Major Florida Grower to Build New Home Development After Ending Citrus Operations

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — One of Florida’s biggest citrus growers plans to physique a 3,000-acre (1,200 hectare) assemblage successful southwest Florida, conscionable months aft announcing it was abandoning its citrus-growing operations astatine the extremity of this year’s season.

Alico, Inc. said it has filed a improvement exertion for the archetypal of 2 villages adjacent the intersection of Collier, Lee and Hendry counties. Each colony volition person astir 4,500 homes and volition beryllium integrated with 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares) of protected conservation land, the institution said.

The Fort Myers-based institution owns 53,371 acres (21,600 hectares) crossed 8 counties successful Florida and 48,700 acres (19,700 hectares) of oil, state and mineral rights successful the state. In announcing its determination to extremity citrus operations past January, the institution said its accumulation has declined by astir three-quarters successful a decade.

Alico’s woes are portion of the larger struggle faced by Florida’s citrus industry.

Hurricanes and a vicious citrus greening disease person contributed to a 90% diminution successful the state’s orangish accumulation implicit the past 2 decades. Meanwhile, with immense numbers of radical moving into Florida, developers are progressively gathering homes wherever the orangish groves erstwhile stood.

Citrus groves, which covered more than 832,00 acres (337,000 hectares) successful Florida astatine the crook of the century, populated scarcely 275,000 acres (111,300 hectares) past year, and California has eclipsed Florida arsenic the nation’s starring citrus producer.

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Topics Florida