Agriculture leader checks damage; pledges $250K

FORT MYERS — Agriculture firm Alico, in assessing damage from Hurricane Irma to its properties and sites, has pledged $250,000 to local relief organizations.

The Fort Myers-based company, in a Sept. 12 statement, says “cursory inspections yesterday indicate that substantially all of our trees remain intact.”

“There appears to be significant drop of fruit that has fallen from the trees, but the magnitude of this drop needs to be formally calculated by our staff and our insurance companies over the next few weeks,” the company adds. “Once local roads are traversable, more employees will be able to return to work and help the company complete its property assessments; however, initial inspections indicate that nearly all of Alico's buildings and structures remain intact with limited apparent structural damage.

Alico officials add that the company considers “itself as fortunate because its efficient preparations, dedicated workforce and experienced management limited the damage to our properties. The company would like to help its neighbors who were also affected by Hurricane Irma recover more quickly by pledging $250,000 to local relief organizations.”

Alico had $144.2 million in revenue in 2016.