TALLAHASSEE, Florida — State Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson on Thursday said Hurricane Milton caused “staggering” damages of up to $2.5 billion for Florida farmers last week.
Simpson announced his department’s preliminary damage assessment, along with a letter to federal Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting a quicker federal disaster declaration in the wake of Milton.
Simpson noted that similar requests for declarations related to three previous tropical storms dating back to Hurricane Idalia in August 2023 also are awaiting approval.
“Hurricane Milton has left a broad path of devastation, impacting our farmers and threatening Florida’s position as a leading agricultural producer,” Simpson wrote. “With four major hurricanes in just over a year, our agriculture communities have been hit repeatedly, causing unprecedented financial strain.”
