Two species of fire ants are found in Florida. Most notorious is Solenopsis invicta Buren, the red imported fire ant (RIFA), followed by the much less common Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), the tropical or native fire ant.
Leaf curl is a plant disease characterized by curling of leaves, and caused by a fungus, genus Taphrina, or virus, especially genus Begomovirus of the family Geminiviridae.
Leaf Scorch. In the case of leaves turning brown, curling up, and falling off, leaf scorch may be the likely culprit. The obvious signs of leaf scorch are yellow and brown-like color changes on the tips and ends of tree leaves. These leaves will eventually curl up, wilt, and drop off. This disorder is also referred to as Leaf Wilt and Leaf Burn.