U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody introduced legislation on Tuesday to deliver $3.5 billion in emergency direct relief to Florida’s agricultural community following a devastating freeze in March.
The measure, titled the Florida Freeze Disaster Assistance Act, is being led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Scott Franklin (FL-18).
If passed, the bill would provide $3.5 billion in emergency supplemental funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This money would be distributed directly to producers through state-administered block grants to compensate for revenue, quality, and production losses caused by the severe cold weather. The funding explicitly covers prevented planting, damage to trees, bushes, and vines, and multi-year crop losses for counties that received official USDA freeze disaster designations on March 4, 2026.
According to the bill’s sponsors, the recent winter freeze brought consecutive weeks of subzero temperatures during peak berry, corn, and citrus seasons, resulting in more than $3 billion in damages to seasonal crops.
“Florida farmers and ranchers produce the best food in the world, but this freeze has been tough for them, and the entire agriculture industry,” Senator Scott said. “Our state feeds families and creates jobs across the country. Put simply, everyone needs relief here, and that’s why I’m proud to lead this bill in the Senate alongside my fellow Floridians in the House.”
The legislation aims to bypass traditional federal relief structures by utilizing state-level block grants, which proponents say will speed up recovery times.
“While lots of Floridians experienced the historic freeze earlier this year, our farmers were especially hard hit with significant damage to many of their crops,” Senator Moody said. “I’m glad to see this important legislation that provides emergency funding to deliver disaster assistance through State-administered block grants. I will continue fighting to ensure our farmers have what they need to succeed when it comes to feeding Florida and the rest of the nation.”
Congressman Franklin noted that the state’s specialty crops require a different approach than standard Midwestern or Western agricultural disaster policies.
“Florida agriculture operates differently than much of the country, and our disaster response policies need to reflect that reality,” Franklin said. “When a severe freeze hits Florida, many specialty crops and multi-year commodities face years of production losses, replanting costs and long-term financial impacts. Too often, growers are forced into a slow, one size fits all federal process that fails to reflect the realities of Florida agriculture.”
Franklin added that the bill builds on previous disaster response models to cut down on federal bureaucracy, saying, “For many growers, this is about preserving operations their families have spent generations building.”
Under the guidelines of the act, states must formally request the assistance funding through the USDA.
The legislation has secured backing from several key agricultural industry groups, including the Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Citrus Mutual, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, the Florida Sugar Cane League, and the Florida Tomato Exchange.
READ: Florida’s Farms Get $425 Million Shield To Stop Asphalt From Gobbling Up Agriculture
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