Florida Ag Inspection Stations

[ahosey01]

I have heard you have to stop at these going out of Florida, which seems really dumb.

Can I take palms out of Florida legally?  Was thinking of going there to buy a few for my garden this spring.

Let me know if anyone has any details on this.

[Austinpalm]

My experience is that they are mostly concerned with the transportation of avocado and citrus beyond state lines. There seems to be much less concern about palms from what I have experienced.

 

However, many states (including Texas) do have rules/regs about bringing palms in.  There just are not any obvious inspection stations for this to my knowledge. 

[VA Jeff]

In the last year, I have driven an open trailer of large butias and a carload of mixed palms out of Florida.  Didn't notice an Ag station to stop at going up 95, but I wasn't paying attention for that.  I think there is one going on I 95 south though after you cross the St, Marys River.

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, Austinpalm said:

My experience is that they are mostly concerned with the transportation of avocado and citrus beyond state lines. There seems to be much less concern about palms from what I have experienced.

 

However, many states (including Texas) do have rules/regs about bringing palms in.  There just are not any obvious inspection stations for this to my knowledge. 

Here I go, diligently researching all the things I can and can't bring into Texas!... 😇

[Xenon]

7 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

Here I go, diligently researching all the things I can and can't bring into Texas!... 😇

I've never had any issue bringing small stuff out from FL and into TX via I-10. Never stopped/been stopped anywhere along the route either. 

0.02

[Austinpalm]

11 hours ago, Xenon said:

I've never had any issue bringing small stuff out from FL and into TX via I-10. Never stopped/been stopped anywhere along the route either. 

0.02

Understood.  To my knowledge, there is not a Texas  Department of Agriculture inspection station anywhere along the major highways allowing entrance to Texas  from adjacent states.  So they do not actively inspect vehicles entering Texas to my knowledge. That being said, TDA does have a list of specific palms and other plants that are restricted by state law from entrance to Texas from Florida because of the presence of disease/pathogens within Florida populations of said plants.

TDA does occasionally issue fines for illegally importing plants to Texas and/or test plants for disease/pathogens.

[Xenon]

44 minutes ago, Austinpalm said:

Understood.  To my knowledge, there is not a Texas  Department of Agriculture inspection station anywhere along the major highways allowing entrance to Texas  from adjacent states.  So they do not actively inspect vehicles entering Texas to my knowledge. That being said, TDA does have a list of specific palms and other plants that are restricted by state law from entrance to Texas from Florida because of the presence of disease/pathogens within Florida populations of said plants.

TDA does occasionally issue fines for illegally importing plants to Texas and/or test plants for disease/pathogens.

Clay, you're right. TDA does have the state under both a lethal yellowing and lethal bronzing quarantine. Palms regulated under the lethal yellowing quarantine like coconuts and Adonidia are not permitted entry into Texas. Seed is ok. Lethal bronzing just requires a phytosanitary certificate. Of course you'll find the "illegal" palms readily for sale in the RGV.

I did a brief stint with APHIS (citrus quarantine) and worked with an ex-TDA guy who worked with palms in the RGV (he does foreign plant import inspections at IAH now). PM me if anyone wants contact info. Nowadays, most of the effort seems to be directed to citrus. Thankfully most "rare palms" do not appear on the restricted itmes list so you should be good on paper. 

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=4&ti=4&pt=1&ch=19

[aztropic]

With almost all the common palms on import quarantine, the local growers should benefit from not having to compete with corporate growers out of Florida.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Yes you are supposed to stop at those stations regardless. I would guess a few personal plants are ok.  A "load" ,even small, could require paperwork.  I do not know what the cut off amount of plants is. They will just wave you thru after a quick stop for personal things and even for bigger loads if you have the right paperwork. I have been pulled over with a small trailer load for not stopping. It was late at night and I just wanted to sneak through. He could have required me to unload the whole trailer for an inspection. Luckily the officer did not want to spend the time. He just warned me. I'm sure though that thousands go through without the stop.

[Xenon]

18 minutes ago, aztropic said:

With almost all the common palms on import quarantine, the local growers should benefit from not having to compete with corporate growers out of Florida.

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

That isn't the reality on the ground and prices reflect that. Thank goodness for cheap Florida palms! I'm sure the big box stuff/bigger nurseries are all squeaky clean legal. 

Now the stuff that turns up at flea markets and marketplace? 😅

[Silas_Sancona]

36 minutes ago, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

Yes you are supposed to stop at those stations regardless. I would guess a few personal plants are ok.  A "load" ,even small, could require paperwork.  I do not know what the cut off amount of plants is. They will just wave you thru after a quick stop for personal things and even for bigger loads if you have the right paperwork. I have been pulled over with a small trailer load for not stopping. It was late at night and I just wanted to sneak through. He could have required me to unload the whole trailer for an inspection. Luckily the officer did not want to spend the time. He just warned me. I'm sure though that thousands go through without the stop.

It's been awhile .. but when i left FL, the Ag inspectors only looked over a few things they could see in the back of the moving truck that night..  As you mention, don't think they'd have wanted to spend hours unpacking an entire truck / opening dozens of boxes just to see what might be in there..

That said, everything i brought w/ me was small and per compliance, absolutely no fruit trees ( other than my Jaboticabas and Allspice ) / firewood,  etc other ..stuff they're really looking for..  What palm -related stuff i had were no bigger than 3 gals. Most were seedlings i'd just recently sprouted.

I also sprayed everything -inc. the inside of the truck- before loading so that -if- in the 4 weeks i spent carefully inspecting /reinspecting everything i was bringing, still didn't weed out any hitch hikers, they'd be dead well before reaching AZ..  That worked as planned.

Only other stops i had were west of San Antonio ( didn't ask what was in the truck ) ..and also in Eastern New Mexico ( ..also more of a " pass through"  rather than " stop and ask " kind of  " inspection " ) ..May have changed in the 8-9 years since moving here but, as far as i know, there is no inspection stop as you enter AZ from N.M. ..not that that matters for folks who aren't headed this far west..

CA / AZ? ..definitely will be stopped and asked. That is where you definitely have to be sure any plants headed into CA are as healthy as possible.. No obvious signs of issues / bugs, etc..  Don't even think of bringing thru -any- citrus ...or other fruit trees really, let alone firewood. 

Someone i know had some plants he'd picked up here taken after the inspector he'd delt with found ants on a couple things..  They are ( were?? ) also weary of Cacti ...from what i'd been told in the past.

I myself have crossed back and forth between AZ and CA w/ stuff picked up at plant sales / nurseries here w/ out any issue in the past, inc. a couple 15 gal trees in the back of my truck.  No palms though.. Good stuff is in CA anyway..

I did get asked ( By a FL inspector ) where i was headed when i moved back there in '13, but, after finding a place and notifying the local inspector, no one ever called / came out to inspect anything afterwards..  🤷‍♂️

[SeanK]

I've found it odd that, I cannot buy cheap mail-order citrus online. The reason? GA has some phyto rules that require me to pay $2x. GA has no citrus industry that I'm aware of. I can understand TX and LA, but not GA. I don't believe there's a restriction for the Carolinas. 

I wonder if inspectors check palms for LY or LB.

[Fusca]

I don't recall ever seeing ag inspection stations in Florida.  I drove to southern California a few years ago and came back with my Nissan filled with palms.  I stopped at the lone ag inspection on the way back and they looked in the vehicle but no problem.