A major grower said this week it was abandoning its citrus growing operations, reflecting the headwinds Florida's signature crops are facing following a series of hurricanes and tree diseases. Alico Inc.

Dealing another major blow to what has been one of Florida’s signature industries. Fort Myers-based Alico Inc. announced it will “wind down” citrus operations and focus on more-profitable uses of

Orange groves owned by Alico have been at the heart of Florida's citrus industry for 100 years, but production has declined by over 70% over the past 10 years.