Freeze damage to blueberries. (Photo via Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)
Early data following the unusually cold weather that blanketed Florida this month and last show that producers lost more than $3 billion.
A report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Friday estimates producers lost, in some cases, 100% of their crop.
“This was one of the most damaging freeze events for Florida agriculture in history. It is also clear that our state’s farmers, ranchers, and growers — who we rely on daily to feed and nourish our communities — need timely and substantial support,” Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a Friday news release.
“I want to thank President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for their unprecedented support for our food producers, especially during times of crisis like this.”
The report accounts for the winter storms that took place Dec. 30-Jan. 1 and Jan. 26-Feb. 4. Sixty-six of the 67 counties in the state experienced multiple hours of freezing temperatures.
After adding losses for the current growing season and future seasons, as well as infrastructure losses, the total damage is estimated at $3.17 billion. The report, labeled a “preliminary summary,” uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Florida Census of Agriculture, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and individual producers.
“Freeze events of this nature have not been experienced by Florida producers for decades,” the report says.
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Of the estimated $674.6 million in damages to citrus, about $220.5 million of that reflects future production losses and $327.3 million is from tree damage.
Sugarcane producers estimated that they lost 35% of production, equal to about $576 million. For context, Florida’s sugarcane production was $1.6 billion in 2025.
Future damage to sugarcane is estimated at $576 million, making sugarcane account for more than one third of total losses at $1.15 billion.
For strawberries, the report estimates about 80% of the 16,200 acres were lost. Blueberries lost about 90% of 6,400 acres.
The report estimates that sweet corn producers lost 100% of their crop, valued at $255 million. Other than greenhouse and nursery products and sugarcane, watermelons and cabbage experienced the lowest percentage of loss at 33% and 40%, respectively.
Gov. Ron DeSantis last week declared a state of emergency for counties that experienced the freezing temperatures.
Simpson sent a letter to the federal government before the storms asking for a disaster declaration.
Last week Florida’s congressional delegation wrote to Rollins, asking the federal government to declare a disaster following the cold temperatures.
The freeze and losses that came with it follow an active hurricane season in 2024. UF researchers told state senators last year that the three storms that battered the state in 2024 could have inflicted $975 million in agriculture production losses.
Total estimated losses to Florida agriculture: Over $3.1 billion
- Tomatoes: $164,273,849
- Strawberries: $306,965,897
- Watermelons $65,437,343
- Sweet Corn: $255,363,251
- Sugarcane: $1,152,122,146
- Bell Peppers: $108,380,389
- Potatoes: $79,065,000
- Cabbage: $21,800,280
- Squash: $24,522,275
- Blueberries: $78,512,400
- Greenhouse and Nursery: $240,000,000
- Citrus: $674,660,336
Estimates via Simpson’s office.