Two Florida Orange Juice Executives Die In Helicopter Crash

According to news reports, two prominent Florida citrus industry veterans, Jim Horrisberger and Phil Tope, have died in a helicopter crash in Nicaragua. Two others were lost in the accident, which occurred near the Costa Rican border.

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According to a report by the Lakeland Ledger, Horrisberger and Tope were on a business trip to examine groves in the country, including projecting the size of the 2015-2016 crop.

Horrisberger, 63, worked as North American procurement director for the Coca-Cola Company. In addition, he had been a member of the Florida Citrus Commission since 2010. He also played an important role in developing the incentive program aimed at getting growers to plant 25,000 acres of new groves to replenish trees being lost to HLB.

Tope, 72, had served as the chief executive of Tampa Juice since 1993. Before that, Tope had worked in other citrus-related jobs for his entire career.

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