The Sunshine State is no longer the top producer when it comes to citrus, and several issues are to blame. Many growers across Florida's citrus belt are struggling to combat a host of ongoing issues stemming from the aftermath of past hurricanes to a terrible disease destroying their crops.

Others, like Murphy, are sticking it out, hoping to survive until a bug-free tree or other options arrive to repel the disease or treat the trees. When Hurricane Irma blasted through the state’s orange belt in 2017, Florida’s signature crop already had been on a downward spiral for two decades because of the greening disease.

Researchers have been working for eight years on a genetically modified tree that can kill the tiny insects responsible for citrus greening. The process involves inserting a gene

Florida’s citrus industry faces an increasingly difficult future, contending with a range of ongoing challenges. From devastating hurricanes to the persistent threat of plant diseases, along with the rapid expansion of real estate development,