Those catastrophes contributed to a 90% decline in orange production over the past two decades. Citrus groves in Florida, which covered more than 832,00 acres (336,698 hectares) at the turn of the century, populated scarcely 275,000 acres (111,288 hectares) last year, and California has eclipsed Florida as the nation's leading citrus producer.

Florida’s citrus industry faces an increasingly difficult future, contending with a range of ongoing challenges. From devastating hurricanes to the persistent threat of plant diseases, along with the rapid expansion of real estate development,