Irma devastates Florida orange crop, harms other produce
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September 14, 2017
LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Irma dealt Florida's iconic orange crop a devastating blow, destroying nearly all the fruit in some Southwest Florida groves and seriously damaging groves in Central Florida.
U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio toured groves in Lake Wales on Wednesday and heard from growers, who pleaded for federal assistance.
In Lake Wales, the senators saw young fruit on the ground and trees split by wind. Growers talked of trees standing in 3 feet (.9 meters) of water, which is a death sentence for a crop already under a decade-long siege by citrus greening disease.
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