PLANT CITY, Fla. — Step inside the grounds of the Florida Strawberry Festival, and you’re faced with some tough choices, like what to eat first.
“Chocolate-dipped strawberries,” said Penny Worth.
“Chocolate dipped,” said Ceron Buti. "I want a strawberry hamburger this year.”
For the hundreds of festival fans, 2026 brought another year they couldn’t miss.
“This year? Today’s my first day, but I’m a lifer, so probably 150 times,” said Buti.
The support for the festival is huge for the community and the farmers behind the berries.
“Great vendors, lots to eat, and about 650,000 people will come through here in the next 11 days,” said Kenneth Parker.
Parker is the executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.
“Even with the setback we had with the freeze a few weeks ago, we never stopped,” said Parker. "We just kept on picking, and they are so good this year.”
Tampa Bay 28 reported earlier in the month how farmers worked to protect their crops from a cold snap.
Parker said a windy freeze is not good for the berries, but they got through it.
"It was more than one night, so we had to run water to protect the crop, and the wind is what compounded the problem,” said Parker. "We can handle a calm freeze, but when the wind’s blowing as hard as it was blowing, sometimes the coverage gets a little uneven and that can create some damage, and we did have some damage.”
The good news: Parker said there’s no shortage of strawberries.
That’s a testament to the growers.
"They’ve done it so long, multi-generational family farms, the resiliency is unparalleled,” said Parker. "It’s incredible to see how well they can respond to hard times."
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Mary O’Connell has a primary focus on education-related stories for Tampa Bay 28. But she also keeps an eye on public health concerns and the always-changing car insurance market. Reach out to Mary to share any of your questions or concerns.
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