Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductee Nominations

 

     NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR THE FLORIDA CITRUS HALL OF FAME BARTOW, Fla. (July 24, 2025) --- Nominations are being sought for potential inductees to The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, with nominations due by September 15, 2025. Eligible nominees are those distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry in any of the following fields: pioneers, harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, scientific and/or educational areas. The induction luncheon ceremonies are tentatively scheduled to take place in the George Jenkins Fieldhouse at Florida Southern College in Lakeland and are co-sponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and The Florida Department of Citrus. 

     Nomination forms are available by contacting Kristi Sheffield Joyner at 863-221-4300 or via email at KristiJ@FLCitrusMutual.com and by visiting the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame web site at www.floridacitrushalloffame.com.

      Please send completed nomination forms via e-mail to: KristiJ@FLCitrusMutual.com. Hard copies may be sent to Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, P. O. Box 1576, Bartow, FL 33831- 1576. 

     The mission of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame is to recognize those distinguished leaders that have made significant contributions to the industry and to preserve and share the rich heritage of Florida citrus. To this end we are deeply involved with and committed to an outreach program that tells the history of the Florida citrus industry and the people that have done so much to make the industry a dynamic force in Florida. 

For more information, contact Kristi Joyner at (863) 221-4300 or KristiJ@FLCitrusMutual.com.

P.O. Box 1576, Bartow, FL 33830  Phone (863)221-4300  www.floridacitrushalloffame.com

2025 Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Banquet

     On Friday, March 28, 2025, McKay Archives celebrated the 2025 Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Banquet. The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Student Fellows joined us as we gathered at the Field House for a ceremony with lunch. Afterwards, we headed to McKay Archives to unveil the names of the inductees on the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Tree. Each of the Citrus Student Fellows had a great time and helped tremendously to set everything up. In the week leading up to the banquet, the Citrus Student Fellows spent time curating citrus related displays for the guests upstairs at McKay Archives. The students used careful thought processes and their creativity to bring these displays to life and create an engaging atmosphere for the guests. The morning of the banquet, our students greeted and gave a nice welcome to the guests as they entered the field house. The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Student Fellows showed great pride in their work and look forward to helping out next year!

Rachel Surmacz - FCHoF Student Fellow 

Connor Murray - FCHoF Student Fellow

Mary Kissane and Kayla Simons, FCHoF Student Fellow

Alana Evans, Student Assistant

 

We're excited about next years Citrus Inductees Banquet!

Chase & Co.

 

By Kayla Simons, FCHoF Student Fellow 

Sydney Chase, Sr. (FCHoF 1963)

Joshua Chase (FCHoF 1962)

Chase & Co. was started in 1884 by Sydney and Joshua Chase. They started out selling insurance and investing in fertilizer and storage facilities but later became known for their citrus. The brothers bought their first citrus groves in 1886. Chase & Co. owned several packing houses and worked as marketing agents for associations and individual growers who wanted to maintain their own packing houses.

Arcadia

    

Isleworth

Manatee

Winter Haven

After the freezes of 1894-95, the company was hurt and turned to growing celery, becoming the first large-scale producer of celery. In 1904, Chase & Co. began to reestablish their place in the citrus industry by purchasing more groves and a fertilizer plant. 

They joined the Florida Citrus Exchange shortly after, but due to some conflict with Florida Citrus Mutual, three years later, they left. In 1928, they began to focus mostly on fertilizer. After Sydney died in 1941, Joshua took over until he died in 1949. The company still exists today as Sunniland, though the Chase family is no longer involved.