2025 Hillsborough and Polk County's Annual Ornamental Production Estimates

The ornamental horticulture nursery and greenhouse industry contracted again for the fourth year in a row in 2025 in both Hillsborough and Polk Counties in Florida.  Hillsborough County growers produced an estimated $172 million in nursery and greenhouse plants.  This decreased 1.1% from the year prior, which was then about $174 million in 2024.  The average annual wage paid to someone employed in this sector in 2025 was $46,136 or $22.18/hr.  This is about a 5% increase over last year's average annual wage of $43,865 or $21.09/hr.  

In Polk County, growers produced about 3.7% less than 2024 with nursery and greenhouse sales estimated at about $51.5 million in 2025, as compared to $53.5 million in 2024. The average wage reported in Polk County was $43,387 or $20.85 per hour. Last year's average wage was $41,512 or $19.96/hr. or an increase of 4.5%.   

Both counties have seen a decrease in sales since the last increase in nursery production seen in 2021, when Hillsborough nursery sales were $308 million and Polk produced about $65 million. 

Another Devastating Pest Moves into Florida - Pasture Mealybug

In case you haven’t yet heard, there is yet another pest spreading around Florida: the pasture mealybug. It first came onto FDACS radar in Florida back in May of 26 and now has spread and is found in many counties in South Florida.  

A pink-bodied winged adult male in a heavy infestation of unmated females and nymphs. Photo: Erin C. Powell, FDACS-DPI

This mealybug is a pest of grasses and is ravaging the sugar cane industry as well as spreading to cattle pastures.  It can be a pest of many grasses including corn, rice, bahiagrass, lipograss, bermudagrass and many others. 

Damage from this pest is a severe dieback, stunting, and senescence of leaves and then death of the grass. 

Please check any grass plants that are moved from south Florida for this pest.  If you suspect that your pasture, turf or ornamentals are showing signs of a pasture mealybug infestation, submit a sample to DPI’s Entomology section for identification or contact the DPI Helpline at 1-888-397-1517 or DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov.

For more detailed information, here is the FDACS pest alert.  https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/120429/file/pasture-mealybug-pest-alert.pdf