By RYAN MILEJCZAK
Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida
The citrus industry has long been one of Florida’s defining features. And while the industry has struggled in the past two decades, it still remains a key part of the identity and economy of Florida.
In fact, the citrus industry employs more than 32,500 people and provides $6.9 billion to the state economy every single year, plus hundreds of millions in contributions via tax revenue that help support our schools, roads, and healthcare services.
While oranges and other citrus aren’t native to the Americas, they’re far from a new arrival. In fact, the first oranges in the Americas arrived with Columbus himself in 1493. However, it would be nearly four hundred years before commercial cultivation began in the mid 1800s. In 1875, the iconic citrus crate arrived thanks to the contributions of E.B. Bean, with most citrus in these times shipped by steamboats via the St. Johns.
Between then and now, the citrus industry has had more than its fair share of ups and downs. Severe freezes, hurricanes, and pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly all caused major damage to the industry, but it was always able to bounce back. In the 2000s, the industry’s greatest challenge arrived: Huanglongbing, more commonly known as “HLB” or citrus greening.
This disease, spread by a bug called the asian citrus psyllid, has caused a massive contraction in the citrus industry, with citrus acreage less than a quarter what it was 25 years ago.
As of most recent counts, there were 208,186 acres of citrus grown in Florida in 2025, down 24% from 274,705 in 2024. Production for the 2024-2025 season was 14.6 million boxes, down from 20.3 million boxes the previous year. This represents a production value of $273 million for our state. While this is down from $330 million the year before, it’s still a significant contributor to the state economy.
Not surprisingly, oranges make up the bulk of these numbers, with 183,860 acres devoted to them. The other major contributor is grapefruit, with 27,700 acres grown.
The remaining citrus crops grown in the state make smaller but still significant contributions. This was the first year the USDA counted lemon in the production in our state, with 670,000 boxes harvested. USDA numbers count tangerines, mandarines, and tangelos together; there are 5,774 acres of these cultivated in the state (down slightly from 6,700 the year before), representing a value of $10.425 million.
Most of this production occurs in Central and South Florida, with Polk being the largest producer by a fair margin, with 3.8 million boxes produced in the 2024-2025 season, compared to 2.9 million for the second-place contender, Highlands County. Desoto, St. Lucie, Hendry, and Hardee counties followed in production, while counties like Collier, Indian River, and Lake logged even fewer boxes.
Despite the challenges the industry faces, Florida’s scientists, growers, and other citrus industry professionals are dedicated to revitalizing our citrus industry. Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature approved more than $100 million dollars for the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. This money will be used to support research and field trials to fight citrus greening, with growers all across the state participating in the program.
Thanks in part to this program, growers and other industry professionals are feeling more optimistic than ever.