Our Generation Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson reminded state residents that his department’s price-gouging hotline, which was activated for Tropical Storm Fay, remains operational for the approaching Tropical Storm Hanna.

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TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is warning residents to keep food safety in mind as Tropical Storm Fay continues to move through the state. Floodwater that could be contaminated by sewage, pesticides and other hazardous materials may come into contact with food and power outages can impact perishable items.

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Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson encourages homeowners who are threatened with foreclosure or fearful that their lending institution may foreclose on their property to contact the Florida Bar Association to obtain free legal assistance. Read More »

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner
Charles H. Bronson is urging horse owners to get their animals vaccinated as the number of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) cases is on the rise. Read More »

The Ecology Party of Florida is very disappointed that Governor Charlie Crist has reversed his previous stand to deny new oil exploration off the coast of Florida and is now on favor of states independently allowing such drilling. Read More »

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced the establishment of a partnership program with the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA).  The program was made possible by a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) specialty crop block grant and will be conducted over a two-year period.

The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 authorizes USDA to make grants to states to be used by state departments of agriculture solely to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops (including floriculture).

A grant in the amount of $253,750 will be used for the horticulture partnership to conduct the following programs:

– FNGLA will showcase an interactive educational exhibit at the 2008 Disney Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.  The exhibit will feature displays to encourage children and their families to garden and promote Florida-friendly landscaping, environmental responsibility and water conservation.

– FNGLA’s existing online Plant Locator will be transformed into a real-time, online plant locator service.  This will enable growers to update information and offer real-time plant inventory online in a searchable database for landscape and retail customers.

– A series of public service announcements will be aired statewide.  The “GrowSmart!” messages will promote watering wisely, use of Florida-friendly plants in landscaping, direct consumers to plant and landscape resource information, and promote buying local.

– There will be featured homes in five target areas of the state to exhibit innovative, water-conserving landscapes and irrigation design standards.  The models will embrace the latest scientific and environmental technology to show and teach environmentally friendly landscaping design to Floridians.

– FNGLA will also work with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Department of Education to transform the existing horticultural curriculum in Florida high schools to provide a pathway to the Certified Horticulture Professional (FCHP) program.  This will enable teachers to provide relevant training and prepare students for nursery and landscape professional certification.

FNGLA works closely with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to assist Florida’s nursery growers and landscape professionals.  Florida’s environmental horticulture industry produces an estimated $15.2 billion in annual sales.  In 2005, farm-gate nursery grower sales topped $3 billion, landscape sales were $5.25 billion, and retail garden center sales exceeded $7 billion.  Florida is the second-largest nursery crop-producing state in the nation and the nation’s leading foliage-producing state growing nearly 70 percent of all foliage plants (plants used for indoors) in the United States.  FNGLA is the largest state nursery/landscape association in the country with 2,500 member firms.

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Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is encouraging people to plan ahead for their animals in the event of a wildfire, hurricane or other disaster. Bronson says citizens should not wait until the last minute to think about how they are going to deal with pets and other animals during an evacuation or in a power outage. Evacuations during the ongoing wildfires have shown how quickly people may need to leave their homes, and hurricane season starts in just a few weeks. Read More »

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that five Florida properties have qualified for recognition as Century Pioneer Family Farms. Recognition in this program means the families have maintained continuous ownership of the property for at least 100 years. Read More »

What: The 24th Annual Pompano Beach Seafood Festival is three days of seaside fun with arts and crafts, continuous Live Entertainment, cold drinks, hot sun and of course, lots of seafood prepared by South Florida’s finest establishments. Read More »

March 13, 2008 TALLAHASSEE — Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced new fuel quality standards for gasoline blended with ethanol. All motor fuels sold in Florida, including those containing ethanol, are required to meet fuel quality standards adopted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure proper consumer vehicle performance. Read More »