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r IR R' . <br />=e FRUIT <br />INDIAN RIVER eet=4 Ze4fae <br />o <br />�44'Yfq °'tlJ <br />P.O. BOX 519 7925 20TH STREET <br />VERO BEACH, FLORIDA 32961-0519 <br />TELEPHONE: 407/562-2728 <br />OFFICERS <br />JOHN A. SCOTTO <br />Chairman of the Board <br />February 9, 1990 <br />PHILIP C. GATES, SR. <br />Vice -Chairman <br />BERNARD A.EGAN <br />President <br />BEN F. BAILEY, Ill <br />Vke�Preatdent <br />Honorable Carol Eggert, Chairman <br />Carolyn gg r <br />J. J. PARRISH. III <br />Board of County Commissioners <br />Vice-president <br />GEORGEEORGEF. HAMNER, JR. <br />Indian River County <br />ver oun Y <br />Vice -President <br />1840 - 25th Street <br />GEORGE A.KAHLE <br />Tressurer <br />Vero ero Beac , FL 32960 <br />DOUGLAS C. BOURNIGUE <br />ExeAGeattiveneral anagesidenl <br />b General Manager <br />Dear Madam Chairman: <br />M.R. BUCKALEW <br />Special Consultant <br />I would like to offer the following comments to the Indian River <br />DIRECTORS <br />County Commission regarding the impact of the proposed comprehen- <br />BEN F. BAILEY, III <br />sive plan on behalf of the Indian River Citrus League's 1600 <br />VereBeech <br />grower members who grow citrus in a six -county area from Palm <br />RICHARD E. BECKER <br />Fort Pierce <br />Beach County to Volusia County: <br />DAVID L. BROWN <br />Mims <br />TALBERT COOPER, JR. <br />The district is comprised of approximately 220 000 acres of <br />P PP y , <br />Fort Pierce <br />commercial citrus. Last year we packed a record 32 million 4/5 <br />NCROFTON <br />OR. R. Titusville <br />Titusvillebushel <br />cartons for an F.O.B. value of $223 million. This equates <br />J.V. D'ALBORA, III <br />to approximately $2.1 billion in economic activity for the Indian <br />Vem BERNARDRNARDA.EGAN <br />River Citrus District alone. Indian River County's portion of the <br />Fort Pismo <br />district is impressive containing 20 of our 34 affiliated packing <br />WILLIAM ch ESTES <br />veroeeach <br />houses and 400 p , y <br />growers who produce citrus on 67 000 acres. Count <br />PHILIP C. GATES, SR. <br />wide this equates to an F.O.B. value of $100 million and a $700 <br />ce <br />Fan GEORGE F. <br />GEORGE F. HAMNER, JR, <br />million dollar economic impact. Citrus provides one of the clean- <br />p <br />Vero Beach <br />est and lightest industries a county could hope to have, employing <br />GEORGE A. KAHLE <br />Vero Beech <br />1 out of 5 people in the work force, producing a vast greenbelt, a <br />PATRICK 0.LEARY <br />healthy product and a very steady, secure financial base. It <br />F <br />JOHHNNM. LUTHER <br />L <br />doesn't take long to figure out what an area would be like without <br />vemBeach <br />its economic base for merely look at the old northern citrus belt <br />JAMES J. <br />Pismo <br />which, unfortunately, was frozen out during the 1983, 1985 and <br />JOHN MINTON <br />1989 freeze events. That area had to cut its services, close its <br />FPierce <br />TRAAVISVISMURPHY, JR. <br />rascaY Jusg <br />schools and drastically adjust its budget to continue forward. <br />Fort Pierce <br />Citrus in the Indian River District is an extremely viable and <br />JTftusv RISH,ItI <br />TMosN11e <br />health industry but one that also needs friendly local support <br />Y Y y in <br />LALAN RYALL <br />order to maintain its prosperous outlook. Citrus has historically <br />JOHNA.SCOTTO <br />migrated in the State of Florida since its inception. Early <br />Fort Pismo <br />plantings in north Florida have migrated continually south seeking <br />E.R. <br />e Beach <br />warmer climes and their,, friendly local reception. There is no <br />,question that citrus in Indian River County is here in a big way <br />and wants to continue to stay here. The Indian River citrus pro- <br />duction is primarily exported. Two-thirds of the total cartons <br />packed last year were exported to Japan, Europe and the Pacific <br />Rim. There Indian River County growers compete with fruit from <br />around the 'world - Cuba, South Africa, Australia, Texas, Israel, <br />South America - for an increasingly smaller and smaller market. In that market <br />quality and price is essential in moving our product. <br />We feel that the regulations proposed in the comprehensive plan, asking that 25 <br />percent of the uplands be preserved along with burdensome densities on <br />agriculture, would subject our industry to an insurmountable production cost <br />increase basically taking us out of some key markets throughout the world. We <br />have to comply with federal, state, local, water management, army corps and <br />numerous other regulations asking for more and more of our property and of our <br />income to comply with local regulations where other countries not only do not <br />41 <br />�140 <br />FE63 1990 <br />