The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $30 million in federal funding to help fight citrus greening.
Citrus greening is a bacterial disease that weakens trees and causes fruit to drop to the ground before it is ready to harvest.
Over the past decade, the disease has been killing the Florida citrus industry, particularly in Polk County, which is the state's top citrus-producing region.
The money is meant to fund projects that could offer near-term solutions to the problem, as well as research that may help develop long-term solutions.
Some of the projects include the delivery of thermotherapy to infected trees, which officials say has been shown to help trees become productive again after receiving treatment, and training dogs to detect trees infected with the disease.
The University of Florida is set to receive over $13 million of the grants aimed at fighting citrus greening.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, has been working to get money to fight citrus greening, including some funding in last year's farm bill.
“We are at a critical point in the fight against greening,” he said in a statement. “Right now, scientists and researchers are working hard to find a cure and this money will give them the resources they need to be successful in preventing further damage to a $9 billion industry in Florida.”
The disease has also been blamed for damaging crops in Texas, California, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina.