SARASOTA – There wasn’t much agriculture in Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s speech to Sarasota business leaders Thursday.

Much of the 30-minute address focused on improving the state’s education system and other ways to boost the economy.

That’s because Putnam is looking beyond his current role at a possible bid for governor in 2018. So he talked about the need to develop “world-class research universities” in Florida, improve vocational education, attract more manufacturing jobs and other proposals that could form the policy basis of a bid to take over the governor’s mansion.