Preliminary Reports Show Dade County Nursery Industry Gravely Damaged

Orlando - Initial reports coming out of Dade County indicate the area's $145 million foliage and nursery industry has been almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Andrew.

Earl Wells, Executive Vice President of the Florida Nurseryman and Growers Association (FNGA) , said sketchy reports filtering out of the area paint a bleak picture and offer little hope that much of the industry remains.

First-hand reports indicate the hurricane ripped through the center of the nursery production area, destroying plants, trees, greenhouses, and facilities. State records show 842 nursery operations in the county, most of them in or near the ravaged section of Southwest Dade County. The nurseries involve about 7200 acres of intense, high-volume growing operations.

The losses, if proven accurate, would put a major squeeze on Florida's foliage supply which accounts for over 50 percent of the nation's production for that type of plant. Losses in Dade County could amount to 25 to 30 percent of the state's total tropical foliage production.

Wells said federal and state agencies have been advised of the industry's plight and that grants and loans would probably be forthcoming. He stressed, however, that farmers should not expect large sums of funding to address their problems.