Mandarin’s Once-Plentiful 25,000 Orange Trees Now Boost Florida’s Ailing Citrus Sector

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s citrus industry is in crisis. In the last 20 years, production has fallen a staggering 90%—from 300 million boxes a year to just 12 million last season. The Florida Legislature has stepped in with $140 million to help, but here in Jacksonville, one community is stepping up to help, too.

Which community? The answer is logical, but most people get this question wrong. The answer? Mandarin.

With its sweeping oak trees and rich history, Mandarin has long been tied to Florida citrus. In the late 1800s, the community boasted 25,000 orange trees, and families came from miles around to buy bushels of fruit.

Author Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin changed history, spent winters in Mandarin, painted her own oranges, and welcomed tourists to stroll her groves. Stowe made a major impact on the abolitionist movement because her book humanized enslaved people, showed their suffering and family struggles; it reached tens of thousands of readers in the U.S. and abroad; and it shaped public opinion, turning casual readers into supporters of the anti-slavery cause. She even had orange crates branded with her name, linking her life in Mandarin to local citrus history.

But freezes, hurricanes, and disease nearly wiped out the industry in this area. Longtime residents remember when almost every home had its own orange tree.

Joe Walsh, longtime resident:

“I’ve lived here my whole life. Back then, almost every house had an orange tree. But they all died in the freeze in the ’70s… and it got the green disease.”

Emily Lisska, recalling family trips:

“Brothers, cousins, mom, dad, loaded into the car—children could stand up back then, no seatbelts—and we came out here to buy bushels of oranges.”

These memories capture a bygone era when Mandarin’s orange groves shaped daily life. 

Now, the Mandarin Community Club is working to honor that history and support the future of Florida citrus. The club is holding a Florida Citrus Fundraiser, offering fresh pink grapefruit, mandarins, and navel oranges. Orders can be placed online. 

Brett Nolan, Vice President of the Mandarin Community Club, says the project is about more than just fruit:

“She [Stowe] had tons and tons of orange groves. People would come by steamboat and pay 75 cents to walk around her groves and meet her.”

Today, the same site where Stowe once opened a school is home to the Mandarin Community Club — a hub where residents are helping keep citrus traditions alive.

The fundraiser is open to businesses, schools, churches, and individuals, making it easy for anyone in the area to get involved. With a variety of citrus available, it’s a delicious way to enjoy Florida’s bounty and connect with local history.

Click here to order your fruit: Mandarin Community Club Citrus Fundraiser

It’s a chance to taste the sweetness of Florida history — and celebrate a community that’s trying to help keep the citrus industry alive.