Citrus industry priorities funded by the Florida Legislature were left intact when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state budget, Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Sparks recently reported.
“As anticipated, there was the need to reduce spending significantly through the use of the line-item veto due to diminished revenue to the state resulting from the COVID-19 response,” Sparks stated in an email. “Fortunately, the Florida citrus industry’s priorities were not included in these cuts.”
Sparks expressed gratitude to the Legislature and the governor for recognizing the importance of the industry and funding its critical programs. He listed the major budget items important to the industry that were left fully funded:
- $8 million for the Citrus Research and Development Foundation
- $1 million for the Citrus Inspection Trust Fund
- $7.4 million for the Citrus Health Response Program
- $5 million for Florida Department of Citrus marketing programs
- $650,000 for the New Varieties Development Program
Source: FCM
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