SOURCE: FLORIDA CITRUS MUTUAL
Florida Citrus Mutual, the state’s largest citrus grower association, is introducing its inaugural Julia C. Black Memorial Speech Contest & Scholarship to encourage students to learn more about the state’s agriculture industry, specifically Florida citrus; and to support these students with scholarship funds.
The Contest will be broken into two parts: District and State. There are seven District competitions throughout the state, which are scheduled to be held in January 2024. District winners will come together to compete at the State Competition during the week of March 18, 2024. The winner of the State competition must be able to present their winning speech at the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference June 13, 2024, in Bonita Springs, FL.
The application deadline is December 30, 2023.
Note the top winner is awarded $1,000.
| District # and Counties | Meeting Location |
| 1: Hernando, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Seminole and Volusia Counties | Lake County Ag Center, Tavares – January 24, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |
| 2: Hillsborough and Polk Counties | Stuart Ag Center, Bartow – January 10, 3:30 – 6 p.m. |
| 3: Brevard, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie Counties | USDA Lab, Ft. Pierce – January 9, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |
| 4: Hardee and Manatee Counties | PRVCGA Office, Arcadia – January 17, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |
| 5: Highlands and Okeechobee Counties | Highlands County CGA Office, Sebring -January 9, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |
| 6: DeSoto and Sarasota Counties | PRVCGA Office, Arcadia – January 24, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |
| 7: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties | IFAS Center, LaBelle – January 22, 3:30 p.m – 6 p.m. |