eNEWS
February 2010 > Florida counties named natural disaster areas due to Jan. freeze
Secretary Vilsack issued an Official declaration from USDA Jan. 29, 2010,
designating 60 Florida counties as primary natural disaster areas, due to
losses caused by record cold weather, frost, and freezes that occurred
during the period Jan. 2 through Jan. 14, 2010. Those counties are:
Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus
Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden,
Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands,
Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon,
Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee,Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau,
Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam,
Sarasota, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia,
Wakulla and Washington
In accordance with section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act, the following Florida Counties are named as contiguous
disaster counties: Clay, Jackson, Seminole, and Walton.
Clay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Seminole, and Walton Counties, did not
sustain any crop production losses due to the disaster.
Jackson County sustained losses that were less than the 30-percent
threshold, to crop production county-wide, needed to qualify as a primary
natural disaster area. In addition, individual farmers in Jackson County who
sustained qualifying losses were able to secure commercial financing to
cover these losses and, therefore, are not qualified to receive emergency
loans.
The request for the designation of Clay, Escambia, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa
Rosa, Seminole, and Walton Counties, Florida, as primary natural disaster
areas was not approved.
However, Clay, Jackson, Seminole, and Walton Counties, Florida, will be
eligible for FSA emergency loan assistance since they are named as
contiguous counties for this disaster, as indicated above.
This designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous
counties eligible to be considered for assistance from FSA, provided
eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency
loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE). SURE
was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 and
was implemented beginning on Jan. 4, 2010. FSA will consider each
application on its own merit by taking into account the extent of losses,
security available and repayment ability.
Local FSA offices can provide affected farmers with further information.
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