The Last Squeeze: Florida's Vanishing Citrus Culture

There was a time when orange juice was a staple on American breakfast tables and roadside citrus stands were as much a part of a Florida vacation as sunshine and sandy beaches. Travelers stopped for fresh-squeezed juice, bags of oranges and grapefruit, and those little mesh sacks of citrus that somehow made perfect gifts for relatives up north.

But somewhere along the way, Americans stopped reaching for the orange juice.

During a recent Off the Page literary event hosted by Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources, food writer Dalia Colón asked an audience of approximately 150 people how many had consumed orange juice that morning. Only two raised their hands.

It was hardly a scientific survey, but it raised an interesting question. What happened to Florida’s signature industry?

Florida’s relationship with citrus stretches back nearly 500 years, when Spanish explorers and settlers introduced orange trees to the peninsula. By the late 19th century, citrus had become a major commercial crop, with growers shipping fruit north by railroad.

The industry flourished during the 20th century. Advances in processing and frozen concentrated orange juice helped turn what had once been a seasonal luxury into an everyday breakfast beverage. By the 1960s, Florida orange juice was practically synonymous with a healthy American breakfast.

Florida sold more than fruit. It sold an image of itself.

Highway billboards advertised fresh citrus miles before travelers reached the next stand. Tourists could watch oranges being squeezed, sample different varieties and ship boxes of fruit to friends and family. Some stands became attractions in their own right, offering everything from citrus candy to alligator souvenirs.

In Bradenton, Willie and Rosa Mixon opened a small fruit stand on their property in 1939. Over the following decades, Mixon Fruit Farms grew into a regional attraction with a market, restaurant and wildlife tours. At its peak in 1992, the operation processed approximately 400,000 boxes of citrus and assembled 250,000 gift packages.

For generations of local families, a visit to Mixon’s was practically a tradition.

Florida citrus growers had always contended with hurricanes and occasional devastating freezes, but a far more persistent threat arrived in the early 2000s.

Citrus greening, a bacterial disease spread by an invasive insect called the Asian citrus psyllid, was detected in Florida in 2005. The disease damages trees, produces bitter, misshapen fruit and eventually makes groves economically unproductive. There is still no widely available cure.

Hurricanes, rising production costs and development pressures compounded the damage. As groves became less profitable, some growers sold their land. Others abandoned trees they could no longer afford to maintain.

The numbers are staggering. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida had approximately 621,000 acres of commercial citrus in 2006. By 2026, that figure had fallen to roughly 165,000 acres, a decline of 73%.

Meanwhile, the American breakfast was changing.

Consumers became increasingly concerned about sugar, even the naturally occurring kind found in fruit juice. Bottled water, coffee drinks, smoothies and other beverages competed for space at the breakfast table. Orange juice also became more expensive as domestic production declined.

Florida still grows oranges, but much of the juice Americans drink now depends on imported supplies.

The decline became particularly personal for Manatee County residents when Mixon Fruit Farms closed its retail operation in July 2023, ending an 84-year family business. Manatee County purchased the property in 2025, preserving the site for public use, though the familiar citrus market is gone.

Fortunately, a few reminders of old Florida remain.

Just north of Palmetto, The Citrus Place in Terra Ceia continues the roadside tradition along U.S. 19. Visitors can still stop for fresh orange juice, citrus treats and locally inspired gifts, much as generations of Florida travelers once did.

Other farm markets throughout the region continue to sell fresh produce and seasonal citrus, although the dedicated orange stands that once lined the highways have become increasingly rare.

Perhaps the next time you’re driving through Terra Ceia, it’s worth pulling over for a glass of orange juice. Not because you need something to drink, but because there was a time when stopping for one was simply part of being in Florida.