The deadline for Florida’s agricultural producers to apply for more than $600 million in disaster assistance for impacts from 2023 and 2024 hurricanes has been extended to Jan. 1, 2027. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson on Aug. 20 announced the extension for the Florida Block Grant Disaster Relief Program.
Eligible agricultural producers can apply for grant funding to address infrastructure damage, market loss, citrus loss and timber damage caused by recent hurricanes.
“We have staff standing by to support producers with the application process and have streamlined the program to ensure that impacted producers can receive grant funding as quickly as possible,” Simpson said. “Extending the application deadline allows more producers to access this critical assistance to rebuild and recover.”
Since the application window was launched, more than 600 producers have been approved for nearly $100 million in disaster relief grants.
Before starting the application process, producers are encouraged to review eligibility information and gather required documentation. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has launched a centralized online information hub that provides details about eligibility, documentation requirements and application details.
The more than $600 million in federal funding represents approximately 35% of Florida’s total agricultural losses and damage from the 2023 and 2024 hurricane seasons.
Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
The program is open to agricultural producers located in counties designated as primary or contiguous disaster areas who are U.S. citizens or legal entities with ownership or risk in affected commodities.
Grower association Florida Citrus Mutual earlier this year compiled a question-and-answer document about the Florida Block Grant Disaster Relief Program. The document has answers from grant administrators to citrus grower questions. It covers eligibility, production loss thresholds, base-year considerations and more.
Source: FDACS
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