Fla. governor signs emergency order to help protect ag industry during serious cold snap

Fla. governor signs emergency order for cold

MIAMI — Florida’s governor has signed an emergency order to deal with the cold weather threatening the state’s crops.

Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday signed the executive order that relaxes the normal restrictions on transporting crops. It also gives the state’s Division of Emergency Management and other agencies the authority to provide growers with assistance.

Throughout central and south Florida, farmers are trying to salvage millions of dollars worth of citrus and vegetable crops. They are spraying them in protective layers of ice and covering them in plastic.

Forecasters say the cold spell will last through the weekend, likely breaking records for continuous cold temperatures in many parts of the state.