According to a recent news story published by the Miami Herald, “With farmers caught shorthanded and with crops not ready for harvesting, a pair of winter storms at the beginning and end of January potentially inflicted more than $3.17 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural industry.” The story goes on to note that winter storms from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1 and from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4 brought freezing temperatures for multiple hours to all but Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys. The pair of events is considered to be one of the most damaging ever in Florida agricultural history. Damage occurred both to crops in the field and as future losses due to plants dying from the extreme cold, leading to the need to replace them. You can read more about the preliminary loss estimates in the state report here.
