Having grown up in the "north" (45 minutes southwest of Chicago), a redneck was a farmer.
Possibly different regional interpretations.
I'm not a huge fan of Wikipedia, but their definition fits how people I know would feel about being called a "redneck":
The term redneck is a derogatory term chiefly used for a rural poor white person of the Southern United States.[1][2] Its usage is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Georgia and Florida), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks),[3] and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality).[4][5][6]
By the 1970s, the term had become offensive slang, and its meaning had expanded to mean bigoted, loutish, and opposed to modern ways.[7]
Patrick Huber has emphasized the theme of masculinity in the continued expansion of the term in the 20th century, noting, "The redneck has been stereotyped in the media and popular culture as a poor, dirty, uneducated, and racist Southern white man."[8]
Calling someone "white trash", "...bigoted and loutish...", and "...poor, dirty, uneducated, and racist..." is not a way to be civil in the FL.
It has NOTHING to do with being a farmer. Were you really not aware of the present (last 40+ years) meaning of the term?