U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody of Florida on June 2 introduced the Florida Freeze Disaster Assistance Act. Congressman Scott Franklin of Florida is leading the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This past winter, Florida’s agricultural producers faced consecutive weeks of subzero temperatures during the state’s peak citrus, berry and corn-growing season, amounting to more than $3 billion in damages to seasonal crops.
Specifically, the Florida Freeze Disaster Assistance Act would:
- Provide $3.5 billion in emergency supplemental funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to deliver aid through state-administered block grants
- Help compensate producers for losses of revenue, quality and production caused by freeze and cold weather events
- Cover prevented planting and damage to trees, bushes and vines and explicitly include compensation for multi-year crop losses
- Direct assistance to counties that received USDA freeze disaster designations issued on March 4 in response to historic freezing temperatures, frost and ice that occurred from Jan. 23 through Feb 5.
- Require states to request assistance funding through USDA
Scott said the freeze was difficult for Florida’s farmers and ranchers. “They will bounce back,” he stated. “It’s time to provide them with the assistance they need to do that.”
Moody added that the introduced legislation “provides emergency funding to deliver disaster assistance through state-administered block grants.”
“Florida agriculture operates differently than much of the country, and our disaster response policies need to reflect that reality,” said Franklin. “When a severe freeze hits Florida, many specialty crops and multi-year commodities face years of production losses, replanting costs and long-term financial impacts. Too often, growers are forced into a slow, one-size-fits-all federal process that fails to reflect the realities of Florida agriculture. My legislation builds on proven disaster response models by giving states more flexibility to deliver targeted relief, cut unnecessary bureaucracy and help producers recover.”
Organizations supporting the introduced legislation include Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Citrus Mutual, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Florida Sugar Cane League and Florida Tomato Exchange.
Read the full bill text here.
Source: Sen. Rick Scott
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