ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved Florida's request for assistance following a January cold snap that resulted in additional damage to the already struggling citrus industry.
Gov. Ron DeSantis' office announced the USDA disaster designation applies to 17 counties and 10 contiguous counties that were impacted by freezing temperatures from Jan. 23-31, according to a news release.
The declaration allows farm operators in the affected counties to be considered for assistance from the Farm Service Agency, the governor's office said. They, too, could be eligible for emergency loans, with applications being accepted now and for the next eight months.
"With the approval of our request for a disaster declaration, farmers in Florida have resources available to them as they continue their recovery efforts from recent freezing temperatures," DeSantis said in a statement. "I remain committed to supporting our state’s agriculture industry and hardworking farmers."
One Polk County citrus producer earlier told 10 Tampa Bay he saw splitting in the tree trunks and more fruit than usual on the ground following the January freeze but figured his groves made it through.
The 17 primary counties eligible for assistance include Broward, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie and Sarasota.
The 10 contiguous counties include Brevard, Charlotte, Lake, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Pasco, Pinellas and Sumter.
"This disaster declaration will provide additional recovery assistance to our hardworking agricultural producers impacted by the freezing temperatures,” Florida Department of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said in a statement. "The Division will continue to identify all available resources for impacted farmers and ensure they have access to all programs that will help them recover."
The state provided the following list of programs available under the declration: the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, the Tree Assistance Program, Emergency Farm Loans and the Livestock Indemnity Program.
People are asked to contact their local Farm Service Agency office to begin the process.
Citrus growers were already facing historic challenges rooted in citrus greening, urbanization and consumer habits. In the last 20 years, Florida Citrus Mutual estimates citrus acreage has dropped from 756,000 acres to 419,000 acres and 60 percent of growers have walked away over the past five years.