Photo: Jim West/Alamy
Workers process cut flowers from South America at the USA Bouquet warehouse near the Miami airport.
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ATS Around the State
Flower Power
Valentine’s Day is already in full bloom at Miami International Airport, which imports more flowers than any other airport in the United States. More than a billion cut flowers pass through the airport during the peak season, which began in January and ends right after the holiday. About 89% of the flowers imported into the United States come through MIA, airport officials say. The cut flower market in the United States is worth more than $36 billion annually, with Colombia and Ecuador topping the list of export nations.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection at MIA inspect the nearly 328,000 tons of flowers for insects, pests and diseases as the flowers move through the airport’s cold chain system. The Association of Floral Importers of Florida has worked with the airlines and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to streamline the process to move the flowers through so they get to consumers while they are still fresh. Some of the flowers stay in Miami, where they are made into bouquets to be sold at mass-market retailers.
