Alico on Hurricane Milton Damage

Initial assessments indicate that Alico, Inc. sustained minimal tree damage and some fruit drop from Hurricane Milton.

The company stated that its approximately 48,000 acres of citrus groves in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Polk counties, Florida, sustained hurricane or tropical storm force winds for varying durations of time.

Initial observations include measurable drop of fruit from trees in the company’s northern groves, particularly in Polk and Hardee counties.

“The magnitude of this drop will be formally calculated by our staff and our insurance companies over the coming weeks,” Alico stated in a media release. “Initial inspections indicate that substantially all our trees remain intact. We believe this indicates that company-wide, the impact of the storm will be on production in the current season, rather than on long-term production.” 

Alico reported it did not experience any significant flooding at its properties. “Our leased office headquarters in Ft. Myers in Lee County was not damaged, and our other property and equipment also was not materially impacted,” the company stated.

Alico maintains crop insurance for catastrophic events on all of its groves. “While all of our groves experienced an impact from Hurricane Milton, it is possible that none of our groves may have suffered enough damage for insurance claims,” the company stated. “Alico maintains insurance for catastrophic loss of trees, which is not likely to be significant from this storm. The company will work closely with Florida Citrus Mutual, the citrus industry trade group, and government agencies on potential federal relief funds and will seek any and all federal, state or local assistance programs to aid in our recovery.”

Alico stated that it will supply Tropicana, Peace River and Florida’s Natural with all available citrus fruit during the upcoming harvest season, in accordance with the terms of its contracts with the juice processors.

Source: Alico, Inc. 

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