New study: citrus greening disease cost Florida's economy $3.6 billion in lost revenue

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - The University of Florida released a new study that finds the orange-killing citrus greening disease cost Florida's economy more than $3.6 billion in the last five years.

The study also says the disease wiped out more than 6,600 jobs.

"This is a significant problem and there's real world effects," said Andrew Meadows, Spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual, the organization that funded the study.

This is the first time anyone has seen the real economic impact of the six year old disease that is believed to have originated from China. The jobs lost by this disease are not just those directly involved in the industry.

"Those dead trees have a real impact on fertilizer salesmen, tractor dealerships, on banks, on insurance agents, and this is what it has done," Meadows said.

Veteran Lake Wales citrus grower, Vic Story, believes this study could have a positive outcome for the problem. For the first time, the industry has real evidence on its hands.

"This is a case that we can point to our political leaders, people who make decisions on funding for research," he said.

Right now, growers have already paid out more than 50-million dollars of their own money towards research into this deadly disease.

Researchers have made big strides in fighting citrus greening disease. Citrus Mutual says there are more than 100 research projects going on world wide, searching for a solution.

"I'm confident there will be one," Story said.

If not, the impact is bound to get even worse.