FDACS modernizes infrastructure using Azure to cut costs and boost relief

Floridians rely on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) for a vast range of essential services, from wildfire prevention and disaster relief to food safety and consumer protection. As the state’s population grows and expectations for timely, reliable service rise, FDACS faces mounting pressure to deliver more—faster and more efficiently—while being a careful steward of public funds. Yet the department was constrained by aging infrastructure and a patchwork of longstanding applications, making it increasingly difficult to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of citizens each year.

Recognizing these challenges, Commissioner Wilton Simpson—a lifelong farmer with deep roots in Florida’s agricultural community—stepped into leadership with a clear vision for transformation. Upon his election, Simpson discovered that each of FDACS’s 21 divisions operated on its own technology platform, creating silos and inefficiencies across the agency. He assembled a leadership team committed to building real, sustainable systems that could maximize limited resources and improve services for staff, constituents, and communities statewide.

From vision to action 

Under Simpson’s strategic oversight, FDACS worked with Microsoft to modernize its infrastructure, improve security, and streamline application development. Eric Brown, CIO at Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, led the technical execution. By adopting Microsoft Azure VMware Solution, FDACS was able to migrate its on-premises VMware workloads to Azure with minimal refactoring and downtime, decreased latency, and the ability to forge a path for future innovation on Azure. Additionally, it adopted Microsoft 365 E5 and Microsoft Sentinel to help provide enterprise-grade security and support compliance.

FDACS has developed several digital solutions. For example, when the Florida Legislature approved the Hurricane Idalia Silviculture Recovery Program, FDACS needed to act fast to get relief into the hands of foresters quickly. Using Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Dynamics 365 Field Service, and Microsoft Power Platform, the program launched in just 7 to 10 days. Forestland owners can apply online—no paperwork and no long wait times. The department disbursed $75 million in disaster relief through this effort.

The Florida Forestry Association, whose members rely on FDACS especially after natural disasters, stressed the importance of timely disaster relief. “When 25 years of timber is lost overnight, landowners are devastated,” says Avery Roberts, President of the Florida Forestry Association. “They must act fast to clear land, replant, and prevent further damage.” Thanks to FDACS’s modernized systems, storm damage data was collected in just 30 to 60 days, down from months or even a year prior to the modernization. As a result, relief applications were processed more quickly, checks reached landowners within weeks, and recovery was accelerated at a time when it was needed most.

Scaling innovation with a trusted cloud platform

The Microsoft platform provided FDACS the solutions to modernize the entire agency application portfolio in less time and less cost.

For FDACS, modernization wasn’t just about moving faster; it was about building long-term resilience. By migrating its infrastructure to Azure and standardizing its application development on Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, the agency created a foundation it could trust. 

“The Microsoft platform provided FDACS the solutions to modernize the entire agency application portfolio in less time and less cost. While other agencies have spent upwards of a hundred million dollars or more to modernize single systems within an agency, we have spent under $14 million to date modernizing our entire application infrastructure,” says Brown.

FDACS reduced power consumption annually, saving more than $100,000 each year. Patch compliance improved by 80%, meaning most systems are consistently running the latest security updates, reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening the agency’s defense posture. These upgrades have made FDACS more secure, more stable, and more sustainable.

Just as important, innovation is happening where it matters most. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program grew by 118%, conserving 210,000 acres of agricultural land in just 2 years. The scale of the response was not possible before the modernization efforts.

With Microsoft, FDACS isn’t just modernizing government—it’s redefining what public service can look like. “Trust with our citizens is earned through action. By modernizing our systems with the help of Microsoft, we are protecting our people and our natural resources,” concludes Simpson.

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