TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox will file paperwork to enter the agriculture commissioner race next week, ending a four-year break from politics.

Maddox, who said he lived on a small farm when growing up south of Miami and whose wife comes from a family that’s farmed for generations, said he will emphasize the consumer services aspect of the job.

“That’s a very important position for Floridians. That job basically regulates most all the things that affects the consumer and I think that’s where that race out to be,” Maddox said. “Of course, you’re there to promote agriculture but consumer services is a huge part of this job.”

Maddox was briefly a candidate for governor before dropping out of the race in 2005 and endorsing eventual nominee Jim Davis, who lost the 2006 general election to Charlie Crist. Similarly, Maddox was a close runner-up in the 2002 primary for attorney general, losing to Buddy Dyer who lost the general election to Crist.

Maddox also served as Tallahassee mayor for 10 years before running the state Democratic Party for two years, leaving in 2005 when he entered the governor’s race. Since then, Maddox has worked at his private law practice, where he represents local governments.

He was in second place in Democratic primary polls when he left the governor’s race among criticism over accounting mistakes at the party. The party was slapped with a lien by the Internal Revenue Service for failing to pay $200,000 in payroll and Social Security taxes in 2003. There were also discrepancies on the party’s balance sheet that needed to be cleared up.

A former statewide prosecutor was hired to investigate the problems and found Maddox was not directly responsible, but that he could have done a better job of hiring the party’s accountant.

“The only blemish on his record turned out to be not a blemish when they found that there were no improprieties,” said former national Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean. “He’s very much of a go-getter who had his career unfairly interrupted and now he has a real opportunity to run for a major office again.”

Current Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, a Republican, can’t run for a third term because of term limits.

Maddox will become the best known name in the Democratic field. Among other Democratic candidates for the position are Audubon of Florida lobbyist Eric Draper and former state Rep. Rick Minton. Republicans seeking the seat include U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow and state Sen. Carey Baker of Eustis.