State's citrus spared - so far.

Byline: TOM BAYLES

The worst, however, is in the forecast.

"The cold is cold, but we dodged a bullet in Myakka City," Jimmy Grainger, who farms 1,200 acres of citrus groves, said Wednesday morning. "It was cold, but not cold-cold."

Grainger, who also farms tomatoes in Manatee and Collier counties, said every cold snap is different and it is hard to plan for the particulars of each one.

"There are so many different ways it can get you and we have five more nights of this," he said. "But it is what it is and you just take it one night at a time. We need some help from Mother Nature to give us a break."

The cold spell, which is breaking records in places and is forecast to get worse this weekend, is of such a concern that …