ORLANDO, Fla. – FEMA has approved $2,729,587 for the State of Florida to help Charlotte County defray the costs of restoring three beaches on Knight Island/Palm Island damaged by Hurricane Irma.
The September 2017 storm caused extensive damage to Updrift Beach, North Beach and South Beach. FEMA Public Assistance funds will reimburse the county for placing 96,610 cubic yards of sand on 15,660 linear feet of beach, including 30,250 cubic yards on Updrift Beach, 13,410 cubic yards on North Beach and 52,950 cubic yards on South Beach.
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 Public Assistance projects is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost. The state determines how the non-federal share of the cost of a project (up to 25 percent) is split with the sub-recipients like local and county governments.