United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited Bristol on Friday to take a helicopter tour with the Florida Forest Service of areas impacted by Hurricane Michael and to hold a listening session.
The participating group was small due to space restrictions but represented a broad spectrum of small and large landowners and mill representatives from Florida and Georgia. The discussion centered on the damages they incurred, challenges they are facing and ways that the United States Department of Agriculture can help.
"It was a productive time together and demonstrates the commitment to the recovery effort," said Florida Forestry Association Executive Vice President Alan Shelby. "In a lot of ways, the extent of the damage needs to be seen to be truly understood. We appreciate the involvement of Secretary Perdue, Congressman Neal Dunn and Senator Bill Montford in the recovery process and look forward to continuing our work together."
