Sunshine State Saga – Part III, The 2000s to Today

Early 2010s
Failures & Successes
By 2010 citrus greening has spread to 34 Florida counties, wreaking havoc within the citrus industry.

“It took a number of years for citrus greening to really rear its ugly head and for people to realize how serious it was,” observes Flores. “Of course, the rest is history, and ever since then, we have been fighting it.

“There have been millions upon millions of dollars poured into trying to find a cure,” Flores explains. “Growers left and right have been going out of business and groves are disappearing.”

The total number of Valencia orange trees in Florida stands at just over 32.5 million trees, down 8.6 million from 2000.

The Sunshine State continues to lead production, with California a distant second and Texas ranked as third in the nation.

On the retail supermarket front, another entrant to the market in 2010: North Carolina-based Earth Fare opens its first location in Tallahassee. The new chain emphasizes organic foods, touting more reasonable prices than Whole Foods.

In late 2011, Adam H. Putman is elected to serve as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture. Putnam had previously served five terms in Congress.

A University of Florida graduate, Putnam is a fifth-generation Floridian who grew up in the citrus and cattle industries.

In the spring of 2012, Florida Sweet Corn Exchange introduces a new branding initiative, Sunshine Sweet Corn: Fresh from the Sunshine State.

The new campaign raises awareness, helping Florida maintain its top ranking in fresh market sweet corn production and value, accounting for about a fifth of national production. Palm Beach County is the top producer of fresh sweet corn in the state with nearly 26,000 acres.

This same year, 2012, also marks the sale of Winn-Dixie to BI-LO supermarkets, though the retailers each maintain their own names and locations.

Parent company BI-LO Holdings goes on to buy another 165 stores under multiple banners from Delhaize. It is also the year Trader Joe’s makes its debut in Florida. The California-based chain, which opened its first store back in 1967, is also related to the bargain-buster Aldi chain.

The Sunshine State’s first Trader Joe’s opens in Naples in February, followed by a second in Sarasota.

Also during 2012, state legislation designed to promote healthy eating draws significant interest from lawmakers, leading to more fresh fruits and vegetables in school nutrition programs.