Will Florida Fruit survive the Chill?
Some groves in the northern part of the growing area already sustained substantial damage Saturday night and Sunday morning, when temperatures dipped to 28 degrees or lower for at least six hours, said Andrew Meadows, spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual, a group representing about 8,000 citrus growers in the state. It will take about five weeks to quantify the losses, he said”
Florida citrus is a $9.3 billion industry. The state produces three-quarters of the United States’ orange crop and 40 percent of the world’s orange juice supply.When temperatures drop, the iguanas, many up to 6 feet long, go into into a stunned, catatonic state, stiffen and fall to the ground from tree branches and other perches. The freeze is also going to be a test for the area’s most unwelcome beast the Burmese python. The snakes have no natural predators and have been threatening the Everglades, the general ecosystem and even people since they were introduced to Florida through the illegal exotic animal trade
