Commissioner Wilton Simpson Applauds U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ Announcement of $675 Million in Disaster Relief for Florida Agriculture

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson applauded U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ announcement of more than $675 million in federal block grant funding to support Florida’s agriculture industry following the devastating 2023 and 2024 hurricane seasons. Florida’s producers suffered over $3 billion in damages and losses from Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene, and Milton. The newly signed agreement between the USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) provides $675,953,007 in critical relief to help farmers, ranchers, citrus growers, and timber operations recover and rebuild.

Relief funding will assist eligible producers with:

• Infrastructure damage
• Market loss compensation
• Citrus-specific impacts, including projected economic loss
• Timber damage

The program will be open to agricultural producers in counties designated as primary or contiguous disaster areas and who are U.S. citizens or legal entities with ownership or risk in affected commodities.

Authorized by the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2025 (P.L. 118-158), the funds will be administered by FDACS. Disbursements will begin following USDA approval of FDACS’s detailed Work Plan. More information on program eligibility, application procedures, and disbursement timelines will be released by FDACS as it becomes available.