Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Plant Industry

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What is the purpose of the division?

The Division of Plant Industry detects, intercepts, and controls plant and honey bee pests that threaten Florida's native and commercially grown plants and agricultural resources.

How is the division organized?

The division is organized into five bureaus.

Bureau of Citrus Budwood Registration administers a program to assist growers and nurserymen in producing trees that are believed to be free of virus and bud-transmissible diseases.
Bureau of Entomology, Nematology, and Plant Pathology identifies plant pests and diseases from soil and plant samples sent in by inspectors and Florida citizens. The bureau maintains a library and a collection of specimens.
Bureau of Methods Development and Biological Control investigates and implements new methods for the detection, control, and eradication of plant and honeybee pests. The bureau is also involved in chemical control methods, biological control activities, sterile insect technique (SIT), quality control environmental concerns, and irradiation.
Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection is responsible for protecting Florida's agricultural industry and the public from the introduction and spread of serious plant and apiary pests. The bureau is composed of a plant inspection section and an apiary inspection section. The bureau enforces state laws and departmental rules pertaining to the movement of plants, plant products, honeybees, and beekeeping equipment. The bureau also conducts routine surveys for the early detection of plant and apiary pests.
Bureau of Pest Eradication and Control responds to the introduction into Florida of any plant pest or disease of economic significance for the purpose of regulating the movement of or initiating control or eradication measures against such pests.

What are some of the measures of division activity?

Each year, the division responds to the discovery of new pests and diseases as well as the recurrence of old ones. In Fiscal Year 2019-2020 the division made efforts to respond to lychee mite, tomato brown rugose fruit virus, citrus black spot and citrus greening disease. There were over 1.3 million plant pest and disease identifications made by the division's diagnostic sections.

The division conducted over 51,800 plant, fruit fly trap, and honeybee inspections in Fiscal Year 2019-2020.
The division surveyed over 220,000 commercial citrus acres for citrus diseases in Fiscal Year 2019-2020.
In addition, the division certified 827,271 cartons of citrus, and 69,952 cartons of carambola as Caribbean fruit fly free for export.
The division reared and released over 3.5 million biological control agents in Fiscal Year 2018-19 to combat multiple invasive plants and arthropods. Also, during the same time over 3.7 billion sterile Mediterranean fruit flies were released in areas of Florida where introduction is high risk.

How are these activities funded?

Fiscal Year: 2020-21

	Fund	Salary Rate/ Position	General Revenue	Trust Funds
SALARY RATE		15,670,878
POSITIONS		378.00
SALARIES AND BENEFITS
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			10,854,963
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			480,161
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			6,331,242
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			3,273,485
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			2,108,520
OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			21,941
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			1,036
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			1,255,030
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			369,606
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			494,409
EXPENSES
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			1,181,860
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			79,832
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			1,427,724
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			23,748
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			724,622
OPERATING CAPITAL OUTLAY
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			216,195
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			95,006
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
ACQUISITION OF MOTOR VEHICLES
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			368,029
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			52,576
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			300,000
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			86,912
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCIES (MEDFLY PROGRAM)
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			1,214,177
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
GRANTS AND AIDS - BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			150,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
APIARIAN INDEMNITIES
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			36,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES
	FROM LAND ACQUISITION TRUST FUND			216,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			2,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CITRUS HEALTH RESPONSE PROGRAM
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			10,816,554
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			2,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
PLANT PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			1,014,891
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CONTRACTED SERVICES
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			204,481
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			7,144
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			298,260
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			105,000
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			228,049
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
RISK MANAGEMENT INSURANCE
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			445,430
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			151,285
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA/INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES FOR INVASIVE EXOTICS QUARANTINE FACILITY
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			540,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			500,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES - HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES PURCHASED PER STATEWIDE CONTRACT
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			129,977
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			8,266
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			7,281
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			538
	FROM PLANT INDUSTRY TRUST FUND			62,136
TOTAL			15,206,681	34,675,685

Source: www.transparencyflorida.gov

Updates

Use of Drones. The 2020 Legislature enacted Chapter 2020-94, Laws of Florida,allowing the use of drones by a non-law enforcement employee of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or of the Florida Forest Service for the purposes of managing and eradicating invasive exotic plants or animals on public lands and suppressing or mitigating wildfire threats.

Where can I find related OPPAGA reports?

A complete list of related OPPAGA reports is available on our website.

Where can I get more information?

Other Reports
Plant Industry Publications, Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry.
Websites of Interest
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Plants Database
Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Program
Performance Information
Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

What are the applicable statutes?

Chapters 581, 586, and 593, and ss. 20.14, 570.32, and 570.33, Florida Statutes.

Whom do I contact for help?

Division of Plant Industry, 1-888-397-1517

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