On this date 39 years ago, bitterly cold weather swept south through the Florida peninsula, causing incredible damage to Florida’s citrus industry and providing a few snow flurries as far south as Miami, although only a trace was reported in the official records. The Miami Herald describes it in an article here.
“The snow and the low temperatures put Florida’s citrus and vegetable industry in a death grip. Both were nearly wiped out, and about 150,000 migrant workers around the state lost their jobs – including 80,000 in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Then-Gov. Reubin Askew declared a state of emergency.”
Following a series of cold outbreaks in the 1970’s, much of the citrus industry retreated to southern Florida, and it has only slowly been moving back north again.
