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Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL), along with U.S. Representatives Kat Cammack (R-FL), Darre`n Soto (D-FL), and members of the Florida delegation, urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to support the state of Florida’s request for a USDA Disaster Declaration for the counties impacted by freezing temperatures during January 29-31, 2022.
“As you know, from January 29 through January 31, areas of Central and South Florida saw temperatures plunge to their lowest in more than a decade,” the lawmakers wrote. “This record-breaking drop and subsequent, prolonged freeze, damaged crops in areas across the state. In response to this sudden and historic freeze, Governor DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in thirty counties across Florida. The order will allow assistance to all impacted counties to ensure the swift movement of emergency supplies, personnel, and agricultural goods.”
Click here for a full list of cosigners.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Secretary Vilsack:
We write to express support for the State of Florida’s request that you issue a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Disaster Declaration for counties impacted by freezing temperatures on January 29 through January 31, 2022. We further ask that, in accordance with the State’s request, any and all support under the Farm Service Agency and other USDA programs be made available to impacted farmers.
As you know, from January 29 through January 31, areas of Central and South Florida saw temperatures plunge to their lowest in more than a decade. This record-breaking drop and subsequent, prolonged freeze, damaged crops in areas across the state. In response to this sudden and historic freeze, Governor DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in thirty counties across Florida. The order will allow assistance to all impacted counties to ensure the swift movement of emergency supplies, personnel, and agricultural goods.
Agriculture makes up an important piece of Florida’s economy and global exports. Florida’s agricultural industry generated an estimated $7.8 billion in 2019 from a variety of crops ranging from citrus to commodities to livestock. Yet, this hard freeze, following years of natural disasters and abnormally heavy rainfall, have threatened the resilience of our state’s producers. What’s more, this freeze occurred at a critical time in the year for the development of our state’s crops. Initial reports have shown significant losses of fruit and vegetable crops and our state’s citrus producers have also recorded potentially serious damage. We appreciate the Governor’s attention to assisting our agriculture industry at this critical moment, but it cannot be done alone. USDA’s disaster programs are essential to ensure our producers can fully recover from this unprecedented freeze.
We respectfully ask that you urgently review and respond to the State of Florida’s request and issue a Disaster Declaration, subject to all applicable laws and regulations, for all counties impacted by the freezing temperatures.