JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s citrus industry is in crisis. In the last 20 years, production has fallen a staggering 90% —from 300 million boxes a year to just 12 million last season. The Florida Legislature has stepped in with $140 million to help, but here in Jacksonville, one community is stepping up to help, too.

Which community? The answer is logical, but most people get this question wrong. The answer? Mandarin.

With its sweeping oak trees and rich history, Mandarin has long been tied to Florida citrus. In the late 1800s, the community boasted 25,000 orange trees, and families came from miles around to buy bushels of fruit.

Author Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin changed history, spent winters in Mandarin, painted her own oranges, and welcomed tou

See Full Page