Gov. Charlie Crist sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday, arguing the cold weather has so devastated Floridas agriculture that the USDA should declare more than half of the states 67 counties a disaster area.
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, including loans, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and other federal agencies.
The depth and breadth of the damage will continue to be seen in the days and weeks ahead, noted Crist. In addition to the crops that were lost, there are likely to be quality issues for some of the crops that can be harvested. Citrus, tomatoes, nursery crops, green peppers, tropical fish, sweet corn and green beans are just some of the crops that appear to have sustained significant damage.
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.
Unfortunately, this weather event affected crops for both the 2010 and 2011 crop years, wrote Crist.
Crist asked Vilsak to declare a disaster for 2010 and 2011 crops for the following counties: Dade, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Okeechobee and Palm Beach. He asked Vilsak to have the following counties declared disaster areas for just 2011 crops: Clay, Flagler, Hillsborough, Indian River, Martin, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns and St. Lucie. The governor asked for the remaining counties to be listed as disaster areas for the 2010 crops.
We also received notice that some of our counties were experiencing drought conditions prior to the freeze, noted Crist. He listed Bay, Calhoun, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Madison, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Wakulla and Washington as the counties impacted by drought.
Crist received the backing of the state agriculture commissioner as well as USDA officials based in the Sunshine State.
Commissioner Charles Bronson has corroborated these losses with the USDAs Farm Service Agency in Florida, and they agree that the widespread damage necessitates a disaster declaration for the listed counties, added Crist.
While Florida waits for a response from Vilsack, Crist and Bronson continued to do what they could at the state level.
Crist extended the executive order on Wednesday that was issued earlier in the month, declaring a state of emergency in the Sunshine State due to the continued cold weather. The order eliminates all weight restrictions on trucks carrying agricultural products until Jan. 7.
As the danger posed by freezing temperatures continues in Florida, I am issuing this executive order to extend for an additional seven days a state of emergency to ensure timely precautions are taken to protect Floridas agricultural interests, noted Crist. As governor, I am responsible to meet the dangers presented to this state and its people by this emergency.
Bronson, who supported the initial order and extending it, said Thursday that the extension will help farmers by giving them more time to harvest and ship their crops. His office contacted agricultural groups and transportation companies alerting them of the extension.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
