Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through its Fresh From Florida marketing campaign, has partnered with Florida Citrus Sports to host the Fresh From Florida Parade on December 31, in Orlando.
“The Fresh From Florida Parade is a great opportunity for Florida to celebrate our locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Commissioner Adam Putnam. “From oranges and strawberries to sweet corn and bell peppers, Florida offers something to satisfy everyone’s taste.”
The Fresh From Florida Parade, formerly known as the Orlando Citrus Parade, one of the largest sports-affiliated parades in the nation, is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. This event is distinguished by signature custom floats parading down a two-mile stretch of downtown Orlando. The floats are made from over 100,000 pieces of agriculture-related products, including Fresh From Florida watermelon, squash and peppers, attached by over 500 volunteers, with assembly taking place over a four-day period.
The parade also features a celebrity grand marshal, high school bands from across the nation and other family entertainment. More than 50,000 fans are expected to line the parade route.
This year, Spike Mendelsohn (Bravo’s Top Chef Chicago and Top Chef All-Stars and the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs) and Daphne Oz (co-host of ABC’s The Chew) will co-host the event, while Rico Rodriquez (ABC’s Modern Family) reports from the street.
The parade is part of a year-long partnership focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles and nutrition while educating consumers about the abundance of Florida seafood and agricultural products. In addition, the partnership will seek to raise awareness about the importance of Florida’s $100 billion agriculture industry. With a year-round growing season, Florida is a national leader in agricultural production.
Florida agriculture is represented by over 47,000 farms covering more than 9.2 million acres. Florida typically ranks among the top five states in fresh seafood production, with an average harvest of over 84 million pounds accounting for a dockside value of more than $168 million. Florida aquaculturists produce the greatest variety of aquatic species of any state in the nation. Florida is a leading U.S. producer of farm-raised ornamental fish, aquatic plants and an important producer of hard clams.