WINTER HAVEN – A dozen of the largest and most influential Florida citrus growers has proposed a radical downsizing of the Florida Department of Citrus, virtually eliminating its marketing and research programs and transforming it to a small regulatory agency.
Their proposed plan would cut the Citrus Department's current budget by more than 75 percent and cut the growers' tax rates that support that budget by up to 70 percent.
Among the growers who signed the letter dated Monday and hand delivered to the department that afternoon are long-time supporters of the Citrus Department's marketing program, including former members of the Florida Citrus Commission, the department's governing body, even some past chairmen.
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