In the early 2000s, Florida officials cut down about 18,000 backyard citrus trees in an effort to eradicate citrus-canker disease. At the time, the state offered a $100 gift certificate to Walmart as compensation. Many property owners sued, and the case was recently settled with the plaintiffs receiving an award of $43.9 million.
The state’s reaction to the citrus disease was simply a precursor to its reaction to the COVID pandemic. In both instances, government reacted with a command and control attitude. In both instances, property was destroyed.
In the citrus “pandemic,” government made no distinction between healthy trees and diseased trees. Government simply destroyed all of the backyard citrus trees in certain areas of the state. In the COVID pandemic, government made no distinction between healthy individuals and those infected with the coronavirus. Government simply locked every down.
Not surprisingly, the rights-violating actions of the Florida government did not eradicate citrus-canker disease. Nor did the rights-violating actions of governments across the country stop the spread of the coronavirus. In both instances, the results were destructive.
Government has a legitimate role to play in the presence of an infectious disease that threatens lives and property. The essence of that role is to identify and isolate the threat, whether it is an infected individual or an infected tree. Government should not treat the innocent and the guilty alike.
It is an injustice to quarantine uninfected individuals. It is equally unjust to destroy uninfected trees.