Florida

Agriculture Leaders Survey Florida Damage After Irma as HHS Secretary Visits Florida Keys

Florida's agriculture commissioner says the path of Hurricane Irma "could not have been more lethal" to farmers.

Commissioner Adam Putnam, along with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, flew over hundreds of miles of Florida farmland Monday to view the damage.

Putnam said the citrus crop in southwest Florida is particularly devastating. The scope of the damage is more evident this week because the dropped fruit is starting to turn from green to orange, leaving piles of ruined juice oranges in the groves.

Florida is the nation's largest juice producer.

He added that some groves are still underwater, which will likely kill the trees.

Florida's citrus industry was already battling a deadly disease when Irma hit.

Perdue wasn't the only cabinet member of the Trump administration in South Florida, as Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price joined Florida Gov. Rick Scott in Marathon at the Monroe County Emergency Operation Center. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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