The Florida Citrus Commission on June 15 approved a preliminary 2022–23 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus of $29.9 million.
The preliminary budget includes $19.125 million in general revenue funding from the state of Florida for marketing, research and administration. The majority of the budget will fund domestic marketing programs aimed at driving sales of Florida orange juice (OJ). The total domestic marketing budget for OJ is nearly $18 million. The budget includes $5 million in recurring general revenue funding plus an additional $12 million to support domestic marketing programs.
It also includes $650,000 in recurring general revenue funds for new varieties research, $350,000 in non-recurring funds for the same purpose, $1 million in non-recurring funds for the development of an HLB-tolerant plant material program and $125,000 in non-recurring funds for integration into the state accounting system. Additionally, the department will receive $3.9 million in Foreign Agricultural Service Market Access Program funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be used on international programs.
The budget is based on an estimate of 35 million boxes of oranges, 3.6 million boxes of grapefruit and 800,000 boxes of specialty citrus to be grown in Florida in the 2022–23 season.
The budget includes an across-the-board salary and benefit increase for state employees, a general counsel position approved by the Florida Legislature, and increases in administration, scientific research and economic and market research. The budget includes a decrease in global marketing funding.
Marketing programs in 2022–23 will build upon the success of the department’s current e-commerce campaign to drive sales of Florida OJ. Since July, the program has resulted in more than $66.4 million in attributed sales of Florida OJ.
Citrus commissioners will set the grower tax rates per box after the Oct. 11 initial USDA citrus crop forecast. Several factors will be used to determine the appropriate final tax rate for the season, including crop size, import projections, carryover and fund balance. A final budget for 2022–23 will be presented to the commission in October.
Source: Florida Department of Citrus
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