DOVER, Fla — A week after Hurricane Milton, strawberry farmers in Plant City and Hillsborough County are back to planting ahead of the busy winter season, but several storms in the past few months have dealt a major blow to the agriculture industry statewide.
“When you talk about $2.5 to $3 billion in destruction, you’re talking about infrastructure, you’re talking about 18 to 36 months just to get back on your feet,” said Florida Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
Simpson announced zero-interest loans are now available for farmers impacted by Milton or Helene to make some repairs before federal funds are dispersed down.
“We need those federal resources because [the issues are] going to squeeze the small farmers first,” Simpson added.
Simpson joined Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) and other local leaders who toured farms in Hillsborough County to see how they are getting back on their feet, as Scott called on the USDA to make block grant funding available quicker. He cited delays in getting funds to farmers from the feds dating back to Hurricane Ian.
“I've been with President Biden twice and talked on the phone. And the number one thing I talked about is we have got to do block grants. I mean, you can say all you want, that you want to help people, but if you want to help our farming industry or AG industry, you've got to get the money out,” said Scott, likening food security to national security.
Scott is running for reelection against Democratic nominee and former congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell who took aim at Scott for recently missing a vote on a stopgap funding bill, saying in a statement, in part:
“Another photo-op won’t fool Floridians who watched Rick Scott vote against disaster relief and climate resiliency in Washington when we needed it most.”
Right now, Scott is proposing legislation to inject $20 billion into FEMA’s disaster relief fund and to get Congress back in D.C. ahead of the election next month. Scott said he’d support funding for SBA, USDA and other federal agencies needed to respond to devastation from hurricanes across the southeast.
“I’m trying to get [Sen. Chuck] Schumer to call us back. If not, we'll hopefully get it done right away, right after the election. But we got to solve these problems,” Scott said.
"I'm glad that, in my conversations with President Biden, he has completely agreed with me on the need to get this done. While Floridians are incredibly resilient and will rebuild stronger than ever, it’s going to be an all hands on deck effort at the local, state and federal level to come together and support these communities," added Scott.
Meantime the USDA announced funding to help repair homes for farm workers across the southeast. $18 million in grants and loans under the Off-Farm Labor Housing program, will bring more than $10 million to Florida to repair worker housing. “This includes farmworkers and their families. The funding we’re awarding today will provide safe, modern homes for those who work every day to feed our families, and it will create jobs for the tradesmen and women who work hard to build these homes," said Administrator Jaoquin Altoro.