Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) was present at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters as Secretary Brooke Rollins signed a disaster declaration for Florida counties affected by this year’s severe winter freeze. The declaration marks the start of federal relief efforts for farmers facing significant losses.
The action follows a bipartisan letter led by Rep. Cammack and signed by all 29 members of Florida’s congressional delegation, urging swift USDA intervention after freezing temperatures struck during peak harvest in late January and early February.
Members of the Florida delegation, including Reps. Scott Franklin, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Randy Fine, Greg Steube, and Dan Webster, attended the announcement. They described how farmers in their districts are coping with damage from not only the freeze but also storms and drought conditions.
“On behalf of all of us, I can say it’s incredibly refreshing to have a Secretary of Agriculture who is not only willing to listen, but willing to act,” said Cammack. “Every single one of us in Florida has a district that’s been affected by this freeze, which is why today’s declaration is so important.”
Preliminary estimates from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services indicate agricultural losses exceed $3.1 billion statewide. Losses include $1.15 billion in sugarcane, $674 million in citrus crops, $307 million in strawberries, $255 million in sweet corn, and $240 million in greenhouse and nursery crops.
Cammack expressed gratitude to Secretary Rollins for acting quickly on the disaster declaration and acknowledged the leadership shown by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. She also credited the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and local producers for promptly assessing economic damages.
“Florida is one of the most diverse agricultural states in the country, with more than 300 commodities, massive cow-calf operations, aquaculture, and more,” Cammack said. “When I was traveling across the state meeting with producers ahead of the Farm Bill, the freeze had just happened, and the devastation was already clear.”
“This freeze didn’t just damage one crop or one season,” Cammack continued. “We are seeing total losses in some areas, including sugar and blueberries, and for crops like citrus and blueberries those trees and bushes won’t be productive for three or four years. That means farmers could be facing years of impacts and full replacement of their operations.”
With this disaster declaration now signed by Secretary Rollins at USDA headquarters alongside Rep. Cammack—who has represented Florida’s 3rd district since 2021 after succeeding Ted Yoho—federal relief programs will become available to help agricultural producers recover from what officials describe as one of Florida agriculture’s most damaging freezes in decades.
Cammack was born in Denver in 1988 before moving to Gainesville where she currently resides; she earned her BA from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2015.
The full text of the bipartisan letter sent to USDA can be found here: florida-disaster-declaration.pdf(65.58 KB)
