Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces Millions For Florida Keys For Hurricane Irma Recovery & Affordable Housing
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – Good news for the Florida Keys and the rest of state as Governor Ron DeSantis announces the Sunshine state is receiving millions for Hurricane Irma recovery and affordable housing.
Monroe County in the Florida Keys is receiving $21.1 million from the Florida Division of Emergency Management to reimburse the county for debris removal, emergency protective measures and damage to other facilities following Hurricane Irma's landfall in Florida in 2017.
"It's incredibly important that we continue to provide as much support as we can to counties still recovering from Hurricane Irma," said Governor DeSantis. "I'm proud to announce that more funding is going to Monroe County today and I'll continue to use my full executive authority to provide this funding as quickly as possible."
In January, FDEM implemented new procedures to accelerate FEMA reimbursements to communities impacted by hurricanes Irma, Matthew and Hermine.
Gov. DeSantis also announced a plan to provide $140 million for new affordable housing in areas hit hard by Hurricane Irma to help address housing shortages after the storm.
This funding is awarded by DEO's Rebuild Florida program and will be administered by Florida Housing.
Housing developers and public housing authorities will be able to apply for the funding, which must address unmet needs in areas identified as "most-impacted and distressed" by the federal government.
"I'm proud to announce $140 million in funding to assist Floridians recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irma," said Governor DeSantis. "Communities across our state have demonstrated incredible resilience following recent natural disasters and my administration remains committed to assisting in recovery efforts with all available resources."
DeSantis said 15,000 families have registered for the program.
Hurricane Irma made initial landfall in Monroe County which is expected to get about $35 million of the housing funding, said Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Ken Lawson.
Rebuild Florida, a partnership of DEO and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, launched in September 2018 to use federal funding for Florida's long-term disaster recovery efforts.