Florida
Florida agricultural losses add up following Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene, a major storm that made landfall in late September in Taylor County, inflicted up to $162.2 million in agricultural losses in Florida.
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, or UF/IFAS, on Tuesday released a report estimating losses from Helene. Helene closely followed the path of Hurricane Debby, which made landfall in August in Taylor County.
Combined, the two storms caused estimated agricultural losses of $134 million to $425 million, according to Tuesday’s report and an earlier UF/IFAS report about Debby.
Helene resulted in an estimated $40.3 million to $162.2 million in losses, with the total expected to be narrowed in the coming months. Debby led to an estimated $93.7 million to $263.2 million in losses.
“There were some things that weren’t in the path or weren’t at risk of Hurricane Helene because they were already damaged by Hurricane Debby,” Christa Court, UF/IFAS economic impact analysis program director, said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
A damage survey showed larger effects from Debby, which was a more rain-intense storm with more flooding than Helene, which moved rapidly through Florida before heading north, Court said.
Court also said some farmers had not replanted between Debby, which made landfall Aug. 5, and Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26.
Hurricane Milton hit the state Oct. 9, making landfall in Sarasota County. Data on the impacts from Milton is still being collected.
During a legislative organization session Tuesday, Senate President Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican who is a citrus grower, expressed a need to help farmers, along with homeowners, affected by the storms.
“In the days following hurricanes Helene and Milton, I spent time with several senators whose constituents were catastrophically impacted. The devastation is heartbreaking. Florida agriculture was heavily impacted. And many of our coastal communities suffered from tornadoes, wind and flooding,” Albritton said. “What’s worse is that many of these communities were still recovering from hurricanes Debbie, Idalia and Ian. Be assured, together, we are going to recover, and we are going to rebuild.”
Helene, which made landfall with 140 mph sustained winds, affected more than 6 million acres of agricultural land in Florida, mostly in North Florida’s Big Bend region, with two-thirds of the land used for livestock grazing.
Field and row crops took the biggest financial hit, with estimated losses between $12.76 million and $48.16 million, followed by losses in livestock and animal production between $11.79 million and $44.4 million.
Vegetable and melon production sustained $10.47 million to $38.22 million in losses and greenhouses and nurseries received $2.16 million to $15 million in losses. Fruit and tree-nut losses were estimated at $3.17 million to $12.13 million.
The UF/IFAS figures are mostly tied to the current growing season and don’t include damage to items such as fertilizer and feed or repairs for damaged and destroyed infrastructure.
While Helene and Debby made landfall in North Florida, Milton cut a path across the central part of the state, which includes the heart of the citrus industry.
Court said Milton data will include losses from tornadoes outside of areas where hurricane-force winds occurred.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson has estimated that Milton might have caused between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion in losses.
Debby affected more than 2.2 million acres of agricultural land in Florida.
As examples of the damage, livestock losses from Debby are estimated between $41.1 million and $98.5 million. Flooding caused field crops to suffer between $19.3 million and $53.1 million in losses. Greenhouses and nurseries had up to $53.6 million in losses, including from power outages that hindered cooling and irrigation.
Debby interrupted the planting schedule for vegetables, melons and potatoes and resulted in $12.1 million to $32.1 million in anticipated losses.
With a government shutdown looming, many around South Florida may be wondering if that shutdown goes forward, how will it affect us here?
Experts tell WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman some government programs would not be affected by a potential shutdown. But the nearly 90,000 federal workers in Florida could feel the effects.
Tonight, time is of the essence in Washington as lawmakers work to reach an agreement on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. This, after Congress voted down a Trump-backed proposal. As lawmakers scramble, people in South Florida are concerned about the impact of a shutdown.
“I just think that it’s going to cause a little bit of problems,” said Michael Guarneiri of West Palm Beach.
“I don’t know how exactly it’ll affect me,” said Brian McDermott.
So, let’s break it down. Essential services like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, USPS and SNAP would not be affected. However, national parks and monuments would close.
The biggest impact would be on federal workers, including 88,000 federal employees in Florida. Those deemed essential would work without pay until a deal is reached.
Non-essential federal employees would be furloughed.
“For a lot of federal workers in South Florida and the Treasure Coast, that paycheck isn’t coming,” said WPTV political analyst Brian Crowley. “They still have to pay the mortgage, they still have to buy groceries, they still have to pay the electric bill, and, you know, they’re not going to be very happy about this. I think immediately for the average resident of South Florida, the Treasure Coast, there’s nothing for them to be concerned about. However, if your spouse or significant other is working for the federal government and their paycheck isn’t arriving, then it impacts the entire family.”
Once explained, it became clear for many I met today that their benefits are not at risk either way.
“Thank you, because I was concerned,” said Guarneiri.
“You’ve pretty much helped me understand it a little bit better, how it could affect just everyday people,” said McDermott. “So I think just educating themselves on how it could affect them or family members and just everybody in general is important.”
On Friday night, the House has passed the bill to avoid a government shutdown by a wide majority of 366-34, before sending the vote to the Senate.
Scripps Only Content 2024
The Florida Gators play against the Tulane Green Wave in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The matchup will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
The Gators enter this matchup with a 7-5 record, and they have played well recently. The team has won three consecutive games, including two victories against ranked opponents.
In their most recent game, the Gators defeated Florida State 31-11. During the victory, Florida accrued 368 total yards. The team rushed for 235 yards and averaged more than six yards per carry.
The Florida defense also played well against Florida State, forcing five turnovers.
The Green Wave enter this matchup with a 9-4 record, but they have lost back-to-back games. In their most recent game, the Green Wave lost 35-14 against Army.
During the loss, Tulane struggled defensively. The team allowed 335 rushing yards and conceded nearly six yards per carry.
Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A week removed from falling to Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass, the Louisville men’s basketball program is back in action, traveling to Florida State for their first road game in ACC play.
While the Cardinals might have lost to their most hated rival in their last time out, they certainly gave the Wildcats a run for their money. Despite having only eight healthy scholarship players, Louisville kept within striking distance of Kentucky for the majority of the game before ultimately falling 93-85 in Rupp Arena.
As for the Seminoles, year 23 under head coach Leonard Hamilton is off to a solid start. While FSU is currently six games over .500 and heading into their matchup with Louisville on a two-game win streak, they’re 0-3 against teams ranked in KenPom’s top-100, including an 84-74 overtime loss at NC State.
This will be the 54th all-time meeting between Louisville and Florida State, with the Cardinals owning a 35-18 advantage. UofL won 101-92 back on Feb. 3, 2024 in the last matchup, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles.
(Photo of Terrence Edwards Jr.: Jordan Prather – Imagn Images)
You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:
Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky
U.S. Department of Justice sues Louisiana over prisoners being held past release dates
Why overdose deaths are declining in Maine
Florida man extradited to Maryland, held without bond for Frederick County double murder
Michigan DNR issues winter safety reminders amid fluctuating weather
How much snow in Massachusetts? Here are the storm totals for December 20
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Biden considers commuting the sentences of federal death row inmates: report
Last-minute budget bill to prevent US government shutdown prevails in House
What a government shutdown could mean for your holiday travel plans
House vote imminent on plan to avert government shutdown after Trump-backed deal tanks
Italy's Deputy PM Salvini found not guilty in Open Arms migrants case
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25782636/247422_ChatGPT_anniversary_CVirginia.jpg "Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT")
Technology1 week agoInside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology7 days agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics7 days agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Politics1 week agoConservative group debuts major ad buy in key senators' states as 'soft appeal' for Hegseth, Gabbard, Patel
-
Business5 days agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology5 days agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age