Teachers affected by Hurricane Ian to get disaster aid
TALLAHASSEE - Teachers in six counties hit hard by Hurricane Ian are slated to receive $2 million from the Florida Disaster Fund, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
The fund, which is administered by Volunteer Florida, was activated after Ian made landfall Sept. 28 as a Category 4 storm in Southwest Florida.
Educators in Lee, DeSoto, Hardee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Collier counties will receive money from the fund through local education foundations, DeSantis said.
The fund will provide $500,000 in Lee County, while Charlotte, Sarasota and Collier foundations will each receive $350,000 to distribute, according to the governor. Foundations in DeSoto and Hardee will each get $225,000.
State officials announced Monday that the fund had grown to $45 million, with DeSantis saying Friday that he expected the fund to "very soon" surpass $50 million. As of Friday, $7 million from the fund had been awarded, DeSantis said.