Technical Abstract: Increasing international travel and trade have rendered US borders more porous and dramatically increased the risk of introductions of invasive plant pests into agricultural crops. Currently in Florida, one such invasive species is Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac), a bacterial plant pathogen that causes Asiatic citrus canker. Citrus canker is an introduced plant disease, the eradication of which has received considerable press attention and legal challenges, has produced far-reaching political and socioeconomic impact in Florida, and has implications for national and international trade. The history and distribution of the disease in Florida and worldwide are discussed as are its symptomology, infection process, host range and effect on crop loss. The diversity of canker strains, their identification, diagnosis and characterization are explained in detail. The epidemiology of the disease and the development of control and eradication strategies and the development of sampling methods for detection/delimiting the disease based on the epidemiological findings are discussed for the US and other areas of the world where canker in under eradication/suppression. The social, political, and legal ramification on regulatory policy relative to citrus canker are discussed also.