Fla. Dept. Ag & Consumer Services Provides Update on Efforts to Support Communities Impacted by Hurricane Idalia

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provided an update on its efforts to support Hurricane Idalia response and recover efforts. 

• Today, Commissioner Wilton Simpson held a call with Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure adequate fuel supplies are available across Florida and to ensure that priority is given to fueling stations along major transportation corridors of impacted areas.
• The department continues to complete assessments of the fuel supplies as locations reported by CITGO to determine the severity of contaminated fuel within on-site tanks. Based on these assessments, FDACS has determined that six stations did not receive the contaminated fuel and has cleared eight stations for fuel sales after inspection and remediation. Updates on inspections and testing can be found here. 
  • FDACS has opened the consumer hotline to receive complaints from impacted consumers. If you believe you were sold contaminated gasoline, you can file a complaint by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA or visiting fdacs.gov.
• Commissioner Wilton Simpson has approved an emergency rule waiving certain fuel volatility standards to ensure a robust and consistent supply of fuel in the state.
• Commissioner Wilton Simpson has approved an emergency rule authorizing out-of-state licensed security guards to protect people and property in Florida.
• Commissioner Wilton Simpson has approved an emergency order temporarily suspending the intrastate movement requirements for the transportation of animals from the areas expected to be impacted by Hurricane Idalia. In addition, the following states have waived their interstate import requirements for Florida, pets and livestock leaving the expected impact areas of Hurricane Idalia: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
• The Florida Forest Service (FFS) has deployed chainsaw crews to support search and rescue operations. Heavy equipment - like front-end loaders, skid steers, excavators, and dump trucks – has been deployed to assist with road clearing activities.
• FFS is providing incident management support at the State Emergency Operations Center for planning and logistics operations.
• The Florida Forest Service has announced State Forest closures due to Hurricane Idalia. A update list can be found here.
• The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement has deployed a 20-man search and rescue team to impacted areas.
• Fuel inspectors are responding to impacted areas to ensure fuel dispensers are working properly and testing the quality of fuel.
• The department is coordinating with the Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure adequate fuel supplies are available across Florida and priority is given to fueling stations along major transportation corridors for impacted areas.  
• The department is coordinating with agricultural partners and producers to ensure those impacted have adequate resources and support.
  • For producers that experience losses and/or damages due to Hurricane Idalia, please share the following information to report to the Farm Service Agency:  For Hurricane Idalia assistance, please call the FSA Producer Hotline: 1-877-508-8364 M-F 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. or send an email to the FSA disaster group inbox at FPAC.FSA.FLFSA.Disaster@USDA.GOV  Indicate the county of loss in the Subject Line – emails sent to the disaster group inbox will receive an auto reply acknowledging receipt.

To learn more about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov

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