WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Rick Scott joined Congressman Scott Franklin to lead the full Florida congressional delegation in a letter urging U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack to take immediate action to provide disaster assistance for Florida agricultural producers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Milton’s path impacted some of Florida’s most productive agricultural areas for fruits, vegetables, dairy, cattle, citrus and other specialty crops. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the preliminary estimate of total crop and infrastructure losses ranges from $1.5 to $2.5 billion.

In the letter the members:

• Emphasize the necessity for the USDA to utilize block grants to distribute aid to Florida and other specialty-crop states, where high volume of disaster program applications overwhelm local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices and delay assistance for producers;
• Demand USDA enhance current FSA operations and improve staffing issues;
• Urge the USDA to provide a budgetary request to House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure Congress can appropriate adequate funding for disaster response;
• Discuss crop insurance reforms to help specialty crop producers recover in tandem with disaster aid; and
• Reasserts Congress’ desire to collaborate with USDA to ensure proper support for Florida agriculture.

Congress appropriates relief and disaster funds for the USDA to disburse relief. Currently, it is USDA’s practice to stand up new, unique programs after disasters. These programs are administered by FSA, the USDA sub-agency charged with helping agricultural producers apply for aid and other USDA assistance programs. This practice not only makes the disaster relief process arduous, but also delays delivery of critical assistance for the producers who feed our state and nation. FSA offices across Florida are still having trouble facilitating disaster assistance programs after 2022 Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, which were not in the form of a block grant. In contrast, block grants administered by the state expedite disbursement, free up personnel at FSA to efficiently carry out routine programs and provide needed flexibility for states. After Hurricane Irma, Congress appropriated relief to help Florida agriculture and USDA delivered that aid through a block grant to the state. The State of Florida was successful in getting that aid without delay.

On June 12, 2023, Senator Scott and Congressman Franklin’s effort, the Block Grant Assistance Act, which would empower the USDA to administer calendar year 2022 disaster relief via block grants, passed the House of Representatives unanimously. Leader Chuck Schumer has refused to allow Senate action on the bill. 

Cosigners include: Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL-03); Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13); Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL-02); Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL-21); Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12); Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26); Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL-15); Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL-06); Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27); Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL-11); Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL-04); Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL-08); Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL-05); Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL-09); Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL-19); Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL-7); Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23); Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25); Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL-17); Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL-22); Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL-28); Rep. Federica Wilson (D-FL-24); Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20); Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16); Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01); Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14)

Read the full letter HERE.

MORE…

Since Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida in 2022 and caused significant agriculture losses, Senator Scott has been fighting to secure USDA block grants for Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers to aid in their recovery and support the state’s agriculture industry. Following Hurricane Helene, Senator Scott led a bipartisan group of his Florida delegation colleagues in a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack supporting the State of Florida’s request to issue a Disaster Declaration for Florida’s counties that were impacted by Hurricane Helene and make assistance available immediately in the form of state block grants to expedite support for Florida’s farmers and agricultural producers as they recover from the destructive impacts of the storms. Read more HERE. Senator Scott spoke to President Biden and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack about the importance of USDA block grants during their meeting after Hurricane Helene in Keaton Beach on October 3. He stressed the importance of block grants again in his call with President Biden on October 10 and in his meeting with the president in St. Pete Beach on October 13.

Senator Scott is leading the call for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund disaster relief. Earlier this month, Senator Scott announced a bill with Senator Rubio to provide $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to ensure the agency has what it needs to provide immediate aid to communities.

Senator Scott encourages all Floridians to visit his website at www.rickscott.senate.gov/contact/casework for information or help with federal agencies like FEMA and the SBA, following Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Find more on response efforts from the Florida Division of Emergency Management at floridadisaster.org or @FLSERT.

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