After the recent cold fronts, violent winds and ongoing drought conditions, many Floridians are stepping outside and asking the same questions:

• Did my mango tree survive?
• My lawn is yellow, dry, and windburned. Will it survive with water restrictions?
• Are my shrubs and groundcover dead or just stressed or dormant?
• How do I protect my landscape with water restrictions in place?

With colder and drier weather forecasts, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agents are available statewide to help homeowners and the media understand what winter weather really did to help residents identify weather-related damage, avoid costly mistakes and take smart recovery steps that protect landscapes while saving water.

Featured Experts:

South Florida
UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County
Henry Mayer, commercial and urban horticulture agent
AVAILABLE FOR SPANISH/ENGLISH MEDIA

305-679.0257 hmayer@ufl.edu

Dalton Goolsby, Urban Horticulture Program supervisor
305-679-0236 daltongoolsby@ufl.edu

Treasure Coast
UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County
Sara MacDonald, urban horticulture agent and Master Gardener Program coordinator 772-462-1660
AVAILABLE FOR SPANISH/ENGLISH MEDIA E-mail: sara.macdonald@ufl.edu

UF/IFAS Extension Indian River County
Leslie Nicole Munroe, environmental horticulture agent and Master Gardener Program coordinator
772-226-4318 E-mail: lnmunroe@ufl.edu

SW Florida
UF/IFAS Extension Pasco County
Whitney Elmore, Extension Director and residential horticulture agent and associate state program leader for natural resources
(352) 518-0156 wcelmore@ufl.edu.

UF/IFAS Extension Polk County
Anne Yasalonis, residential horticulture agent
(863) 519-1041 anneanne@ufl.edu

Central Florida
UF/IFAS Extension Brevard County

Sally Scalera, urban horticulture and Master Gardener Program coordinator (321) 633-1702 ext. 52318 sasc@ufl.edu

North Florida
UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County
Cynthia Nazario-Leary, environmental horticulture agent
(352) 955-2402 cnazarioleary@ufl.edu

To locate the closest Extension expert in your area, use this link.

Looking for reading materials? Check out these blogs and Ask IFAS publications:
• Do Not Act Too Quickly after Landscape Freeze - UF/IFAS Extension Okaloosa County
• Deep Freeze 2026 - UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County
• Henry Mayer, Author of What’s Happening Around Florida
• What to Do After a Freeze Practical Steps for Plant Care - UF/IFAS Extension Putnam County
• Post-freeze Recovery for Commercial Fruit Growers - UF/IFAS Extension DeSoto County
• The Morning After the Freeze: Understanding what Happened to our Pasture - UF/IFAS Extension Hardee County
• Winter Pruning in North Florida: What to Cut and What to Leave Alone - UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County
• Ask IFAS: HS1275/HS1275: Freeze Damage Symptoms and Recovery for Citrus
• Ask IFAS: HS118/CH004: Recovering From Freeze Damage
• Ask IFAS: ENH841/EP101: Chilling Injury in Tropical Foliage Plants: I. Spathiphyllum
• Ask IFAS: Lawn and Garden Care: Cold Protection and Chilling Damage
• Ask IFAS: ENH-92/MG318: Cold Damage on Palms