Do you have an old citrus grove that is not really producing any more but you don’t want to lose your agriculture tax exemption? To get an agricultural tax exemption you need to keep your land in working agriculture. The costs of managing a citrus grove have skyrocketed with diseases like canker and greening, and the returns are often not enough to pay for the required management. Abandoned and unmanaged citrus groves harbor pests and diseases that move out to managed citrus groves, making it much more difficult to control these pests. Destroying unwanted and unproductive citrus trees will help the reduce the problems on remaining groves. To that end, the state of Florida has implemented the Abandoned Grove Abatement Initiative to help grove owners to qualify for the lowest tax rates available.
Steps to Take:
1. To qualify, growers must contact their local Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Plant Industry (DPI) Field Office and request an information packet on the Abandoned Grove Initiative. The office in Tavares was recently closed, so there are different offices to contact now. For Lake County contact Mr. David Falletta, 3027 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven, FL 33881, Phone: 863-298-3019. For Orange County contact Ms. Emelia Nunez, 8430 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 34981-4733, Phone: 772-778-5069. You may also call the Statewide Regulatory Director for any county: Mr. Mark Estes, 3027 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven, FL 33881, Phone: 863-298-3020. A DPI agent will need to verify the grove before you push the trees and help you with the Abandoned Grove Compliance Agreement .
2. Contact your local County Property appraiser and verify their participation in the Abandoned Grove Program. Lake County Property Appraiser. Orange County Property Appraiser. Marion County Property Appraiser.
3. After FDACS verifies your old grove, destroy the citrus trees and call DPI for destruction verification. FDACS must verify that there was a grove, that you had a Compliance Agreement, and that you then destroyed the grove.
4. The Compliance Agreement should allow you to keep your agricultural tax exemption for five years. This provides you with time to make the land over into another agricultural enterprise which could be new greening-tolerant citrus trees or any other approved agricultural endeavor. For Lake, Marion, and Orange Counties, contact the UF/IFAS Commercial Fruit Production extension agent Juanita Popenoe for alternative options.
Helpline
For questions about this program, call 1-888-397-1517, or go to FreshFromFlorida.com/CHRP