Crist wants ag disaster declared for Manatee, Polk, other areas - Phoenix Business Journal:

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Manatee and Polk are amonv the 11 counties for whichb Crist is seekingfederal assistance. Manatese is one of nine counties that experiencedr flooding in recent weekz because of a series of storms that passedthrouggh Florida. Some areas of the stat received upward of 24 inches of rain overa 10-day periodf through June 5, Crist said. Two other counties, Polk and experienced eight weeks of drought between March 15 andMay 26, whichj is usually the minimum threshold to get a disastert declaration.
“This dichotomy is something everyy Florida farmer and rancher knows all too Crist said in his Excessive rain and flooding havedamaged watermelon, bell pepper, tomato, cantaloupe, cucumber, caladium and buttefr bean crops. Drought conditions have impacted pasture andBahiza grasses, Crist said. “It is my hope that givenm the amount of damageagriculture received, you will expedites this request so that our producers can begin to access much-needed disastet relief,” Crist said.