FEMA Gives Some $27M in Public Assistance Funds to Help in Fla. Recovery

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT) announced nearly $27 million in Public Assistance funds to several Florida cities and counties. This recent wave of funding brings the total amount of Public Assistance for Florida cities, counties and municipalities to more than $901 million.

Almost $17 million of this total funding is for debris removal for Polk County, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola. The remaining nearly $10 million is expedited funding for emergency protective measures for Orange, Lee and Osceola Counties and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.

“FEMA continues to work with the state to give counties and cities all the funding we can as quickly as possible to help them clean up and get back to business as usual,” said Dan Craig, director of FEMA’s Recovery Division. “FEMA will be in Florida for as long as it takes to work with every applicant and ensure that all eligible damage costs from the 2004 hurricanes are funded.”

The expedited funding included in this wave of public assistance funds advances up to 50 percent of the federal cost share for eligible expenses incurred by local governments to pay for emergency protective measures; including such costs as overtime, equipment, materials and contracts for emergency work.

Payments on projects less than $54,100 are paid to applicants without any action required on their part. However, payment processing on projects greater than $54,100 begins only after the applicant submits a request to the state. The request may be submitted directly online at www.floridapa.org or through conventional methods.