{"id":8143,"date":"2026-07-10T15:42:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:42:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.floridacitrus.org\/grower\/?post_type=fdoc-news-item&p=8143"},"modified":"2026-07-10T15:42:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T19:42:48","slug":"florida-growers-seeing-more-sunshine-in-groves","status":"publish","type":"fdoc-news-item","link":"https:\/\/www.floridacitrus.org\/grower\/fdoc-news-item\/florida-growers-seeing-more-sunshine-in-groves\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Growers Seeing More Sunshine in Groves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: <\/strong>July 10, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact:<\/strong> Celeste Walls, (863)537-3980 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

News@citrus.myflorida.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Florida<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bartow, Fla. <\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Florida citrus growers received a full nod of optimism in today\u2019s USDA Citrus Crop utilization report with increases in all varieties for the 2025-2026 crop year.\u00a0According to the USDA report released at noon July 10, Florida produced 12.92 million boxes of oranges, up 5% from last year\u2019s production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida grapefruit, a particular hot spot for new investment in structures where the trees are grown under protective screens, saw an increase of 50,000 boxes, 1,350,000 total boxes, while specialty fruit like tangerines and mandarins saw a jump of 15% to 460,000 boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a remarkable exclamation point on another challenging season for Florida citrus,\u201d said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. \u201cWhile growers escaped hurricane threats last fall, the winter cold created sustained freezing temperatures and subsequent fruit loss.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are on record as historically providing the juiciest, best tasting citrus in the world for many decades; and we are forging a path for many more highly productive years to come. This moment validates that even in the face of natural challenges, our growers are doing what\u2019s right to preserve and grow the Florida citrus industry,\u201d Shepp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature approved historic investment in the state\u2019s 2026-2027 General Appropriations Act to increase research, replanting, promotion and infrastructure stabilization. \u201cFailure is simply not an option for Florida citrus, and for Florida\u2019s top policymakers to stand up in such strong support, essentially saying, \u2018Not on my watch,\u2019 is an act for which this industry is so humbly grateful,\u201d Shepp said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ABOUT THE FDOC:<\/em><\/strong> The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) was created in 1935 by the Florida Legislature at the request of Florida citrus growers. The state agency is led by the 11-member Florida Citrus Commission. Florida citrus contributes $6.9 billion to the state\u2019s economy. News@citrus.florida.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2026 Contact: Celeste Walls, (863)537-3980 News@citrus.myflorida.com Bartow, Fla. \u00a0\u2014 Florida citrus growers received a full nod of optimism in today\u2019s USDA Citrus Crop utilization report […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":577,"template":"","fdoc_news_item_category":[80,104],"fdoc_citrus_type":[],"fdoc_health_category":[],"class_list":["post-8143","fdoc-news-item","type-fdoc-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fdoc_news_item_category-fdoc","fdoc_news_item_category-growers"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t