Feb 3, 2022

State of emergency issued to help Florida farms deal with freezing temperatures

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency Feb. 2, for dozens of Florida counties in order to make resources available to farmers dealing with freezing temperatures.

Those counties include Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Daytona, DeSoto, Hardee, Henry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia counties.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management is working with the counties to provide resources, according to a news release.

A key part of the order increases weight and size restrictions on commercial vehicles that transport crops or deliver emergency supplies.

Earlier on Feb. 2, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wrote to DeSantis urging him to immediately declare a state of emergency for Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Desoto, Hendry, Collier, Glades, Okeechobee and Palm Beach counties, allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to invoke its authority to suspend size and weight restrictions of any vehicles traveling within the state that are transporting agriculture commodities and citrus so that impacted farmers can move as much product as possible while it is still salvageable.

The letter reads in part: “Our agriculture industry is our state’s second largest economic driver, and our farmers are the best in the world. They remain resilient in the face of continued unfair foreign trade, invasive pests and diseases, a global pandemic, and extreme weather – from hurricanes to now these record cold temperatures. But they need our help now to keep Florida growing.”

The letter reads as follows:

Feb. 2, 2022

Governor Ron DeSantis
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

Governor DeSantis,

As you may know, the record cold temperatures that we have seen in the state over the past two weekends were of great concern to our Florida fruit and vegetable producers, who support the state’s $149.5 billion agriculture industry. My department has been in constant contact with our industry partners throughout this extreme weather event, and while assessments continue, it is clear that the losses necessitate an emergency declaration.

I write today to urge you to immediately declare a state of emergency for Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Desoto, Hendry, Collier, Glades, Okeechobee and Palm Beach counties so that the Florida Department of Transportation can invoke its authority to suspend size and weight restrictions of any vehicles traveling within the state that are transporting agriculture commodities and citrus as recommended by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, allowing our impacted farmers to move as much produce as possible while it is still salvageable.

Our agriculture industry is our state’s second largest economic driver, and our farmers are the best in the world. They remain resilient in the face of continued unfair foreign trade, invasive pests and diseases, a global pandemic, and extreme weather – from hurricanes to now these record cold temperatures. But they need our help now to keep Florida growing.

On behalf of Florida’s farmers and our agriculture industry, I urge you to provide the state support needed by issuing a state of emergency declaration to help them weather this recent challenge and to keep our food supply safe and strong.

Regards,

Nicole Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture