The Florida citrus industry continues to struggle.

The state with an orange on its license plate has seen its production of the fruit fall dramatically in recent years. Since producing 242 million boxes of oranges in 2004, production has dropped year over year. In 2023, the state was forecast to only produce about 16 million boxes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Acreage devoted to orange, grapefruit and other specialty fruit has fallen by about 37% over the last 10 years.

A citrus greening disease first detected in 2005 has wreaked havoc on Florida citrus. Hurricanes also play a role, especially Irma and Ian, which caused big dips in production. While California and Arizona are also major producers of citrus, imported citrus now makes up the bulk of what the U.S. consumes. China, for example, now produces more oranges and grapefruit than the U.S.