruit fly, and various other significant pests and weed control efforts.
Selected Professional Committees:
- National Plant Board Board (NPB), Florida State Plant Regulatory Official
- National Biological Control Task Force (USDA and NPB)
- Strategic Alliance Committee – New Pest Detections (USDA and NPB)
- Citrus Research and Field Trials
- Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) National Program Coordination Group (USDA)
- Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (USDA)
- New Pest Advisory Group (NPAG) National Program Coordination Group (USDA and NPB)
- Plant Protection Act 7721 (Farm Bill) Planning Group (USDA)
- Doctor of Plant Medicine External Advisory Committee (UF-IFAS)
- Center for Biological Control Technical Advisory Committee (FAMU)
