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In this Jan. 4, 2010, file photo, oranges ripen on a tree in a grove in Clermont, Fla.The price of a mimosa at brunch or bag or oranges at the grocery store may jump in the coming weeks, experts say, after hurricane Irma left some of the state's orange producers with no crop to sell this year. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/John Raoux, File In this Jan. 4, 2010, file photo, oranges ripen on a tree in a grove in Clermont, Fla.The price of a mimosa at brunch or bag or oranges at the grocery store may jump in the coming weeks, experts say, after hurricane Irma left some of the state's orange producers with no crop to sell this year.
Maria Stotts, and Heather Mueller, volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, clear debris from a Monroe County sheriff's deputy's home damaged by a six-foot storm surge, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Big Pine Key, Fla.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is scheduled to survey agricultural damage in Florida from Hurricane Irma. Perdue will visit the state Monday, starting in Clewiston.
Commissioner Adam H. Putnam Issues Emergency Order Waiving Fee to Replace Concealed Weapon and Security Guard Licenses Damaged or Lost in Hurricane In the wake of Hurricane Irma, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today issued an emergency order to waive the fees to replace Florida concealed weapon licenses and security guard licenses that were lost or destroyed during the hurricane. "Hurricane Irma devastated Florida, and the last thing someone needs to worry about is paying a fee to have their concealed weapon license or security guard license replaced," said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
Hurricane Irma sent farmers and food companies scrambling to protect processing facilities, farm fields and animal herds in the South and Southeastern parts of the United States on Wednesday. Florida sugar and citrus processors rushed to secure rail cars and equipment that could be crushed, blocked or turned into flying projectiles.
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and historic flooding across southeast Texas, Commissioner Adam H. Putnam encourages Floridians to visit FloridaConsumerHelp.com to research charitable organizations before donating money to help those in need. "Our hearts go out to the people of Texas, and I hope that Floridians can respond with the same generosity that our state has received time and time again," Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said.
Last night Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam was presented with the 2017 US Water Prize in acknowledgement of his leadership on water issues in Florida. The prize was award by the US Water Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the nation about the true value of water and advancing policies and programs that manage water resources to advance a better quality of life for everyone.
Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain. Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain.
TALLAHASSEE – Former state Rep. Baxter Troutman entered the race for state agriculture commissioner on Monday, priming his Republican bid for a Cabinet seat with $2.5 million of his own money.
Ahead of a likely 2018 run for U.S. Senate , Gov. Rick Scott has set up a political action committee designed to appeal to younger and Hispanic voters. The super PAC, called New Republican and announced last week, is meant to sell the GOP 's philosophy to young voters who want less government in their lives, Scott said.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Nearly 80,000 acres within state fire jurisdiction have burned due to wildfires in 2017, a more than fourfold increase from the same timeframe in 2016. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and State Forester Jim Karels will hold a media availability today to discuss these wildfires and forecasted wildfire conditions.
There are still 110 active fires covering 20,285 acres, according to the Florida Forestry Service. The destructive wildfires, which have been burning from the Florida-Georgia border down to Miami-Dade County, led Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday, which remains in effect Sunday.
At least 126,000 acres have burned in wildfires across Florida since January, surpassing the five-year average of acreage burned in a typical year, officials said. Florida's fire season peaks this month, during the driest part of the year in the state, and experts warn that the fire risk may worsen in the coming weeks.
Senate President Joe Negron appears willing to look beyond sugar farmland to carry out his proposal to reduce the flow of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into bays on both coasts. The Stuart Republican, speaking at the Capitol this week, maintained his desire to buy 60,000 acres for a reservoir south of the lake to store and clean water.
"Now I look forward to exploring ways of how best to serve both my community and my state," Levine says in the video. That exploration, he says, will include "How to make Florida a leader in the 21st century world economy based on innovation, investment and daring.
Former House Speaker Steve Crisafulli bowed out of a potential race for agriculture commissioner on Tuesday, leaving the 2018 campaign for the Cabinet position without a clear front-runner. Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, comes from a family with deep roots in the state's citrus industry and had made no secret of the fact that he was considering a bid for agriculture commissioner.
For the first time in decades, Florida is poised to see a crowded, wide-open primary for the gubernatorial nomination. Crazy as it seems, the 2018 contest already is well under way.
In this February 2013 file photo, a Key deer forages for food in the National Key Deer Refuge in the Florida Keys. The New World screwworm , which can kill livestock within two weeks, was found on animals in Big Pine Key and No Name Key in Florida earlier this month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The adults lay eggs in open wounds, and the hatched larvae burrow, corkscrew-like, through flesh. Screwworms ate their way into livestock, dogs, deer, and even humans in the U.S. until they were wiped out in 1982, in one of the most successful national eradication campaigns ever.
Agriculture officials say efforts to rid Florida of a destructive, parasite-carrying snail have been so successful that nearly half the core areas under surveillance can be dropped from the program. In a statement Friday, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said over 164,000 giant African land snails have been eliminated since the invasive species was discovered in Miami-Dade County in 2011.