FEMA Awards $15.6 Million for Hurricane Irma Recovery in Florida

Release Date Release Number
NR 497
Release Date:
September 24, 2020

ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has awarded grants totaling $15,634,775 for the State of Florida to reimburse applicants for the costs of emergency response and debris removal following Hurricane Irma.

The FEMA Public Assistance grants include:

  • Florida Department of Corrections: $5,939,234 for emergency measures taken to protect life and property at detention facilities statewide, including evacuation of inmates, sandbagging dormitories, installation of storm shutters, providing emergency pumping for disabled lift stations and strengthening facilities.
  • Miami-Dade County: $4,088,667 for removal of 177,165 tons of vegetative debris, 892 hazardous leaning trees and 11,161 hanging limbs from public roads, property and rights-of-way.
  • Florida Department of Transportation: $3,737,820 for debris removal in Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties. Crews removed 71,390 cubic yards of vegetative debris, 884 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris, 284 hazardous leaning trees and 5,929 hanging limbs.
  • Collier County School District: $1,869,054 for emergency measures taken to protect life and property, including security and emergency access for students and faculty, mold remediation, replacing storm shutters and debris removal.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program provides grants to state, tribal, and local governments, and certain types of private nonprofit organizations, including some houses of worship, so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. The Florida Division of Emergency Management works with FEMA during all phases of the program and conducts final reviews of FEMA-approved projects.

The federal share for projects is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The state determines how the nonfederal share of the cost of a project (up to 25 percent) is split with the subrecipients like local and county governments.

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