The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) met virtually on May 29 to allocate legislatively authorized state general revenue funds for Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing. The FCC, whose members are appointed by Florida’s governor, is the board that oversees the FDOC.
After the FCC previously met on May 20, the Florida Legislature concluded its work on a budget that designates $10 million in recurring funds and $5 million in nonrecurring funds to the FDOC. The FDOC’s global marketing team presented three options with a similar structure to what was presented during the May 20 FCC meeting, but with updated figures for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
The three funding scenarios included:
- An option based on utilization
- An option based on an 80/20 split for orange juice and fresh fruit
- An option based on a newly proposed marketing program called the Resilience Project
The Resilience Project was a concept to use some of the funds to document the current optimistic trajectory of the industry in a documentary-style series of videos. The videos would help tell the story of the Florida citrus industry and the multi-generational growers who are dedicated to replanting and recovery for the future of Florida citrus.
After robust discussion on May 29, the FCC agreed that the utilization option increased funding to both processed and fresh marketing, and that the small amount budgeted to the Resilience Project would be better distributed to fresh marketing campaigns.
The FDOC preliminary budget and the accompanying marketing plans will be presented at the FCC meeting June 10 at the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs.
At the May 20 meeting, the FCC heard about the FDOC’s marketing plans for orange juice and fresh citrus during the 2026–27 season. Learn about those plans here.
Source: FDOC
Share this Post