ICYMI: FloridaCommerce Hosts 14 Citizen and Stakeholder Workshops on Disaster Recovery Funds for Hurricane Ian-Impacted Communities

~ Official 30-Day Public Comment Period is Open for the State’s Draft Action Plan ~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – FloridaCommerce recently hosted 14 citizen and stakeholder workshops to receive community input on Florida's Draft State Action Plan. This plan outlines Florida’s strategy for accessing and operationalizing more than $910 million in Disaster Recovery funding. This follows 24 listening sessions held earlier this year with county officials in each county impacted by the 2022 storms. These workshops gave FloridaCommerce valuable insight into the needs of these communities as they continue the hurricane recovery process.

• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Visits Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole
• The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Visits Fifteen Additional Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole
• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Meets with Monroe County on Long-Term Recovery Efforts and Hosts Hurricane Evacuation Modeling Workshops in the Florida Keys

Recent citizen and stakeholder workshops were held in Brevard, Putnam, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk, Collier, Highlands and Charlotte counties. Community members, local government representatives and community stakeholders continue to provide insight that inform the state’s plan to access and operationalize $910 million in Disaster Recovery funding.

On March 15, 2023, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that the state of Florida will receive more than $910 million in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to support long-term resiliency and mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ian in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole and St. Johns counties. FloridaCommerce will lead the state’s efforts in developing the State Action Plan that will provide a high-level strategy for how funding will be used to address unmet, long-term recovery needs in the eligible Hurricane Ian-impacted communities.

HUD identified Lee, Orange, Sarasota and Volusia counties to receive direct funding allocations separate from the amount allocated to the state of Florida. Lee County will receive more than $1.1 billion, Volusia County will receive more than $328 million, Orange County will receive more than $219 million and Sarasota County will receive more than $201 million for disaster recovery and mitigation efforts. These four counties will utilize their individual allocations to design their own programs and administer funds to address their communities' unmet needs. FloridaCommerce is committed to working with all counties to swiftly administer long-term disaster recovery funds.

"Under Governor DeSantis' leadership, FloridaCommerce has reaffirmed its commitment to the long-term recovery of these impacted communities— facilitating nearly 40 meetings in the last few months with stakeholders, community members, and local government representatives to gain invaluable insight for developing our state action plan," said FloridaCommerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly. "Local communities know their needs best and their feedback is essential in determining the best way to help Florida residents and their families rebuild their communities."

On July 12, the official 30-day Public Comment Period opened for Florida's Draft State Action Plan, allowing Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian to provide input on the prioritization of Hurricane Ian funds. Comments can be made through email to HurricaneIan@RebuildFlorida.gov or by mail to:

Representatives from the Office of Long-Term Resiliency receive input from the Manatee County community on their unmet housing repair and replacement needs.

Pinellas County community stakeholders provide insight to FloridaCommerce about long-term recovery and disaster mitigation needs in their community.

Highlands County community members discuss their unmetdisaster recovery needs with FloridaCommerce.

The FloridaCommerce Office of Long-Term Resiliency hosts a workshop in Charlotte County to receive valuable feedback from community members.