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Feds give money to project vetoed by the governor

WFSU – July 12, 2011

TALLAHASSEE, FL (wfsu) – Monday, The U-S Department of Agriculture gave Florida citrus growers 11-million dollars for citrus disease research over the next four years. As Sascha Cordner reports, this came after Governor Rick Scott vetoed two-million dollars for that same type of research.

The majority of the funds will go towards projects to find a solution to citrus greening, a bacterial disease that can kill a tree within two years. Andrew Meadows is the spokesman for the private trade organization, Florida Citrus Mutual, which represents the state’s citrus growers. With Scott’s veto, he says the funds could not have come at a better time.

“They’re more than 100 projects going on world-wide and this will definitely help supplement that and we appreciate the fact that the USDA recognizes Florida’s citrus is 9-billion dollar industry. We support 76-thousand jobs and certainly this research will help maintain that economic impact.”

Meadows says lawmakers, like U-S Senator Bill Nelson, were a great help to growers in getting the funds for citrus disease research.

Click here to listen to this report online