Snow Flurries Reported Along Daytona Beach Coast

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Florida's citrus growers reported only minor damage Thursday from an overnight cold snap that brought snow flurries to one part of the Sunshine State, but farmers were still assessing whether subfreezing temperatures harmed other crops.

A serious freeze would have been devastating to the country's biggest citrus industry, already struggling from years of diseases and hurricanes. But most groves are in central and South Florida, where temperatures hovered in high 20s and low 30s. Trees can be ruined when temperatures fall to 28 degrees for four hours.

"Mother Nature cut us a break this time and now we can continue to produce the quality citrus crop Florida is known for," said Michael W. Sparks, executive vice president and CEO of grower advocacy group Florida Citrus Mutual.

Temperatures were not below freezing for long enough to cause widespread damage to Florida's citrus trees, the group said. In fact, the cold could benefit some growers because it slows down growth and hardens up citrus trees.

Orange juice futures for immediate delivery fell 2.30 cents to $1.45 a pound on the New York Board of Trade in early trading Thursday.

Elsewhere in the state, temperatures dropped into the 20s in north Florida. The lowest temperature recorded in Florida was 20 in Cross City, about 90 miles southeast of Tallahassee, the National Weather Service said. Snow flurries were reported near the Daytona Beach coastline, the first in Florida since 2006.

Farmers were checking on other crops that Florida produces in the winter for much of the country, from broccoli and cabbage in north Florida to strawberries, tomatoes, corn and citrus toward the south.

The early looks indicated that damage to most crops would be isolated and "not as bad as it could have been," said Terry McElroy, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

McElroy said most of the crops growing in north Florida can withstand cold snaps and were probably not damaged in the freeze.

But many inland areas of central Florida had below freezing temperatures for six hours or more -- a potentially bad harbinger for certain crops like strawberries. This year's strawberry crop is estimated to be worth $273 million, although growers are early in their season, which runs through April.

"I feel confident we're going to have some damage," said Carl Grooms, a Plant City strawberry farmer. Temperatures in his fields hovered around 27 degrees for several hours overnight.

It may be days before some farmers know for sure how much they have lost.

With the entire state, from the Panhandle to Miami, under a freeze warning Wednesday, growers tried to harvest as many mature fruits and vegetables as possible. Gov. Charlie Crist signed an emergency order to relax restrictions on transporting produce.

Cold temperatures will return overnight into Friday, but they are not expected to be as severe as Thursday morning.

The freezing weather comes as Florida tourism officials started a redesigned Web site, www.visitflorida.com, aimed at "people interested in escaping the ice, snow and freezing temperatures this winter."