Tampa, Fla. -- New funding available for Citrus farmers

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) announced the successful receipt of about $343 million in federal Florida Citrus Tree Recovery Program funds to help Florida citrus farmers recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma. DEM also announced that four workshops will be held to assist farmers in applying for the funds.

Partnerships with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were all contributing factors to the success of this funding grant.

FDACS Commissioner Adam Putnam said, “We’ve worked tirelessly with Florida’s agriculture industry, elected leaders and government agencies to help our citrus industry recover from Hurricane Irma’s unprecedented damage. Thanks to the hard work of so many, this much-needed piece of disaster assistance is finally on the way and will go a long way to help Florida's citrus industry rebuild.”

DEM has scheduled four Citrus Block Grant Application Workshops to assist producers in understanding the application process. They will be held at the following times and locations:

Monday – September 24th, 9:00-12:00 - USDA Horticultural Lab - 2001 S Rock Rd, Fort Pierce, FL 34945

Thursday – September 27th, 9:00-12:00 - Citrus Research and Education Center - 700 Experiment Station Road Lake Alfred, FL 33850

Thursday – September 27th, 2:00-5:00 - Bert Harris Ag Center 4509 George Blvd. Sebring, FL 33875

Friday – September 28th, 9:00-12:00 - Dallas Townsend Center, FL 1085 Pratt Blvd. LaBelle, FL 33935

In order to assist eligible producers, the $340 million grant will be allocated for three purposes to aid in the recovery of farming operations:

Part 1: Tree Resets, Grove Rehabilitation, and Irrigation System Repair/Replacement (estimated $129 million)

Part 2: Future Economic Losses (estimated $182 million)

Part 3: Crop Insurance Purchase Requirements (subject to availability of funds and estimated $29 million)

For more inquiries concerning the Citrus Block Grant Application Workshops, contact FDEM Senior Management Analyst Joseph Oglesby at (850) 815-4450.

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