APHIS Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine July 2006

Questions and 

Answers: Citrus 

Nursery Grower 

Compensation

On June 7, 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) announced the availability of $100 million 

in funding for Florida citrus canker compensation. 

At the same time, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) published an interim rule 

amending the citrus canker regulations to establish 

provisions under which eligible commercial citrus 

nurseries may, subject to the availability of funds, 

receive payments for certified nursery stock destroyed 

by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Con‐

sumer Services’ (FDACS) Division of Plant and Indus‐

try (DPI). The payment of these funds will reduce 

the economic effects on commercial citrus nurseries 

that have had their stock destroyed to control citrus 

canker.

Q. Are all commercial citrus nurseries eligible 

to apply for compensation for their citrus canker 

losses based on the June 7, 2006, announcement?

A. Commercial citrus nurseries whose trees were 

destroyed under an Intermediate Final Order (IFO) 

issued by Florida DPI are eligible to apply for funding 

if their citrus trees were destroyed between the dates 

of September 30, 2001, and January 10, 2006. Trees 

destroyed before September 30, 2001, or after Janu‐

ary 10, 2006–the date when USDA ended the citrus 

canker eradication program in Florida–are not eligible 

for compensation. 

Q. What is a stop‐sale order and why is it not a 

reasonable substitute for the IFO to get compen‐

sation for destroyed citrus trees?

A. A stop‐sale order is issued by the State, and is 

similar to a federally issued Emergency Action Notifi‐

cation (EAN), which prohibits the movement of plant 

material from specified locations. It is not an order to 

destroy plant material. Compensation can be pro‐

vided only if an IFO was issued and the destruction of 

plants was performed by or under the supervision of 

Florida DPI. USDA is aware that some commercial 

citrus nurseries voluntarily destroyed citrus trees on 

their own without an IFO. By regulation, however, 

USDA can only authorize payment for those trees 

destroyed pursuant to a public order.

Q. Why was my nursery issued a stop‐sale order 

instead of an IFO? The stop‐sale order says it is to 

be considered as an immediate final order. I don’t 

understand the difference. 

A. An IFO was issued prior to January 10, 2006, to 

those nurseries that were determined to be infected 

with citrus canker or located within 1,900 feet of an 

infection. A stop‐sale order was issued for those nurs‐

eries that were located within 3,800 feet of an infection 

but outside of the 1,900‐foot destruction area. Under 

the interim rule, an IFO is the only documentation that 

qualifies growers for compensation. 

Q. Isn’t prohibiting the movement of nursery 

plants the equivalent of ordering them destroyed?

A. No. Once an area is found to be free of citrus can‐

ker without any new detections for a period of 2 years, 

the stop‐sale order is lifted. 

Q. What were the requirements for issuing an 

IFO?

A. An IFO requiring the destruction of plants would 

only have been issued if citrus canker was found in 

the nursery or if the nursery was within 1,900 feet of a 

tree infected with citrus canker. 

Q. Who can I call to verify whether my nursery fell 

within 1,900 feet of an infected tree? 

A. IFOs are issued by Florida’s DPI. For your com‐

mercial citrus nursery, please contact Ginny Hormel at 

the following office: 3027 Lake Alfred Road, Winter 

Haven, FL 33881–1438 Phone: (863) 298–7777. 

Q. If I was never issued any paperwork when 

Florida DPI destroyed my trees, who can I call to 

get copies of the documents? 

A. Standard operating procedures require that Florida 

DPI provide nursery owners with IFOs at the time 

trees are destroyed. Please call Ginny Hormel at the 

Florida DPI office mentioned above for information.

Q. What if the IFO that was issued when they cut 

out the scion trees in my nursery did not include 

potted material? How can I get potted material 

added to the IFO? 

A. If there are any errors in the IFO, Florida DPI can 

amend or correct them. Please call Ginny Hormel at 

the Florida DPI office mentioned above. 
Q. Where can I apply for compensation if I already 

meet the requirements?

A. Application forms may be obtained from any 

USDA citrus canker office listed below.

Arcadia

3600 Roan Street, Arcadia, FL 34266, 

Phone: (863) 491–6195

Avon Park

3397 US 27 South, Avon Park, FL 33825, 

Phone: (863) 314–5912

Bartow

605 E. Main Street, Bartow, FL 33830, 

Phone: (863) 533–8859

Clearwater

Newport Square, 4625 E. Bay Drive, Suite 103, 

Clearwater, FL 33764, Phone: (727) 531–5858

Ft. Myers

2830 Winkler Street, Suite 204, Ft. Myers, FL 33916, 

Phone: (239) 278–7520

Ft. Pierce

4248 Bandy Boulevard, Ft. Pierce, FL 34981, 

Phone: (772) 429–2046

Gainesville

7022 NW 10th Place, Gainesville, FL 32605, 

Phone: (352) 331–3990

Immokalee

424 E. New Market Road, Unit 10, Immokalee, FL 

34142, Phone: (239) 657–4540

Melbourne

733 North Drive, Suite E, Melbourne, FL 32934, 

Phone: (321) 255–4747

Miami

10300 Sunset Drive, Suite 150, Miami, FL 33173, 

Phone: (305) 275–1908

Orlando

800 Thorpe Road, Orlando, FL 32824, 

Phone: (407) 851–5640

Palmetto

1003 17th Street, West Palmetto, FL 34221, 

Phone: (941) 721–6622

Plantation

6901 W. Sunrise Boulevard, Plantation, FL 33313, 

Phone: (954) 797–6905

Sanford

4195 N. Highway 17/92, Sanford, FL 32771, 

Phone: (407) 322–1273

Sarasota

1833 57th Street, Sarasota, FL 34243, 

Phone: (941) 358–6409

Tampa

9720 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 130, Tampa, FL 

33619, Phone: (813) 621–4133

West Palm Beach

6620 Lakeside Road, W. Palm Beach, FL 33411, 

Phone: (561) 616–1320

Winter Haven

3029 Lake Alfred Road, Winter Haven, FL 33881, 

Phone: (863) 293–5428

Q. If my nursery falls outside of the conditions for 

eligibility, what recourse do I have? 

A. The citrus canker nursery interim rule is open 

for public comment through August 8, 2006. APHIS 

welcomes and encourages comments on any aspects 

of the interim rule. Comments are accepted electroni‐

cally and through the mail. APHIS reviews all com‐

ments and will consider making changes to the final 

rule based on any input that is received. For more 

information on how to make comments, please refer 

to the next question.

Q. How do I submit comments on the interim 

rule?

A. The interim rule is entitled Citrus Canker: Com‐

pensation for Certified Nursery Stock. The public 

comment period opened June 8, 2006, and closes 

August 8, 2006. Please follow the instructions below 

to submit your comments.

To submit your comments electronically, go to the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regula‐

tions.gov and, in the lower Search Regulations and 

Federal Actions box, select Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service from the agency drop‐down menu; 

then click on Submit. In the Docket ID column, select 

APHIS–2006–0033 to submit or view public com‐

ments and to view supporting and related materials 

available electronically. Information on using Regula‐

tions.gov, including instructions for accessing docu‐

ments, submitting comments, and viewing the docket 

after the close of the comment period, is available 

through the site’s User Tips link. 

To provide comments by postal mail or com‐

mercial delivery, please send an original and three 

copies to Docket No. APHIS–2006–0033, Regulatory 

Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 
3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1238. Please state that your comment refers 

to Docket No. APHIS–2006–0033.

Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov 

Web site and may also be viewed at USDA, Room 

1141 South Building, 14th Street and Independence 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room 

hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help 

you, please call (202) 690–2817 before coming. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimina‐

tion in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital 

status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, 

genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part 

of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance 

program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative means for communica‐

tion of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) 

should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice 

and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, 

Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. , 

Washington , D.C. 20250–9410 , or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or 

(202) 720–6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and 

employer. 

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture