Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the signing of Executive Order 26-33 to help struggling Florida farmers deal with the recent effects of winter weather and continual drought on social media this week.
"Today I signed Executive Order 26-33 in response to last week's winter weather event and ongoing drought conditions throughout the state," DeSantis wrote. "This action helps facilitate emergency harvesting and protects Florida agriculture from further losses with expedited recovery under state authority and prompt assistance to be provided to Florida's farmers."
Florida recently went through dangerously cold conditions, with low temperatures ranging from the 20s to mid-30s from Tallahassee to Miami. The state is also experiencing high levels of drought, particularly in the Big Bend and southwest regions.
Overall, more than 95% of Florida is experiencing some levels of drought, including over 50% going through severe drought. Specifics are included below (as of Feb. 3).
- Abnormally dry: 4.5%
- Moderate drought: 16.8%
- Severe drought: 54.6%
- Extreme drought: 24.1%
- Exception drought: 0.0%
Notably, Florida is expected to remain largely dry for the rest of the week (Feb. 10 to Feb. 15). This includes South Florida, which also has a patch of extreme drought near the Miami-Dade - Collier County line.
Moreover, the Arctic blast has had a damaging impact on the Florida agricultural community, including on its citrus sector. Florida is one of the leading producers of oranges in the country, but has seen the industry decline by upwards of 90% over the past two decades due to disease and extreme weather factors.
Lt. Jay Collins thanked Gov. DeSantis for the action.
"Florida’s farmers feed America, especially during the cold winter months. Thank you, @GovRonDeSantis, for providing relief to our agriculture community," Collins wrote. "As Governor, I’ll always support our hard-working farmers and ranchers. Food security is national security."
Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) also thanked Gov. DeSantis for the move.
"Thank you @GovRonDeSantis for taking action to support the farmers who feed our state and keep our economy strong," Donalds wrote.
