Ian’s damage to Florida agriculture as high as $1.8 billion

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian caused as much as $1.8 billion in damages to Florida agriculture last month. A preliminary estimate released Monday by the Florida Department of Agriculture says the Category 4 storm caused between $1.1 billion and $1.8 billion in losses to the state’s crops and agriculture infrastructure when it tore through the peninsula after landing in southwest Florida. Crop damage ranged from $686 million to $1.2 billion. The biggest losses came from citrus, which had damages between $416 million and $675 million. The hurricane hit almost at the start of the citrus growing season. Florida produces about 60% of all the citrus consumed in the U.S.