USDA DESIGNATES 58 FLORIDA COUNTIES AS PRIMARY NATURAL DISASTER AREAS

USDA has designated 58 Florida counties as primary natural disaster areas because of losses caused by drought, allowing eligible farm operators in the designated areas access to low-interest emergency loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency. Those counties are Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton and Washington. Farm operators in Broward, Charlotte, Highlands, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and Pinellas counties also qualify for natural disaster benefits because their counties are contiguous. Contact your local USDA Service Center for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is available at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov

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