| The Division of Plant Industry is the regulatory agency within the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that is responsible for protecting Florida’s native and commercially-grown plants from harmful pests and diseases. DPI also protects Florida’s apiary industry. Three bureaus are located at DPI headquarters in Gainesville – Plant and Apiary Inspection; Entomology, Nematology and Plant Pathology; and Method Development and Biological Control. The remaining two bureaus, Pest Eradication and Control, and Citrus Budwood Registration, are in Winter Haven. DPI also has one of the world’s largest arthropod collections, a museum that houses over 8.5 million pinned insects and non-insect arthropods, as well as special collections of bulk samples and vial samples in alcohol from around the world. These samples comprise a significant resource of an estimated 100 million specimens from many unique and disappearing habitats. |
