While early April has seen a jump in temperatures, there has also been quite a bit of heat coming from Tallahassee. The Florida Senate, led by President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula), may have turned more than a few heads when it released a proposed budget for 2025-2026 that included $200 million in key funding for Florida’s citrus industry.
“Mark my words, Florida citrus is not going down on my watch. This heritage industry is not only vital to our state’s economy, but it is truly part of the DNA of Florida.”
If that sounds like a line-in-the-sand statement, we certainly couldn’t agree more. If you’re a regular reader of these monthly missives, you’ll know that we have repeatedly called for something bold, something expansive, and something that focuses on the people who have been faithfully fighting the battle for Florida citrus over the past decades or hurricanes, greening, and development. This may be what we have been waiting for.
The fact that a significant portion of the funds will be directed toward tree planting is one thing that gets us excited about the bill. Putting trees in the ground is critical to preserving what is left of a citrus infrastructure that has taken generations to build.
With recent developments, a significant portion of people in citrus believe they now have enough tools in the toolbox to go along with this kind of support to blaze a path back to prosperity.
In our current economic environment, every dollar is important. In the past, efforts to help Florida citrus were referred to as “preserving a way of life” or “saving an iconic piece of Florida.” While those statements are true, they mean little to the average hard-working taxpayer who wonders what happens to their tax dollars. This is where Florida Citrus shines! Recent economic modeling shows that for every dollar invested in citrus, $2.44 is generated back into the local community, mostly through revenue and jobs.
While building houses can generate some initial revenue, the impact fees and property taxes aren’t always adequate to cover the increased strain on the community’s roads, schools and various other resources.
The bottom line is this: Citrus is an ideal economic engine with little to no downside. It will continue to bring positive economic impact long into the future. Planting trees merely sows the seeds of the future.
Bio: Scott Thompson is co-founder of Tree Defender, Radical Ag-Tech, and Care Planet Technologies. He is a Central Florida native with a background in agribusiness, food manufacturing, and bioscience.
This column is sponsored by Tree Defender, and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.