USDA Designates Florida Counties as Natural Disaster Areas

This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Triggering Disaster #1

Impacted Area: Florida

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: December 15, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Glades, Hendry, Martin, Palm Beach

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Florida: Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Highlands, Lee, Okeechobee, St Lucie

<_o3a_p>

Triggering Disaster #2

Impacted Area: Florida

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: December 18, 2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Hernando, Pasco

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Florida: Citrus, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Sumter

Triggering Disaster #3

Impacted Area: Florida

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: January 6, 2026

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Broward, Collier

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Florida: Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach

Triggering Disaster #4

Impacted Area: Florida

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: January 14, 2026

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Lake, Marion, Sumter, Volusia

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Florida: Alachua, Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Levy, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Polk, Putnam, Seminole

Triggering Disaster #5

Impacted Area: Florida

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: January 14, 2026

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Florida: Citrus, Flagler, Lee, Orange, Putnam

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Florida: Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, Osceola, Polk, St Johns, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia

More Resources

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.