Charlie Crist Asks Tom Vilsack to Declare USDA Disaster Areas for 35 Counties

Gov. Charlie Crist sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday, arguing that the cold weather has hurt Floridas agriculture and asking for a USDAdisaster declaration for more than half of the states 67 counties.

The consecutive days of sustained hours of below-freezing temperatures resulted in a tremendous amount of damage to agriculture production throughout the state, wrote Crist, before listing 35 counties impacted by the weather.

If Vilsack declares a disaster, Floridians whose crops or livestock or other agricultural products were impacted could be eligible for various programs through the Farm Service Agency.

Crist asked for the following 35 counties to be declared disaster areas: Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Dade, DeSoto, Dixie, Flagler, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Wakulla and Washington.