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Letter from Commissioner Putnam.......................................................................................................................

Department Overview...........................................................................................................................................

Department Organization..............................................................................................................................

Department Presence...................................................................................................................................

Accomplishments by Division..............................................................................................................................

Division of Administration..............................................................................................................................

Division of Agricultural Environmental Services............................................................................................

OfficeofAgriculturalLawEnforcement.........................................................................................................

OfficeofAgriculturalWaterPolicy..................................................................................................................

Division of Animal Industry.............................................................................................................................

Division of Aquaculture..................................................................................................................................

Division of Consumer Services.....................................................................................................................

OfficeofEnergy.............................................................................................................................................

Florida Forest Service...................................................................................................................................

DivisionofFood,NutritionandWellness.......................................................................................................

Division of Food Safety..................................................................................................................................

Division of Licensing......................................................................................................................................

Division of Fruit and Vegetables....................................................................................................................

OfficeOfAgricultureTechnologyServices.....................................................................................................

Division of Marketing and Development........................................................................................................

Division of Plant Industry...............................................................................................................................

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Dear Governor Scott, Senate President Negron and Speaker Corcoran:

It is an honor to serve as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, and I appreciate the opportunity to highlight some of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ key achievements in 2017.

WecontinuedtosupportFlorida’s$120billionagricultureindustryinthewakeofHurricaneIrma’slethalpath through the state. Florida agriculture sustained more than 2.5 billion in damages, and we have used everytoolinourtoolboxtohelpFlorida’sresilientagriculturalcommunityrecover.Wehavealsohonoredour veterans, protected our consumers and enhanced the services we provide to Floridians to help make Florida the best state in the country.

Florida is one of the most veteran-friendly states in the nation, and we provide as much support as we can to the men and women who serve and have served our country. In the wake of the 2015 terrorist attack that claimedthelivesoffiveservicemembersinChattanooga,Tennessee,Iannouncedthatwewouldexpediteconcealed weapon license applications for all active military members and veterans. Since that time, we have expedited more than 100,000 licenses for these eligible individuals.

Additionally, we have continued to honor our wounded veterans through the “Operation Outdoor Freedom” program administered by the Florida Forest Service. Since the program was launched in 2011, more than 3,333woundedveteranshaveparticipatedinmorethan428hunting,fishingandboatingeventsatnocost.Tohelpexpandtheprogram,webeganworkonoursecondcampdedicatedsolelytoprovidingrecreationalactivitiestoveteransparticipatinginOperationOutdoorFreedom.ThecampislocatedinPeaceRiverStateForest, which spans 5,000 acres.

LastyearwasoneofthemostactivewildfireseasonsinrecentFloridahistory.Ourwildlandfirefightersbravelyfought2,865wildfiresthatburnedmorethan200,650acrestokeepFlorida’swildlife,propertyandcitizenssafe.Inadditiontotirelesslyfightingwildfires,ourwildlandfirefightersadministeredthelargestandmostactiveprescribedfireprograminthenation,whichhelpsreturnnutrientstothesoil,controlcertainplantandtreediseases,andreducestheriskofwildfire.

We’veremainedvigilantinoureffortstoprotectconsumersfromidentity-stealinggaspumpskimmers.Askimmer is a device that steals credit or debit card information when consumers swipe their card at the pump to pay for gas. Our inspectors conducted multiple statewide sweeps and daily routine inspections that resulted in the detection and removal of 654 skimmers throughout Florida.

One of our top priorities remains ensuring that Florida children have access to the nutrition they need to succeed in the classroom. Last year, we served more than 15 million healthy meals at 4,667 Summer BreakSpot sites to low-income children to help bridge the nutritional gap during the summer months. Since assuming responsibility of school nutrition programs in 2012, our goal has been to increase the amount of healthychoicesofferedtoFloridachildren.ThenumberofschoolsawardedHealthierUSSchoolChallengedesignation,avoluntarycertificationinitiativethatrecognizesschools’effortstoimprovefoodandphysicalactivity choices, has increased from 27 in 2012 to 384.

I am proud of our many accomplishments as we’ve grown, modernized and streamlined the department. It’s been an honor to work with you and I think you for your continued support in serving our fellow Floridians.

Sincerely,

AdamH.PutnamCommissioner of Agriculture

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Department OrganizationThedepartmentisguidedbytheleadershipoftheCommissionerofAgriculture,astatewideelectedpositionandoneofthreemembersofFlorida’sCabinet.Thedepartmentconsistsof12divisionsandthreeofficesthatreporttothe Assistant Commissioner/Chief of Staff and/or one of two Deputy Commissioners. Made up of nearly 4,000 staff positions, the department has a presence throughout the state and is headquartered in the state Capitol building in Tallahassee.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Organizational Chart

DEPARTMENT PRESENCE

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Thedepartment’swiderangeofstatutorilyrequiredresponsibilitiesisachievedbyvariousdivisionsandoffices.Thougheachdivision serves a different purpose and a different audience, collectively, this department touches the lives of every Floridian.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY DIVISION

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION

ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY DIVISION

Conducted training for 2,885

employees

DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

TheDivisionofAdministrationmanagesthedepartment’sinternal functions, ranging from personnel management, employeetrainingandfiscaloperationstofacilitiesmanagement and purchasing. During the 2016 calendar year, the Division of Administration:

• Conducted training for 2,885 employees by providing the following trainings:• 972employeesreceivedTrueColors;• 410 employees participated in New Employee

Orientation;• 498employeesreceivedleadershiptraining;• 852employeesreceivedscenario-basedconflict

managementtraining;and• 810 employees received communication/team

building training.

• Identifiedneedsandstrengthenedareasthatimproved business processes to meet the needs of customers:• Changed the department’s Level 2 Background

ScreeningProcessfrom“withinthefirst30daysof employment” to “pre-employment” screening for all divisions (exception of Florida Forest Service).

• CompletedEmployeeRelationstrendanalysistoidentify high periods of activity versus low periods of activity to enhance the department’s ability to predict high volume periods and train toward prevention.

• Completed procurement, negotiations and contract processes for AgCSS, formerly known as RLMS.

• Facilitated the development of 25 percent of the department’s strategic plans. Currently 75 percent(12divisions)ofdivisionsandofficeshaveastrategicplanonfile.

• Providedsoundfinancialpractices:• Receivedatotalof$1.49billioninrevenues;

processedatotalof$97.5millioninrevenuesthroughtheRevenue(REV)system;anadditional$40.8millionwasreceivedfromtheRevenueOnlineCollection(ROC)process,representinganincreaseofapproximately$15millioninonlinecollections from the previous Fiscal Year 2015-2016.

• Received100-percentcomplianceontheDivisionof Financial Services Year-End Compliance Checklist.

• Maintained a monthly 99.9 percent prompt pay compliance rating.

• Providedsupporttootherdivisionsandoffices:• Serving as the department’s Organizational

Change Management lead for the AgCSS project, the section established and trained a Change Champion Network (CCN) of 80 employees representing the Division of Licensing, theDivisionofAdministration,theOfficeofAgriculturalLawEnforcementandtheOfficeofAgricultureTechnologyServices.

• FacilitatedtheHealth,WellnessandSafetyFair for approximately 500 employees with over 181finishingthe5Kwalk/run,300employeesattending training presentations and 25 employeesbeingcertifiedinCPRandAED.

• Completed maintenance, repairs and upgrades forfivedepartmentHVACunits.

• Completed 1,137 personnel actions (appointment requests).

TheDivisionofAgriculturalEnvironmentalServicesworks with the agriculture industry to properly register pesticides for use in accordance with federal and state requirements, regulates pest control services, works with local governments to effectively conduct mosquito controlprogramsandcertifiesthesafetyandeffectivenessof feed, seed and fertilizer products. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Agricultural Environmental Services:

• RespondedtoHurricaneIrma,whichwasthelargestsingle event that the Mosquito Control Incident ResponseTeam(MCIRT)organizedandoperated,with mosquito control and service provided to 25 counties.Forty-ninedivisionstaffontheMCIRTcoordinated treatment of over 3.3 million acres by aerial application and over 3,500 miles by truck spray.

• Conducted over 10,000 pest control, feed, seed, fertilizer, pesticide and mosquito control inspections and investigations.

• Supported Zika response efforts by: monitoring diseaseoccurrenceandmosquitocontrolresponses;providing technical assistance to mosquito control programsandtheFloridaDepartmentofHealth;promoting the department’s role in the response to various stake holder associations, and providing resources in the form of equipment and supplies for effectiveandefficientmosquitocontrolefforts.

• Provided training and conducted outreach at over 80 workshops, symposia and meetings for stakeholder groupsregardingthefederalWorkerProtectionStandard regulation and how to maintain compliance.

• Assisted Florida’s agriculture industry by issuing various special registration actions in the form of Special Local Need (Section 24(c)) requests or emergency exemption (Section 18) requests to help combat: citrus greening, the Asian citrus psyllid, Westernflowerthrips,Laurelwiltinavocado,andAedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Four special local need (SLN) registrations, four experimental usepermits(EUP)and14newactiveingredient(NAI) registrations were reviewed by the division and other affected state agencies through the Pesticide RegistrationEvaluationCommittee(PREC).

• Successfully completed the Year 2 requirements for theAnimalFeedRegulatoryProgramStandards(AFRPS)GrantprovidedbytheUnitedStatesFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA).Thisgrantallowsforenhanced feed surveillance capabilities and enables the laboratory to work toward obtaining ISO 17025 accreditation.Thedivisionanalyzed156surveillanceand investigative samples.

• Conducted Operation Cleansweep, which provided an opportunity for growers, pest control companies, nurseries and golf courses to dispose of cancelled, suspendedorunusablepesticides.Thisyear,97,767pounds of hazardous material was collected.

• Continued a licensing improvement initiative with theUniversityofFlorida’sInstituteofFoodandAgriculturalSciences(UF/IFAS)toexpandtheonlinepesticide exam process. All exam categories for Structural Pest Control (Chapter 482, Florida Statutes (F.S.)) and Agricultural Pesticide applications (Chapter 487, F.S.) can now be found online. New this year is theadditionofthePublicHealthPestControl(PHPC)exam(Chapter388,F.S.)whichcertifiesthosemakingmosquito control applications. Progress was also made in the availability of online licensing options with the addition of the Limited License renewals to the Florida eCommerce site, including: Limited Wildlife,LimitedUrbanFertilizer,LimitedCommercialLandscape Maintenance and Limited Government/Private.

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OFFICE OF AGRICULTURAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

OFFICE OF AGRICULTURAL WATER POLICY

TheOfficeofAgriculturalWaterPolicyprovidesleadershipand facilitates communication among federal, state and local agencies and the agriculture industry on issues related to water quantity and quality. During the 2017 calendaryear,theOfficeofAgriculturalWaterPolicy:

• As required by the 2016 water legislation, adopted aruleregardingverificationofimplementingbestmanagement practices (BMP) and developed a system for data collection on the status of BMP implementation.ThedatacollectioneffortwillgiveOAWPvaluableinformationforprioritizationofstaffresources and for the program of cost-share support to producers for implementation of BMPs.

• Initiated the process of review and revision of existing BMPmanuals.Thisprocessincludesgatheringresearch, updating practices as appropriate and engaging a variety of stakeholders. One of the results of this round of reviews will be consistency in language and approach in the manuals, which were initiallyadoptedoverseveralyears,andidentificationof core BMPs that apply to all agricultural operations in Florida.

• Added more than 1,300 new operations, covering approximately 400,000 acres to the department’s agricultural BMP program. Statewide enrollment now exceeds 5 million acres in nearly 11,000 operations. EnrollmentisahighpriorityactivityforOAWPfieldstaff,particularlyinareascoveredbyaBasinManagement Action Plan for improvement of water quality.

TheOfficeofAgriculturalLawEnforcementprovidesinvestigative and law enforcement support of the department’s regulatory programs. During the 2017 calendaryear,theOfficeofAgriculturalLawEnforcement:

• Conducted more than 10.4 million inspections of commercial vehicles and containers entering and exiting the state through 23 agricultural interdiction stations;identifiedapproximately3,775plant,foodandanimalviolations;made314arrests;issued727UniformTrafficCitationsand6,846WrittenWarnings;andseizedand/orrecovered$140,075innarcoticsandstolenproperty.ThestateofFloridacollectedmorethan$10.5millionintaxrevenuesasadirectresult of inspection efforts.

• Conducted irrigation system evaluations on over 1,300 systems, including several renovated systems associatedwithreplantingcitrusgroves.Theseevaluations identify opportunities for producers toimproveirrigationsystemefficiency,waterconservationandenergysavings.Teamsofirrigationsystem experts conduct these evaluations statewide at no cost to the producer.

• WorkedwiththeFloridaDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection to support development of Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) by providing information on BMP enrollment, land use changes andcost-shareprojectsfundedbyFDACS.Thiseffort included development of BMAPs for several Outstanding Florida Springs: Chassahowitzka-Homosassa,KingsBay,Rainbow,Silver,theSuwanneeRiversystem,VolusiaBlue,WeekiWachee,andWekiva.

• ParticipatedextensivelyintheCentralFloridaWaterInitiative(CFWI).TheOAWPjoinedFDEPandmajor water use stakeholders in drafting proposed rule language and providing comments on a variety of topics related to developing and adopting uniformwaterusepermittingrulesfortheCFWI.TheCFWIAgriculturalSteeringCommitteewascreatedinpartnershipwiththeUniversityofFlorida’sInstituteofFoodandAgriculturalSciences(UF/IFAS) to obtain feedback on proposed regulations from the agricultural stakeholders in the region. In collaboration with agency partners and agricultural stakeholders, an evaluation of the agricultural conservationpotentialintheCFWIareawasdocumentedfortheConservationTeamandusedtodeveloptheCFWIwaterconservationimplementationstrategy.TheOAWPisalsoworkingwithUF/IFASto update the Agricultural Field Scale Irrigation RequirementsSimulation(AFSIRS)modeltoserveasthe uniform agricultural demands calculation tool for waterusepermitsintheCFWIarea.

• Initiated 823 criminal investigations, resulting in 667 criminal charges issued (545 felony and 122 misdemeanor)and187arrests.Totalcombinedfinancialrecoverieswere$22,000.

• Initiated 6,947 regulatory investigations and 8,003 on-site compliance inspections, resulting in 1,259violationsidentified.Issued3,022Warning/Compliance Letters and 18 Cease and Desist Orders.

• Partnered with 29 local law enforcement agencies in administering the Florida Domestic Marijuana Eradication Program. Partners reported the destruction of over 6,200 marijuana plants from more than 106 grow sites, 74 arrests, seizure of seven firearmsandmorethan$95,253inassetforfeitures.Thedepartmentalsoprovidedinvestigationstrainingto 70 local, state and federal law enforcement officersfromFloridaandLouisianaandprovidedapproximately$83,250indirectdisbursementstoFlorida local law enforcement agencies to help offset their investigative costs.

• Continued the Intelligence Analysis Section to provide strategic, operational and tactical intelligence support to the Bureau of Investigative Services and UniformServices,aswellasleveragethesharingof information and intelligence with local, state and federalpartners.Thisyear,thesectionexpandeditsrole in domestic security by engaging in protecting the Food and Agriculture Sector via representation in Florida’s Domestic Security Coordinating Group, collaborating with the Network of Florida Fusion Centers and establishing an internal FDACS IntelligenceWorkgroup.Thesectionproducedanin-depthRiskAnalysisproduct:AssessingtheImpactofAgricultural Interdiction Protocols in Florida.

The state of Florida collected more than $10.5 million in tax revenues as a direct result of inspection

efforts.

Added more than 1,300 new

operations, covering approximately

400,000 acres to the department’s agricultural BMP

program.

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DIVISION OF ANIMAL INDUSTRYTheDivisionofAnimalIndustryprotectsthestatefromanimal pests and diseases, which could have major economic and public health consequences, and ensures that all federal and state animal health codes are followed. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Animal Industry:

• Continued to lead Emergency Support Function 17 (ESF17) at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.ESF17missionareasincludedomesticanimal, wildlife and pet issues, pre-harvest agricultural issues, and vector control issues. Additionally, theStateAgriculturalResponseTeam(SART),amultiagency coordination group consisting of more than 25 partner agencies who coordinate and support an effective emergency response for ESF17, was instrumental in supporting ESF17 this year. During 2017,ESF17andSARTrespondedtomultipleincidents,including:the152,000acreWestMimsWildfirenearBakerandNassauCounties;Category4HurricaneIrma;Category1HurricaneNate;evacueeandpetmovementsupportforPuertoRicoandtheUnitedStatesVirginIslandsaffectedbyHurricane

• Respondedtoreportsof128suspecteddangerous,transmissibleanimaldiseasesinFlorida.Thesenotificationsresultedin72foreignandemerginganimal disease investigations. Included in the investigations, the division instituted a new poultry Mycoplasma quarantine program. Since the implementation of the protocol, 18 positive premises havebeenidentified,andofthose,twochosetodepopulate, nine have cleared quarantine and seven are currently continuing the quarantine process.

• Continued to perform enhanced surveillance of Florida’s livestock to include the testing of over 20,000 samplesforavianinfluenzaand1,300samplestomonitor swine health, including: the Pseudorabies virus, Swine Brucellosis and Classical Swine Fever in the transitional swine population statewide.

• Participated in multiple state and federal animal disease monitoring programs, including Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) andEquineInfectiousAnemia(EIA).Thedivisionissued 138 import permits for horses from EP endemic areas, as well as tested and investigated more than 100 horses after potential exposure to EIA. EP and EIA are both bloodborne infectious diseases of horses. Additionally, the division directly supervised the testing of more than 446 internationally imported horses for the bacterial venereal disease, Contagious Equine Metritis. CEM is considered a foreign animal disease;allhorsesoriginatingfromendemiccountriesmust test negative before permanent entry into the UnitedStates.

• Continued implementation of the Florida Cattle Identificationrule,5C-31,F.A.C.Outreachandeducation by the division to increase industry understanding and compliance. Florida is working withotherstateanimalhealthofficialstofacilitateelectronic data integration and uniform data management.TheFloridaCattlemen’sAssociationhasformedaTraceabilityTaskForcetoconsiderhow Florida should move forward with traceability programsthatenhanceourindustries.TheincreasingidentificationofcattleinFloridaandtheseeffortswillimprove the state’s ability to trace diseased animals, to prevent disease spread in an animal disease emergency and to protect the marketability of Florida cattle.

• Accredited over 260 veterinarians through the state portion of the National Veterinary Accreditation Program and gave accreditation lectures at the Veterinary Meeting and Expo, as well as the UniversityofFlorida,CollegeofVeterinaryMedicine.

• ProvidedinteragencycooperationwithOALE,DBPR,FDOH,andUSDAthatincludedover50PetLawcomplaints, veterinarian and accreditation complaints, and an investigation of a multistate outbreak of Campylobacter that traced back to pet stores.

• Maintained the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory’s (BADDL) American Association Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians accreditation laboratory credentials. BADDL provides a full range of diagnostic services year-round in the following essential disciplines: necropsy, histopathology,

• Aspartofthe“OneHealth”mission,BADDLcontinuedmosquito arboviral testing in response to the Zika outbreak in 2016. BADDL works in conjunction with federal, state and local partners, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Agricultural and Environmental Services, theFloridaDepartmentofHealthandlocalMosquitoControl Districts to provide statewide surveillance forZika.Todate,theBADDLhastestedover60,595mosquitoes in 5,050 pools.

• Invested in state-of-the-art equipment and began offering new diagnostic tests at BADDL to provide enhanced customer service to the bovine industry. BADDLisparticipatinginabullTritrichomonasfoetus(T.foetus)prevalencestudythroughspring2019to gather data and document surveillance of this sexually-transmitted disease within Florida. More than 2,600 bulls were tested for this disease.

• Began accepting applications for swine permits throughFreshFromFlorida.comtoimproveefficiency.Thenewwebformallowsuserstorequestaswinemovement permit through our website, which allows 24/7access.Also,fieldinspectorsarenowableto leverage hardware deployed last year to collect electronicsignaturesinthefield.

...responded to multiple incidents,

including: the 152,000 acre West Mims Wildfire...;

Category 4 Hurricane Irma;

Category 1 Hurricane Nate;

...Islands affected by Hurricane

Maria...

Maria;continuationoferadicationandsurveillanceofNewWorldScrewwormintheLowerFloridaKeys;and coordinated a statewide effort to discuss ESF17 emergency preparedness and response issues with each of Florida’s 67 counties. In addition to emergencyresponse,SARTsponsoredatwo-dayK9Handler/FirstResponderAdvancedScopetraininginTampa.ThetrainingpartneredwiththeK9MEDIC™training program and SynDaver Labs. SynDaver is the world’s leading manufacturer of synthetic humans and canines and is used to teach canine handlers advanced skills on how to prevent and treat injuries and illnesses in working dogs. Participants practiced emergency medical skills on SynDaver’s synthetic surgical canines and noninvasive skills on live canines.StudentsreceivedaK9MEDIC™Certificateof Completion and continuing education credits.

clinical pathology, bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitologyandserology.BADDLreceivedNAHLN(NationalAnimalHealthLaboratoryNetwork)level-1status this year, which allows the laboratory to offer tests for important Foreign Animal Diseases and economicallysignificanttrans-boundarydiseases.NAHLNnowformspartofanationwidestrategytocoordinate the work of all organizations providing animal disease surveillance and testing services. BADDLhascompleteditsfirstfullyearaspartoftheVeterinaryLaboratoryInvestigationandResponseNetwork(Vet-LIRN)SystemoftheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)asalevel-1laboratory.Thisprogram coordinates facilities, equipment, and professional expertise of government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories across the country and Canada to respond to high priority chemical and microbialfeed/drugcontaminationevents.Thenetwork provides the means for rapid response to reports of animal injury and establishes protocols to facilitate veterinary diagnostic reporting to FDA.

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DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES

DIVISION OF AQUACULTURE

TheDivisionofAquacultureinspectsthestate’sshellfishprocessing plants to ensure a quality product, inspects aquaculture facilities to protect Florida’s natural resources, classifiesandmanagesshellfishharvestingareawaterstoreducetheriskofshellfish-borneillness,managestheleasing of submerged state lands and restores oyster reefs to enhance productivity. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Aquaculture:

• RevisedRule5L-1,FloridaAdministrativeCodeto remove redundant license and re-application requirements. In addition, the revision describes differentstylesofwetstoragesystemsforshellfishandclarifiesdefinitionsandlanguageassociatedwiththepenalty/finematrix,relayingproceduresandharvester responsibilities.

• ObtainedapprovalfromtheBoardofTrusteesfor67newaquacultureleases.Therearenowover700leases throughout Florida covering 2,460 acres of submergedlands,ofwhich140havebeenmodifiedtoallow full use of the water column.

• Re-surveyedfourshellfishharvestareas,including:(#06)ChoctawhatcheeBay,(#22)WakullaCounty,(#30)CedarKeyand(#32)WaccasassaBay.TheNationalShellfishSanitationModelOrdinancerequiresshellfishharvestareastobere-surveyedevery 10-12 years. In addition, per an industry request, (#62) Pine Island Sound management plan was re-evaluated and updated.

• Issued1,045AquacultureCertificatesofRegistrationforfiscalyear2016-2017,ofwhich118werenewfacilities.Ofthe1,045certificatesofregistration,295were issued to submerged land lease operations and 750 were issued to upland aquaculture facilities. In 2016-17, 1,147 on-site Aquaculture Best Management Practicescomplianceverificationvisitswerecompleted.

• MaintainedcompliancewiththeNationalShellfishSanitation Program (NSSP), Vibrio Control Plan, by workingwiththeshellfishindustryonRapidCoolagreementstomaintaintheefficacyofshellfishcooling during Vibrio Control Plan months of May through October and assisted in the development of additional on-board cooling protocols to increase coolingoptions.InordertoevaluatetheRapidCoolcritical time temperature limits, more than 580 time temperaturechecksweremadeatcertifieddealerprocessing facilities from May through October (Vibrio Control months). Additionally, dealers have introduced multiple effective handling techniques, including the use of nylon mesh bags, better product distribution among multiple pallets, and adding additional cooling fans to increase air circulation. An increased number of harvesters utilized on-board cooling methods to facilitate shellstock cooling to 55° F within one hour of harvest to facilitate shellstock cooling.

TheDivisionofConsumerServicesisthestate’sclearinghouse for consumer complaints, information and protection. It also regulates various business industries, including motor vehicle repair shops, charitable organizations, Florida’s Do Not Call program, sellers of travel, intrastate movers, telemarketing, fair rides, liquid petroleum gas distributors and weighing and measuring devices. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Consumer Services:

• Receivedmorethan41,000complaintsandreturnedmorethan$2.5milliontoconsumersthroughadministrative action and mediation between consumersandbusinesses.Thedepartmentassessedover$350,000infinesagainstbusinessesviolating the Do Not Call law.

• LaunchedanewURL,FloridaConsumerHelp.com,and updated webpages to provide key consumer protection information on registered charities, business licenses and complaints, how to avoid popular scams and more.

• Conducted a statewide sweep, multiple smaller sweeps and daily inspections to combat illegal credit card skimmers that are being placed in gas pumps. Throughouttheyear,thedivisionrecoveredmorethan 630 illegal skimmers from gas pumps, which avertedmorethananestimated$69milliondollarsineconomic damage to consumers.

• Conducted skimmer training outreach for our neighboring petroleum inspectors in Georgia, continued to provide information to other states and pushed for enhanced device security requirements at the national level through the National Conference on WeightsandMeasures.

• Inspected gas pumps and fuel storage tanks at more than 1,500 gas stations around the state following HurricaneIrma.Inspectorsfoundandremovedalargenumber of credit card skimmers from pumps that were compromised during the power outage and alerted station owners to the presence of water in their gas storage tanks.

• HostedsevenConsumerProtectionFairsthroughoutthe state that featured presentations and exhibits on consumer protection issues, scams and fraud, and services provided by FDACS and other government and consumer protection organizations.

• Exhibited at special events, such as the Florida FederationofWomen’sClubsAnnualConvention,FloridaSeniorDayattheCapitol,PuertoRicoDayattheCapitol,SpringtimeTallahassee,FloridaLionsClub Annual Convention, Sunshine Expo, McIntosh 1890 Festival, Active Living Expo, and the North Florida Fair.

• PartneredwiththeFloridaAttorneyGeneral’sOfficetobeginnotifyingTelephoneServiceProvidersoflinesthat should be shut down.

• Implemented registration of substance abuse marketingproviders.Thisoversightwillprovideconsumers with information about entities that market substance abuse services and prevent people who have been convicted of certain crimes from working for these marketers.

• Performed more than 512,00 inspection checks on retail motor fuel dispensers for accuracy and overall functioningofthedevicesandfuelqualitysampling;morethan9,000inspectionsonLiquefiedPetroleum(LP)Gasforsafety;andnearly55,000inspectionsof weighing and measuring devices, packages and scanners to test for accuracy. Inspected more than 9,000 amusement rides, with more than 19,000 deficienciescorrectedtoensureconsumersafety.Performed more than 61,500 laboratory analyses onmorethan20,900antifreeze,brakefluidandpetroleumsamples.Themetrologylabperformedmore than 6,800 volume or mass tests.

• Respondedtomorethan240,000telephonecalls,live chats, emails and requests for electronic and printed materials from businesses and consumers. Registeredorlicensedmorethan100,000businesses.

There are now over 700 leases

throughout Florida covering 2,460 acres of

submerged lands...

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FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

OFFICE OF ENERGY

TheOfficeofEnergysupportsthedevelopmentandanalysis of state energy policies and is responsible for administeringfinancialincentiveprogramsthatincreasethe production of energy or yield savings. During the 2017 calendaryear,theOfficeofEnergy:

• Staffed the Emergency Support Function (ESF) 12 Fuels Desk at the State Emergency Operations CenterinTallahasseeinresponsetoHurricaneIrma.OOEstaffworkedtoprocurefuelandpropaneforfirstresponders and mass care facilities and helped to complete the bulk fuel survey.

• Provided 193 energy and water audits to farmers in the Suwannee County area and invested more than$2.65milliontoimplementtheresultingrecommendationsundertheFarmEnergyandWaterEfficiencyRealization(FEWER)Program.FEWERis a pilot program in Suwannee County that provides on-siteenergyandwaterauditstofarms.Thepilotprogram provides a 75 percent cost share up to $25,000toareafarmerswhoparticipateintheauditandchoosetoimplementtherecommendations.Theauditsidentifiedapotentialenergysavingsof116,743MMBtu.Todate,45,315MMBtuofenergyweresavedbecause of this program.

• Providedover$6millionundertheNaturalGasFuelFleetVehicleRebateProgramtoFloridabusinessesfor the conversion, purchase or lease of a natural gas fleetvehicle.Thisprogramproducedaninvestmentof$144.8millionandcreatedorretained765jobs.In addition, the use of the vehicles purchased andretrofittedunderthisprogramwillsaverebaterecipientsanestimated$8.1millioninannualfuelcost.

• AwardedfivegrantstoFloridauniversitiesundertheRenewableEnergyandEnergyEfficientTechnologies(REET)Grantprogramtoconductdemonstration,commercialization, research and development projects relating to renewable energy technologies andinnovativetechnologiesthatsignificantlyincreaseenergyefficiencyforvehiclesandcommercialbuildings.

• ReceivedanawardwithNhuEnergyandtheFloridaMunicipal Electric Association (FMEA) for the Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage TechnologyReadiness(FAASSTeR)projectfromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergySunShotInitiative.Thegoals of this three-year project include conducting detailed solar energy studies and analysis, and developing strategies that will expand solar, energy storage, and other distributed energy resources.

• Co-hosted the 2017 Florida Energy Summit with the BrowardWorkshop.

TheFloridaForestServiceprotectsFloridaanditsresidents through the prevention, detection and suppressionofwildlandfires.TheFloridaForestServicealso manages more than 1 million acres of state forest resources and provides forest management assistance to forest landowners and urban communities. During the 2017 calendar year, the Florida Forest Service:

• Battled2,865wildfiresthatburned200,655acreswhile saving 6,843 homes, businesses and other structuresfromthethreatofwildfire.TheFloridaForest Service also deployed 450 personnel to assist wildfiresuppressioneffortsin12states,including:Washington,Montana,California,GeorgiaandOregon. An additional 504 personnel were deployed toassistwithwildfiresthroughoutFlorida.Ofthosedeployed, 120 served on six separate Florida Forest Service hand-crews. During hurricane season, 496 personnel were deployed to assist with emergency response and recovery efforts.

• Administered the largest and most active prescribed fireprograminthenation,issuing82,323openburnauthorizations for public and private land managers totreat2,018,828acreswithprescribedfire.Oftheseacres burned, 174,949* were on state forest lands. Prescribedfireisanimportantlandmanagementtoolusedtoreducethebuildupofflammableplantmaterialsthatfuelandintensifydangerouswildfires.Thereductionofhazardousbuildupresultsinincreased safety for surrounding areas. In addition, many of Florida’s plant and animal communities are dependentontheregularoccurrenceoffireforahealthy existence.

• Managed and maintained one of the most extensive state forest systems in the nation, with 37 state forestscovering1.1millionacres.Throughextensivereforestationefforts,prescribedfiretreatments,wildlife habitat restoration, invasive species control and more, the Florida Forest Service and its partners have worked together to keep Florida’s State Forests vibrant, productive and sustainable. In 2017, the Florida Forest Service reforested more than 1,513 acres of Longleaf Pine and 569 acres of Slash Pine.

• Acquired 12 conservation easements covering 20,374 acresthroughtheRuralandFamilyLandsProtectionProgram.Twoadditionalconservationeasementscovering 4,403 acres were recently approved for acquisitionbytheFloridaCabinetin2017.ThemissionoftheRuralandFamilyLandsProgramistocreate conservation easements that preserve valuable agricultural lands and protect natural areas.

• Since 2011, has hosted 428 Operation Outdoor Freedom events, providing recreational opportunities for3,333veterans.Twenty-nineeventswereheldon14differentStateForests.TheprogramalsohostedthefirstPurpleHeartDaywithCommissionerPutnamat Camp Prairie. Completed construction of the woundedveterancampatPeaceRiverStateForestandbeganconstructionontheTwo-MilePrairietractoftheWithlacoocheeStateForest.

• Initiated and implemented a central online reservation system for state forest campgrounds and other facilities. In the initial six-month launch period, over 7,000 reservations have been made reserving more than22,000nightsofcamping.Thissystemhasbeenused extensively by Florida residents, as well as residents from 42 other states.

• Committed to adding three new State Forests into the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) program, totaling 62,093 acres. In February 2018, an expansion audit will be conducted on John M. Bethea, Four Creeks andJenningsStateForests.Thisisinadditiontothe413,000 acres already in the program at Blackwater RiverandTate’sHellStateForests.Thisprogramincludes an annual independent audit to ensure sustainability of all forest resources.

Battled 2,865 Florida wildfires

audits identified a potential energy savings of 116,743

MMBtu

Awarded five grants to Florida

universities under the Renewable

Energy and Energy Efficient Technologies (REET) Grant

program

16 17

DIVISION OF FOOD, NUTRITION AND WELLNESS

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

TheDivisionofFood,NutritionandWellnessadministersthe National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Special Milk Program, Afterschool Snack Program, Summer Food Service Program, Seamless Summer Option Program and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Program responsibilities include advocating changes in policy that ensure the most nutritious meal is provided to children and that all children in Florida areeducatedonthebenefitsoflivingahealthylifestyle.During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Food, NutritionandWellness:

• Provided more than 15.2 million meals to children at 4,667 Summer BreakSpot sites throughout the state. ThedivisionalsointroducednewSummerBreakSpotpartner – PepsiCo Food For Good – into the state as aproviderofhealthysummermeals.WorkingwithSummer BreakSpot organizations in Jacksonville, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, Food for Good leveraged PepsiCo’s expertise in taste and nutrition, distribution, anditsscaletoeffectivelyandefficientlydemonstrateits ability to reach children in need.

• Introduced My “Fresh From Florida” Plate Day, where every component of the school meal was Florida-grown or produced. During these events, students were able to meet the farmers who produced the items being served, which increased their exposure to Florida agriculture and emphasized the importance of eating nutritious foods.

• Established the Good Agricultural Practices/Good HandlingPractices(GAP/GHP)CertificationProgramasapartoftheFarmtoSchoolinitiative.Theprogram,whichprovidesupto$1,000towardsthecostofaUSDAGAP/GHPaudit,isdesignedtoassistfarmers with meeting the food safety requirements necessary to source products to local schools.

• Wasawardedthe2017BusinessandIndustryAwardfrom the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (FAND)atits2017AnnualSymposium.Thisawardrecognizes outstanding efforts by an organization to bring awareness of healthy eating to the community.

• Distributed48,369,788poundsofUSDAFoodsto low-income individuals and families through TheEmergencyFoodAssistanceProgramandpartnerships with contracted emergency feeding organizations, and expanded the Commodity SupplementalFoodProgram(CSFP)fromfiveto20counties where 9,822 eligible seniors now receive monthly food packages.

• Providedmorethan1.4millionUSDAFoodsmeals,1.3 million liters of water, and 4.6 million pounds of ice for disaster victims throughout Florida in the aftermath ofHurricaneIrma.Inaddition,thedivisionprovidedfood packages to 107,437 families in 19 counties throughtheDisasterHouseholdDistribution(DHD)Program and 66,600 food boxes for residents in FEMA’sTransitionalShelteringAssistanceProgram.

• Provided$1,847,021inassistancegrantstoschoolsparticipating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to purchase equipment to serve healthier meals that meet the updated meal patterns, with an emphasis on serving more locally grown fruits and vegetables, improving food safety, and expanding access.

• Receivedthe2017BestPracticeAwardforStatePromotionoftheHealthierUSSchoolChallenge(HUSSC)fromtheUSDA-FNS,SoutheastRegion.HUSSCisavoluntarycertificationinitiativerecognizing schools that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition andphysicalactivity.ThedivisionhasdividedthestateintofiveregionswithadesignatedregionalHUSSCspecialistavailabletoworkhands-onwithschools across the state to complete and submit the HUSSCapplication.Sincethedepartmentassumedresponsibility of the state’s school nutrition programs in2012,thenumberofcertifiedHUSSCschoolshasincreased from 27 to 384.

Provided more than 15.2 million meals

to children

• Assessed approximately 3.1 million acres of pine forests as part of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Geodatabase Project. As a result, over 300,000 additionalacresoflongleafpinewereidentified,whichwill help guide conservation and restoration of this species and serves as a model for other southeastern states.

• Continued to operate the historic 70,000-acre BabcockRanchPreserveinCharlotteCounty.Publicrecreational opportunities include: hiking, biking, and horsebackriding.Thepropertyisthelargeststate-owned working ranch managed by a private cattle company.

• Enrolled 51,321 additional acres into the forestry Best Management Practices (BMP) program, expanding the total number of acres enrolled to more than 5 million. Based on the 2017 Implementation Survey, Florida landowners demonstrated a 98-percent complianceratewithforestryBMPs.Thesepracticesare designed as the minimum standards necessary for protecting and maintaining Florida’s water quality during forestry activities.

• AdministeredtheonlyWildlifeBestManagementPractices(WBMP)programinthesoutheast.Throughthis voluntary program, Florida’s forest owners have agreed to protect imperiled wildlife on more than 3.3 million acres of private and public forests. Forest owners in the program are helping to protect species suchastheBluenoseShiner,theGopherTortoiseandtheSoutheasternAmericanKestrel.

• Certified47FirewiseCommunitiesand56CommunityWildfireProtectionplans.Conducted1,057wildfireprevention outreach and education events that reached more than 382,681 people in Florida. Conducted124wildfiremitigationprojects,whichreducedthethreatofwildfiredamageon6,318acresand provided increased protection to 2,736 structures valuedatjustunder$823million.Throughwildfireprevention and mitigation efforts, the Florida Forest Service helps Floridians learn how to protect their communitiesfromwildfire.

• AdministeredtheFloridaNationalChampionTreeProgram, which recognizes the largest known tree of each species within the state. Florida now has 127 national champion or national co-champion trees, the most of any state in the country.

• Certifiedarecord-breaking179ofFloridacommunitieswiththe“TreeCityUSA”designation,which is the most in state history and fourth highest number in the country. Awarded 15 urban and communityforestrygrantstotaling$160,000toimprove management of their urban trees.

• Generated$6.3millioninrevenuefrom:timbersales,Florida Forest Service share of Other Public Lands timber sales, miscellaneous forest products, grazing leases, cattle sales, recreational receipts and the BabcockRanchleasepayment.

• Assisted more than 450 landowners, who participated in federal cost-share programs, with tree planting, prescribed burning, invasive species removal and managementplandevelopment.Thesecostsharesprovidedmorethan$5millioninfederalfundingtolandowners to help them maintain healthy, productive forests on more than 38,000 acres. Additionally, Florida Forest Service foresters provided 7,627 assists to landowners on 164,773 acres, and prepared 945 forest management and practice plans covering more than 156,000 private forestland acres.

• LaunchedourEnergySavingTreesProgramtohelpFloridian’s gain a deeper knowledge of the value of the urban forest and better serve their needs by increasing involvement in urban forest stewardship. Today,withthehelpofutilitypartners,wehavecumulatively engaged over 14,600 participating households.

• TheFloridaForestServicedeployedUrbanForestryStrikeTeamstoFlaglerandMiami-Dadecountiesand the city of Naples to assess storm damage from HurricaneIrma,andmakerecommendationsfortreeremoval and pruning based on public safety impacts.

Enrolled 51,321 additional acres into the forestry

Best Management Practices (BMP)

program

18 19

DIVISION OF FOOD SAFETY

DIVISION OF LICENSING

TheDivisionofFoodSafetymonitorsfoodfromthepointof manufacturing and distribution through wholesale and retail sales to ensure the public of a safe, wholesome and properly represented food products. In doing so, the division permits and inspects food establishments and food products and performs laboratory analyses on a variety of food products sold or produced in the state. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Food Safety:

• Conducted 5,172 food assessments following HurricaneIrmatoensurebusinesseshadtheinformation necessary to recover quickly and ensure potentially compromised food was not being sold tothepublic.TheseassessmentsascertainedthatFloridabusinesseslostanestimated$21milliondollars in food commodities due to the storm.

TheDivisionofLicensingisresponsibleforprotectingthepublic from unethical business practices on the part of individuals providing private security, private investigative and recovery services through licensure and regulation of those industries. In addition, the division is responsible fortheissuanceofconcealedweaponorfirearmlicenses.During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Licensing:

Conducted 34,096 inspections of food

establishments and dairy facilities

statewide

Conducted 5,172 food assessments

following Hurricane Irma to ensure

businesses had the information necessary

to recover quickly

• Created a business center to handle all permitting andincomingconsumerissues.Thiswillcreateconsistency and streamlined processing through thedivisionresultinginimprovedandmoreefficientservices to our customers.

• Merged the inspectors collecting samples in the fieldforchemicalresiduetestingwiththefieldinspection units to provide expanded services for sample collection, which will result in less travel time to sampling location sites and improved sampling functions.Theinspectorswillalsobeabletobenefitfrom already established training and standardization programs currently in use in the Bureau of Food Inspection.

• Conducted 34,096 inspections of food establishments and dairy facilities statewide, with more than 96 percent meeting inspection requirements.

• Implemented a fee reduction for all concealed weapon license applicants.

• Augmentedstaffinglevelswith47newfull-timeequivalent positions, allowing the division to continue providing applicants and licensees the highest possible level of service while receiving record numbers of applications.

• ImplementedfingerprintretentionforallChapter493licensees.

• Enhanced public safety by implementing changes to Chapter 493, F.S.• Thedepartmentcannowaccessmentalhealth

and substance abuse data of Class “G” and Class“K”applicantsandlicenseestodeterminewhether these individuals who are prohibited from purchasingafirearm.

• ThedepartmentcannowsuspendaClass“G”orClass“K”licenseifthelicenseeisarrestedorchargedwithafirearms-relatedcrimethatwoulddisqualify such person from licensure.

• Thedepartmentcannowsuspendanylicenseissued pursuant to Chapter 493, F.S., if the licensee is arrested or charged with a forcible felonyasdefinedins.776.08

• Continued rule update/rule making activities:• RevisedRule5N-1.132,“Firearms,”and

introducedanewfirearmstrainingmanualbasedon the current Florida Criminal Justice Standards andTrainingCommissionanddevelopedinconjunction with industry experts.

• RevisedRule5N-1.134,“SchoolsorTrainingFacilities,LicenseApplication;Exemptions,”which allows schools to move locations without submitting a new application for licensure.

• Issued 454,585 licenses, including:• 363,922 concealed weapon licenses• 4,454 private investigator licenses• 622 recovery agent licenses• 67,913securityofficerlicenses

• Received316,062contacts,including280,625callsand 35,473 chats

• Expedited processing of 33,702 concealed weapon or firearmlicenseapplicationsforveteransandmilitarymembers, bringing the total to more than 97,000 since July 2015.

• ExpandedtheConcealedWeaponIntakeSystem

(CWIS)/TaxCollectorPartnership,whichallowsapprovedtaxcollectorofficestoacceptconcealedweapon license applications on behalf of the department. Since the program’s inception in 2014, the department has partnered with 51 county tax collectors to offer the service at 59 locations. • On-site printing of renewal licenses is now

available for eligible Floridians. • Thirteenservicelocationswereaddedin2017,

and the partnership will expand to additional locations in 2018.

• Established standards for crediting honorably discharged veterans with “substantially similar” training or education when applying for licensure throughrule5N-1.119,“CreditforRelevantMilitaryTrainingandEducation,”pursuanttoChapter493,F.S.

Expedited processing of 33,702 concealed weapon or firearm

license applications for veterans and military members

• Received15,094foodandenvironmentalsamplesat the division’s biological and chemical testing laboratories that were scheduled for a wide variety of contaminant testing. Approximately 96 percent were in compliance for adulteration standards and approximately 95 percent were in compliance for branding and labeling.

20 21

• Built geospatial applications, in collaboration with the various Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) that are staffed by FDACS employees, to increase operationalefficiency,makebetterinformeddecisionsand support ongoing efforts at the State Emergency Operations Center. One of these applications included an editable mapping and tracking application for the Division of Food Safety, who sent inspectors outtoover5,000facilities.Additionally,OATScollaborated with the Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellnesstocreateawebmappingapplicationtoestimate the population in the hardest hit areas prior to, and during the hurricane, which allows FDACS staff to make better informed decisions about the quantity of food, water, and ice that needed for the emergencyshelters.Thesegeospatialapplicationswere proactively created prior to hurricane season and were ready to deploy during the events of the past year.Sources:USDANationalAgricultureStatisticsService

DIVISION OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Performed more than 460 food safety

audits

Conducted shipping point vegetable inspections on 657,994 tons

TheDivisionofFruitandVegetablesensuresthatFloridaagriculture meets established standards and grades. It also carries out marketing orders for various fruit and vegetable commodities, including citrus, avocados, peanuts and tomatoes. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Fruit and Vegetables:

• Performed more than 460 food safety audits, including: Good Agricultural Practices and Food Handlingaudits,FloridaTomatoGoodAgriculturalPracticesaudits,USDATomatoProtocolaudits,USDAHarmonizedaudits,GFSIauditsandPartnersinQuality audits.

• Conducted shipping point vegetable inspections on 657,994 tons, including: 698,955 bushels of avocados;32.8millionpoundsofshelledpeanuts;235,659tonsoffarmerstockpeanuts;553,31550-poundbagsofpotatoes;and30.9million25-poundcontainers of fresh tomatoes.

• Conducted terminal market inspections totaling 51,134 tons of produce.

• Inspected 72.8 million 1-3/5 bushel boxes of citrus for processors and 11.1 million 4.5 bushel cartons for fresh citrus packinghouses.

TheOfficeofAgricultureTechnologyServicesisresponsible for providing information technology-related services within the department, including being an information services provider and establishing and maintaining the necessary infrastructure to support the department’s information technology needs. During the 2017calendaryear,theOfficeofAgricultureTechnologyServices:

• Successfully completed the procurement and initiated the development of an enterprise licensing and regulatory system to automate the cumulative functions of the department’s regulatory responsibilities. Initially set to automate the Division of Licensing’s four major programs and the Division of Administration’s revenue collection and reconciliation capabilities, the new system will ultimately be scalable and extensible to the remainder of the department to achieve a single, universal application able to provide visibility into each regulated entities’ standing with the department.

• Successfully migrated department employees’ active electronic mail and archives to the Microsoft Office365EnterpriseCloudSuite,providingupdatedtools to best support each employee in their duties. ThisallowsOATStobestmanageour“desktoptoolshed,”currentlyupgradedtotheOffice2016suite,and ensure the latest tool sets are available to our personnel.

• Developed and implemented a new “Ag Academy” site built upon Microsoft’s SharePoint in the cloud platform to offer employees a collaborative environment to access professional development opportunities and any mandatory training.

OFFICE OF AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

geospatial applications were

proactively created prior to hurricane season and were ready to deploy during the events of the past year.

22 23

DIVISION OF MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT

TheDivisionofMarketingandDevelopmentproducesstrategies to facilitate the buying, selling and marketing of Florida agricultural products. It develops and implements programs to increase consumer awareness of Florida agricultural products through the “Fresh From Florida” brand and operates 12 wholesale farmer’s markets. During the 2017 calendar year, the Division of Marketing and Development:

• Expanded consumer awareness and sales of “Fresh From Florida” products and matched Florida producerswithbuyersthroughouttheworld.Toprovide a foundation or promotion and awareness of Florida’s fresh produce, “Fresh From Florida” partners with more than 70 retail grocery chains (a 55-percent increase over 2016) and is active in 26 countries with more than 12,000 stores located throughout North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

• Exhibited and promoted “Fresh From Florida” agricultural in major trade shows in the domestic and international marketplace. For many of these events, the division partnered with state, regional and national organizations,suchastheUSDA’sSouthernUnitedStatesTradeAssociation(SUSTA),U.S.LivestockGeneticsExport,Inc.(USLGE)andFloridaProducerAssociations.

• Established a divisional database designed to track and report on all marketing programs and forecast outcomes, as well as assist with metric-based decisions and identify optimal marketing investments.Thesenewcapabilitiesarealsousedto identify market share positions and the competitive environment Florida faces in the marketplace.

• Launched a new stand-alone website, FollowFreshFromFlorida.cominFebruary2017.Thenew consumer website showcases recipes, events, agritourism, highlight videos featuring Florida farmers and the “Fresh!” recipe video series. “Fresh!” Videos are released every two weeks and have earned more than2.3millionviews.Eachvideoisfilmedin-houseand features at least one Florida commodity.

Expanded consumer awareness and

sales of “Fresh From Florida” products

and matched Florida producers with

buyers throughout the world.

TheDivisionofPlantIndustryexcludes,detects,interceptsand controls plant and honey bee pests that threaten Florida’s native and commercially grown plants and agricultural resources. During the 2016 calendar year, the Division of Plant Industry:

• Continued program to eradicate giant African land snails (GALS) detected in Miami in September 2011. Theprogramhascollectedmorethan168,000snailson over 719 properties in 31 core areas of Miami-Dade County and one core area of Broward County. No new cores were established or expanded during 2017 when close to 1,500 GALS were collected and destroyed. Fifteen of the 32 cores have not had a live findinoverthreeyearsandweredecommissioned,resulting in the removal of seven regulated areas from the list of quarantine areas in Miami-Dade County. A core is eligible for decommissioning when no live snails have been collected for over three years, detector dogs have inspected all positive and adjoining properties in the core, a night survey has been conducted (time when snails can be most active) and a threshold of treatments has been reached.Thedivisioncontinuesworkingonmoreeffective attractants and traps to employ on properties where no snails have been detected for many years to ensure no giant African land snails remain.

• Utilizingthebureau’s3DPrintingLaboratorytocreatetrapping technologies that preserve Asian citrus psyllids for DNA analysis and on-site detection of huanglongbing(HLB)orcitrusgreeningagents.Newpsyllid trap designs are tested in laboratory cages for relativeefficacy,andfieldtestingisconductedusingthetrapswiththehighestcatchrates.Twelvestemtraps and 24 modular stem traps with chemical lure modules have been sent to collaborators in Florida.

• Identifying and developing snail attractants and

traps to be incorporated into the GALS program as anactivatortoimprovetheefficacyofmolluscicidetreatments (bait-and-kill), and as an attractant to aid in the ability to detect hidden populations (bait-and-trap).

• Air potato beetle rearing and release. Air potato,

DioscoreabulbiferaL.,isanOld-Worldperennialvinethat smothers native vegetation and critical habitats, anditishighlyinvasiveinthesoutheasternU.S.TheFloridaExoticPestPlantCouncillistsairpotatoas a Category I species. Biological control offers a sustainable approach for its management in Florida. Theairpotatoleafbeetle,Liliocerischeni(Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae), is an aggressive folivore (leaf eater) inthelarvalandadultstages.Thebeetlesprovideasafe and sustainable management tool to mitigate the major negative impacts the vine has had on Florida ecosystems. Approximately 114,000 adult Lilioceris cheni were produced for release across the region. Initial results of a novel herbicide application method have shown the potential to reduce the quantity applied and overspray potential, while simultaneously increasing vine mortality.

DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY

What’s in Season?

FDACS-P-01332 Rev. 4/2017

Follow the Fresh

Avocado

Bell Pepper

Bell Pepper

Bell Pepper

Bell Pepper

Bell Pepper

Blueberry

Blueberry

Broccoli

Broccoli

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cabbage

Cabbage

Cabbage

Cabbage

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe

Carambola

Carambola

Carambola

Carrot

Carrot

Caulifl ower

Caulifl ower

Caulifl ower

Caulifl ower

Celery

Celery

Celery

Celery Cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumber

Eggplant

Eggplant

Eggplant

Eggplant

Eggplant

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Guava

Guava

Guava

Guava

Guava

Lettuce

Lettuce

Lettuce

Lettuce

Mango

Mushroom

Mushroom

Mushroom

Mushroom

Mushroom

Orange

Orange

Orange

Orange

Orange Papaya

Papaya

Papaya

Papaya

Passion Fruit

Peanut

Peanut

PeanutPeanut

Peanut

Peach

Peach

Potato

Potato

Potato

Potato

Radish

Radish

Radish

Radish

Radish

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Snap BeansSnap Beans

Spinach

Spinach

Squash

Squash

Squash

Squash

Squash

Strawberry

StrawberryStrawberry

Strawberry

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tomato

Tomato

TomatoTomato

Tomato

Watermelon

Watermelon

Zucchini

Zucchini

Zucchini

Zucchini

Zucchini

Avocado

Avocado

Avocado

Avocado

Avocado

Bell Pepper

Cantaloupe

Carambola

Carambola

Carambola

Carambola

Carambola

Cucumber

Eggplant

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Guava

Guava

Guava

Guava

Guava

Longan

Longan

Lychee

Lychee

Mango

Mango

Mango

Mushroom

MushroomMushroom

Mushroom

Mushroom

Orange

Orange

Orange

Papaya

Passion Fruit

Passion Fruit

Passion Fruit

Peanut

Peanut

Peanut

Peanut

Peanut

Potato

Squash

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tomato

Tomato

Watermelon

Watermelon

Zucchini

Avocado

Avocado

Bell Pepper

Bell Pepper

Broccoli Cabbage

Carambola

Carambola

Caulifl ower

Celery

Cucumber

Cucumber

Eggplant

Eggplant

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Guava

GuavaLettuce

Mushroom

Mushroom

Orange

Orange

Passion Fruit

Passion Fruit

Peanut

Radish

Radish

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Squash

Squash

StrawberryStrawberry

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Tangerine

Tangerine

Tomato

Tomato

Zucchini

Zucchini

Peach

StrawberryStrawberryStrawberry

TomatoTomato

MushroomMushroomMushroomMushroom

MushroomMushroomMushroom

MushroomMushroom

Watermelon

TomatoTomatoTomatoTomato

JAN

FE

B MAR APR MAY JUN

JUL AUG SEP OCT N

OV D

EC

Continued employing effective solutions to plant pest and disease problems, the primary mission of the division’s Methods and Biological Control bureau. Programs conducted during 2017 include:

• Biological control activities for several invasive whiteflyspeciespresentinFlorida,whichnegativelyimpact a variety of ornamental and landscape plants. Theyinclude:Ficuswhitefly(FW),Singhiellasimplex,Rugosespiralingwhitefly(RSW),Aleurodicusrugioperculatus,Solanumwhitefly,Aleurotrachelustrachoides(SW),andAsiothrixusantidesmae(AA).A new eulophid parasitoid, Baeoentedon balios, wasidentifiedinassociationwithFicuswhiteflyinfestations, and studies determined that this biocontrolagenthasasignificantsuppressanteffectonFWpopulations.FinalsitevisitsamplingdataforRSWshowedlittletonopresenceofRSWonaffectedvegetation,supportingfindingsthatpopulationswere under effective biocontrol. Surveys for natural enemiesofsolanumwhiteflyfoundonepromisingpredatory beetle species, Delphastus pallidus, from plants infested in Miami-Dade County.

24 25

• Rearingcactusmoth,Cactoblastiscactorum,aspartofacooperativeagreementwiththeUSDA.Thearrival of the cactus moth in Florida is a serious threat totherichOpuntiafloraecosystemsofNorthAmerica.For several years, DPI’s main control strategy was thesterileinsecttechnique(SIT).Thecurrentcontroltactic being investigated is the use of a biological control agent, Apanteles opuntiarum, a cactus moth larval parasitoid. In 2017, over 350,000 cactus moths were produced to serve as hosts for the parasitoid colony. During this period, 14 generations of parasitoids totaling approximately 22,000 individuals were produced.

• Developinganefficientsystemtocontrolthebeanplataspid, Megacopta cribraria F., also known as the kudzu bug, which feeds on many plant species, including kudzu, wisteria, soybean, and green beans. ThebeanplataspidisnativetosoutheastAsiaandwasfirstdetectedintheUnitedStatesin2009.TheepicenterofintroductionintotheU.S.appearstohavebeen northeastern Georgia, but the kudzu bug is now prevalentthroughoutthesoutheasternUnitedStates.Amajorgoaloftheprojectistodevelopanefficientrearing system for the egg parasitoid, Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd). In 2017, over 10,000 parasitoids were produced in the laboratory with an approximate sexratioof3:1(female:male).Thelaboratory-rearedbean plataspid colony produced over 12,000 egg masses, and an additional 17,000 egg masses were fieldcollectedforuseintheparasitoidrearing.

DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY

• Importedfireant(IFA)biologicalcontrolprogram.Forthe past 16 years, the division, in cooperation with USDA,hasbeenrearingandreleasingacomplexofphoridflyspeciestocontrolthedestructiveanddangerousIFA.Theflyinjectsitseggintothethoraxoftheant;theegghatches;andthelarvadevelops inside the ant before migrating to the head capsule where it eventually causes the ant’s head to fall off and serve as the puparium for the fly.TheflyeventuallyemergesinsearchofmoreIFA to parasitize. In 2017, the program ended with approximately745,000fliescombinedofthelasttwospecies, Pseudacteon obtusus and P. cultellatus being reared. In 2017, eight states received shipments of one or both species for release in IFA-infested areas.

• Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) biological control.Host-specificitytestscontinuedonthebrownmarmoratedstinkbug,Halyomorphahalys(Heteroptera:Pentatomidae),amajorplantpestandhousehold nuisance that was accidentally introduced intotheU.S.fromAsia,mostlikelyinpackingmaterial. By 2016, it had spread or been reported in 42 states. Its host range includes temperate and tropical fruits, vegetables, legumes, ornamentals andweedyplants.Thisinsectsurvivesthewinterby invading houses and other enclosed structures. Aspartoftheriskassessment,host-specificitytests(choice, no-choice) were conducted at the quarantine facilitiesinGainesville,Florida,exposingT.japonicusadultfemalesto24speciesofstinkbugs.Resultsofthehost-specificitytestswiththeegg-parasitoidTrissolcusjaponicusindicatedthatthehigherlevelof parasitoid emergence (>80%) was obtained with Halyomorphahalys,thetargetpest.Riskassessmentcontinues.

Completed 689,720 separate plant and pest

identifications

As a partner in the Citrus Health Response Program, a holistic approach is being taken to protect citrus production from root to fruit through research, disease management and outreach efforts. Highlights include:

• Surveyed 240,570 acres of commercial citrus groves for pests and diseases.

• Removed17,919acesofabandonedgrovesstatewideundertheAbandonedGroveTreeRemovalProject, an initiative to slow the progression of citrus greening by reducing the amount of inoculum through the removal of abandoned and unmanaged groves.

• Issued 182 Abandoned Grove Compliance Agreements to property owners to remove 4,822 acres of abandoned groves, including the state’s removalprogram,FLAGR,aswellasgrovesremovedby individual owners at their own expense. Since the Initiative’s inception in 2009, a total of 1,124 agreements have been issued to landowners, representing 32,933 acres.

• Producedapproximately3,100,000Tamarixiaradiata,abeneficialinsectthatattackstheAsiancitruspsyllid,thevectorofcitrusgreeningdisease.Tamarixiawerereleased at citrus and orange jasmine plantings throughout Central and South Florida. Production wasseverelyaffectedbytheimpactsofHurricaneIrma, with an estimated loss of 300,000 wasps from the Dundee Facility and 75,000 from the Gainesville Facility.

• Atwo-dayCitrusBlackSpotTechnicalWorkingGroupworkshopinImmokaleetoreaffirmtheneedfor research, outreach and cooperation to control the spread of the disease.

• ThroughareaCitrusHealthManagementAreas(CHMAs),growerscontinuedtocoordinatespraysto suppress psyllids to manage the spread of citrus greening.Thereare55organizedCHMAsstatewide.USDAandFDACSsharethemonitoringof3,895grove blocks every three weeks to provide a current flowofinformationonpsyllidcountstoparticipatinggrowers.

Developing an efficient system to control the bean plataspid,... also

known as the kudzu bug, which feeds on many plant species

• Completed 689,720 separate plant and pest identificationsthroughthedivision’sentomology,nematology and plant pathology sections, as well as the Fruit Fly Detection Lab. Forty-one exotic species were detected within the state. An additional 77 detections of known exotic agricultural pests were made at interdiction stations. Evaluated and processed 279 plant, anthropod, pathogen and nematodepermits,aswellas28FederalRegisterevaluations involving commodity movement from foreign countries and pests recommended for deregulationbyUSDA-APHIS.

• Processed 4,662 plant samples and added 426 specimens to the DPI reference herbarium. Began a projectincollaborationwiththeUniversityofFloridatopostimagesofallherbariumspecimensonline.Theproject is nearly 85 percent complete.

• Conducted18,588Nematologyidentifications.A2017farm bill project conducted by the nematology section involved the survey and detection of nematodes infecting peach orchards and nurseries in the state of Florida. A total of 130 soil and root samples of peach (Prunus persica) were collected from ten orchards located in central and southwest Florida

• Conducted survey programs for a number of commodities in 65 of 67 Florida counties, including tomato, corn, sugarcane, forest and nursery for more than 57 exotic pests, including: emerald ash borer, Tutaabsoluta,oldworldbollworm(Helicoverpaarmigera), Asian longhorned beetle, brown marmorated stink bug, gypsy moths, palm weevils, psyllids, Mexican rice borer, and terrestrial snails andslugs.TheCAPSprogramalsoreportedonmore than 90 exotic pests to the National Agricultural Pest Information Systems with a total of over 13,600 entries.

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• Inspected17,481activenurseryandstockdealers;issued14,647exportcertificates;serviced22,907exoticfruitflytraps;andcertified41,640acresofcitrus groves totaling 1,962,441 cartons of fruit free ofCaribbeanfruitflyforexporttoJapan,Korea,andtheEuropeanUnion(EU).Collected$2.2millioninrevenue for above inspections.

• Inspected4,494registeredbeekeepers;issued

1,220out-of-stateshippingcertificatesthathaveadestinationto32states;andcertified21semiloadsofhoneybeecoloniesforRedImportedFireAnt(RIFA)forentryintoCaliforniaforalmondpollination.Processed24samplesforAfricanHoneybeecertificationand10samplesfrom10registeredQueen Breeder’s breeding stock as European mother lines.

• CompletedseventhyearoftheTravelersDon’tPacka Pest program – the successful campaign to educate international travelers about the risks associated with bringingundeclaredagricultureitemsintotheU.S.Campaign consists of a video and signage featuring Linus,theU.S.CustomsandBorderProtectionagriculture detector dog, as the “spokesperson.” Program video is airing in the nation’s 20 busiest international airports where 85 percent of international travelersentertheU.S.,programsignageisdisplayed at several major ports of entry in Florida and partnerships have been formed with Caribbean countries. Over 800 signs are now on display in more than 60 major ports of entry throughout Florida and the Caribbean.

DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY

• Continued work on several farm bill-funded projects

foranestimated$3.7million,including:enhancedpest detection at high risk interdiction stations and importdistributionsites;solanaceous,stonefruitpestanddiseasesurveys;giantAfricanlandsnailsmitigation;brownmarmoratedstinkbugandbeanplataspidclassicalbiologicalcontrol;enhancedmitigation techniques for control of cactus moth (Cactoblastiscactorum);fruitflyidentification;pestsurveysforexoticwhiteflies;surveysandpathwayanalysisforOldWorldbollwormandTutaabsoluta;nationalhoneybeepestanddiseasesurvey;Floridadetectordoginspection;decisionsupportdataset;andcollaborative education and regulatory efforts between California,FloridaandHawaii.

• Collaborated with the California Department of Food andAgriculture(CDFA)andtheHawaiiDepartmentofAgriculture(HAD)toenhancecommunicationbetween the three states, each of which are considered sentinel states due to their high-risk status for the introduction and establishment of new exotic plant pests and pathogens.

• ContinuedworkwithFloridaimporters,theUSDAandU.S.CustomsandBorderProtectiontoevaluateforeign agricultural import protocols to assure plant pest and disease introduction risks are effectively addressed.

...certified 41,640 acres of citrus groves totaling

1,962,441 cartons of fruit free of Caribbean fruit fly for export to Japan,

Korea, and the European Union (EU). Collected $2.2 million in revenue for above inspections.

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