Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried lashed out again at House Republican leaders as lawmakers moved forward with a proposal to shift the state Office of Energy out of her department.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a budget-related bill (HB 5401) that would move the Office of Energy from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to the Department of Environmental Protection, which is under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Before the committee voted, Fried, the only Democrat elected statewide, held a news conference to repeat a charge that the proposed move is a political "power grab." She also criticized another part of the House budget plan that would block nearly $20 million until her department replaces gas-pump stickers that feature a picture of her face.