Melissa S. Razdrih
Florida received $633M in mitigation funding for communities impacted by Hurricanes Hermine, Matthew and Irma. Gov. Ron DeSantis applauds HUD.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) authorized the release of the funds that will come to the state of Florida via the Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.
The Florida Department of Opportunity, Office of Disaster Recovery states of the program:
“The state of Florida has been allocated federal funding to support long-term disaster recovery through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR).
“CDBG-DR funding is designed to address housing, infrastructure, economic development, and mitigation needs that remain after other assistance has been exhausted, including federal assistance as well as private insurance.”
The grant is indicative of Florida communities that have not yet fully recovered from the impact of hurricane seasons past.
“I thank Secretary Carson and the officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for their efforts,” DeSantis said of the award.
“Florida looks forward to a quick release of the federal guidance as a critical step in helping our communities who were devastated by these hurricanes rebuild stronger than before.”
The HUD website describes mitigation funding through CDBG-DR as “flexible grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from presidentially declared disasters, especially in low-income areas, subject to availability of supplemental appropriations.”
In addition to the funding secured from HUD, in June, DeSantis announced a $21M reimbursement to Monroe County from the state of Florida, for county services required to offset hurricane damage.
Days prior, Rep. Debbie Muscarel-Powell touted a $10M FEMA award that would help the county recover costs from debris cleanup and assist with fortifying the central water supply.
These are a couple in a string of awards designed to pay Florida counties back for hurricane-related services and help local communities rebuild and thrive after natural disasters.
