MIAMI, Fla. – Inside the United States Postal Service inspection facility at Miami International Airport, roughly 90 percent of all flowers sold in the United States are initially imported.
It’s a critical job for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials as they inspect flowers for any pets, especially with Mother’s Day around the corner.
Sal Ingrassa of Customers and Border Protection said MIA is the No. 1 air cargo airport in the United States.
But in a region known for it’s tourism, it’s the cargo that’s in the spotlight as one of the busiest times of the year is under way.
“Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are the busiest times,” said Ingrassa.
Local 10 News got an inside look at MIA’s UPS cargo facility where inspectors with U.S. Customers and Border Protection were receiving and inspecting every flower brought into the United States ahead of Mother’s Day weekend.
“I think there’s two key pieces to this. One is identifying pests that are in the flowers. Our agriculture specialists are trained at identifying pests, and do an examination specifically in flowers today, that’s what you’re seeing. So, identifying, and then neutralizing that threat,” said Ingrassa.
On average, CBP officials said their inspectors find roughly 30 plant pests per day with the affected times either being fumigated, sent back, or, in rare cases, destroyed.
Daniella Levine Cava, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, also toured the facility where more than 300,000 thousand tons of flowers were imported last year.
“Thanks to our flower power, we have moved up in every major cargo ranking among airports in the United States and the world, and we are now the number one airport in the US for international freight,” said Cava.
The inspections are a critical undertaking not only for the safety of our agriculture, but also, the airport’s bottom line.
“We’re a big contributor to the commerce of the area, and I think that’s a big role we have as well,” said Ingrassa.
Last year alone, CBP officials processed some 930 million stem-cut flowers, with an average inspection time of 1 hour and 47 minutes. And they’re hoping to inspect even more this year.