As the Florida House and Senate prepare to negotiate a new state budget, among the big issues they will face is a push by Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower, to help the state’s struggling citrus industry.
The Senate on Friday released a proposed $117.36 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that includes $200 million directed toward the citrus industry. That would come on top of $200 million that the Senate has approved in a bill that Albritton has dubbed the “rural renaissance” to bolster rural communities.
Supporting citrus growers
The citrus industry proposal includes $125 million for new tree plantings, an amount that Albritton isn’t sure is enough for an industry facing its lowest seasonal production in a century because of deadly citrus greening disease, damaging hurricanes and encroaching development.
“If and when we get this proposal across the line, again, we have to work with our (House) partners, whatever the number is at the end, maybe $125 million, we’ll see,” Albritton said. “But we’ll know pretty quickly what the appetite (from growers) to participate in this … program will be. As I moved around the industry, and talked to friends of mine, there appears to be a pretty solid appetite for it.”
The Senate proposal far exceeds the $47 million allotted to the citrus industry for the current fiscal year which ends June 30. That spending plan included $29 million for technologies to research, treat and prevent citrus greening. Another $9 million went to citrus marketing.
Florida House budget proposal seeks far less for citrus industry
The House on Friday released a $112.95 billion budget proposal for the 2025-2026 year that includes $8 million for citrus research, with $3 million of that money directed to citrus disease, and $3 million for marketing.
In his proposed 2025-2026 budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis included $20 million for citrus research and what is known as the Citrus Health Response Program, with $7 million of the total going to the Department of Citrus.
The House and Senate are expected next week to approve their budget proposals, setting up negotiations on a final version in the final weeks of the legislative session, which is scheduled to end May 2.
