Bitter reality of Florida s Agricultural Dilemma
Manuel Diaz Cano Anthropology 2410 Professor Sherouse October 29,2003 The Bitter reality of Florida’s Agricultural Dilemma. Florida is a paradox within itself. ... South Florida, Miami Beach famous for hot cars, beautiful beaches and the best looking city in the U.S. ... Ronnie Green a writer for the Miami Herald dedicated a three part series entitled “Fields of Despair” revealing the harsh realities of farming in Florida. ... Florida’s agricultural significance is extensive, producing three-fourths of the citrus in the U.S. ... As the leader in the growth of citrus Florida must also deal with the bitter reality that we top the nation for the cruelest farm labor contractors. ... The labor contractors recruit the farm laborers, in Florida we have the largest population of laborer contractors in the country. ... Angelo Jennings, a man interviewed in Green’s article affirms this by saying “This is when he catches you at your lowest point, if you have any good sense, he doesn’t want you. ... An informal study done last year by the Labor Department showed that twenty six percent of growers and contractors did not observe housing and health rules according to the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (Green, Miami Herald, Sept. ... However, many times the crew bosses are the same one’s who will force a worker into debt. ... After the rent and debt’s had been subtracted from their pay something mysterious happens to the workers wages.