(WTXL) — On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new federal funding to address the unmet, long-term recovery needs of Hurricane Michael-impacted communities.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity will create a plan to access more than $735 million of funds available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program.
“I thank Secretary Carson and the team at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for issuing the Federal Register so that Florida can access this long-awaited disaster recovery funding to benefit communities impacted by Hurricane Michael,” said DeSantis. “This funding will not only help the residents in Northwest Florida repair their homes, but also help communities rebuild stronger, and more resilient.”
The department will lead the state’s efforts to create and develop the State Action Plan as to how the funding will be used to address the $25 billion in damage caused by the hurricane.
The State Action Plan will be developed with input from our state and community partners, as well as citizens. After HUD reviews and approves Florida’s State Action Plan, HUD and DEO will sign a grant agreement to release the funding for Hurricane Michael recovery projects.
Ken Lawson, the DEO Executive Director, said his team has already begun working to address the Panhandle community’s needs.
“The catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Michael left Floridians, their lives and homes scarred but not without hope,” Lawson said. “With the announcement of this Federal Register, my team can continue moving forward and finalize our plans for long-term recovery and bring ‘Rebuild Florida’ to communities in the Panhandle.”
