118 HRES 206 IH: Expressing support for the 88th Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida, its cultural significance to the State of Florida, and the contributions of Plant City’s strawberry industry to American agriculture. U.S. House of Representatives 2023-03-08 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV118th CONGRESS1st SessionH. RES. 206IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 8, 2023Ms. Lee of Florida (for herself, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Castor of Florida, and Mr. C. Scott Franklin of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureRESOLUTIONExpressing support for the 88th Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida, its cultural significance to the State of Florida, and the contributions of Plant City’s strawberry industry to American agriculture.

Whereas the Florida Strawberry Festival was first organized and held in 1930 by the Plant City Lions Club;Whereas, in 1948, the American Legion Post #26 helped get the Festival reactivated following a 6-year hiatus during and immediately following World War II;Whereas the Festival brings people together to celebrate Plant City’s strawberry harvest through 11 days of activities, entertainment, and strawberry-centric foods;Whereas, today, the Festival is put together by a community-oriented organization whose board of directors, staff, and volunteers devote countless hours to planning for and accommodating tens of thousands of people each day of the Festival;Whereas more than 540,000 people attended the 2022 Florida Strawberry Festival;Whereas the Strawberry Ball, hosted by the Florida Strawberry Festival, raised $50,000 for Plant City’s local food bank in 2022;Whereas more than 75 percent of United States midwinter strawberries come from Plant City, Florida;Whereas approximately 200,000 strawberry shortcakes, the Festival’s signature dessert, are served each year at the Florida Strawberry Festival;Whereas more than 10,000 acres of strawberries are planted annually in the local area, and its 2,800 farms make Hillsborough County a national leader in producing strawberries, citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, okra, peppers, beans, dairy products, eggs, ornamental horticulture, tropical fish, beef cattle, swine, and other related products; andWhereas the annual value of Hillsborough County’s farms total $360,000,000: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—(1)supports the contributions of Plant City’s strawberry industry to Florida’s agriculture;(2)applauds the unique cultural significance of the annual Florida Strawberry Festival to the people of Plant City, Hillsborough County, and the State of Florida; and(3)celebrates the 88th Florida Strawberry Festival and supports its related youth development programs, entertainment, and parades that bring the Plant City community together and share it with visitors from around the world.