Weather & Science
After $1.8 Billion Ian Hit, Florida’s Farmers Brace for Nicole
- Tropical Storm Nicole heads for Florida, a top produce state
- Hurricane Ian caused $1.8 billion in industry damages: IFPA
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Florida’s produce industry took an almost $2 billion hit from Hurricane Ian and is now bracing for more as Tropical Storm Nicole follows a track toward the state’s eastern shores.
The Sunshine State is the top US supplier of fruits and vegetables in fall and winter months and the country’s second-biggest producer overall after California, which is battling an unprecedented water crisis that’s left hundreds of thousands of farmland acres unplanted this year. Florida’s produce industry represents 140,000 jobs and $19.8 billion in sales, according to the International Fresh Produce Association.