TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is asking for pressing federal catastrophe help for the state’s farmers forward of a “bomb cyclone” winter storm anticipated to convey sub-freezing temperatures as far south as Collier and Broward counties this weekend.
In a letter despatched at this time to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Simpson requested a proper catastrophe declaration to unlock federal applications for producers going through potential crop and infrastructure losses.
“Florida’s producers are taking each doable step to guard their operations, however the severity of this storm will end in losses that require swift federal help,” Simpson wrote.
The storm is forecast to convey sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as much as 50 mph. These circumstances pose a direct risk to Florida’s position as a major provider of contemporary produce to the jap United States through the winter months. Impacted crops might embody:
- Greens: Bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, celery, corn, cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, eggplant, inexperienced beans, potatoes, and squash.
- Fruit: Citrus, avocados, and strawberries.
- Specialty Operations: Apiaries, nurseries, and aquaculture operations.
Simpson expressed confidence within the new administration’s responsiveness, praising President Trump’s management for “genuinely” supporting agriculture. Secretary Rollins, who was sworn in because the thirty third Secretary of Agriculture in February 2025, has beforehand labored with the state to ship important reduction, together with over $675 million in block grants following the 2023 and 2024 hurricane seasons.
The request follows a yr of elevated state-level efforts to construct catastrophe resilience. In 2025, Florida launched interest-free mortgage applications of as much as $500,000 for farmers particularly impacted by uncommon winter climate and snowfall in North Florida.
