~ FloridaCommerce to Hold Two Additional Public Hearings August 3 and 4 ~

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, FloridaCommerce posted Florida’s Draft State Action Plan and announced the opening of the official 30-day public comment period to seek input on the state’s plan to access and operationalize $910 million in funding. This funding was federally allocated to Florida for disaster recovery and mitigation following Hurricane Ian. FloridaCommerce will also host two public hearings for in-person and live-stream comment on the draft plan. FloridaCommerce will release the procurement on Friday, July 14 for vendors interested in contracting with the state of Florida to support Hurricane Ian recovery.

FloridaCommerce is charged with leading the state’s efforts to create Florida’s State Action Plan for 20 of the 24 counties impacted by Hurricane Ian. The remaining four Florida counties – Lee, Orange, Sarasota and Volusia – received direct allocations for hurricane recovery and FloridaCommerce is actively partnering with them to provide assistance in managing their own direct allocations.

“The development of our draft State Action Plan has been intensely informed by a series of 38 valuable public, citizen and stakeholder meetings which were held to hear directly from residents and businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian,” said Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “In these listening sessions, which were held in all impacted counties, FloridaCommerce gained valuable insights into communities’ long-term recovery needs following the storm.”

Earlier this year, representatives from FloridaCommerce visited all 24 counties impacted by Hurricane Ian. These listening sessions 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

Additionally, from June 22 through July 12, FloridaCommerce leadership, including Secretary Kelly, returned to Brevard, Putnam, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk, Collier, Highlands and Charlotte counties for additional public workshops and input gathering.

• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to Host Public Workshops on Disaster Recovery Funds for Hurricane Ian-impacted Communities

The State Action Plan takes into account what FloridaCommerce learned from each listening session, and demonstrates that the 20 impacted counties have a true need of over $2.498 billion, which far exceeds the $910 million in funding that was federally allocated. The State Action Plan reflects a prioritization of the limited funds towards the greatest needs in the 20 counties impacted by Hurricane Ian that did not receive a direct allocation. Accordingly, the draft State Action Plan focuses on recovery for housing and incorporates a significant partnership for workforce housing with Florida Housing Finance Corporation.

Public Comment
Comments on the Draft State Action Plan may be submitted to FloridaCommerce through Saturday, August 12 at 12:00 p.m. Community members are encouraged to submit their comments through email to HurricaneIan@RebuildFlorida.gov or by mail to:

FloridaCommerce
Office of Long-Term Resiliency
Attention: CDBG-Disaster Recovery Program
The Caldwell Building
107 East Madison Street, MSC-400

Public Hearings

FloridaCommerce will host two Hurricane Ian public hearings in:

SEMINOLE COUNTY
Date: Thursday, August 3, 2023
**Additional details forthcoming**

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Date: Friday, August 4, 2023
**Additional details forthcoming**

A live-stream option will be available for those who are unable to attend in person.


Vendors

FloridaCommerce will issue a Request for Quote (RFQ) on Friday, July 14 for vendors interested in contracting with the state of Florida to support Hurricane Ian recovery. Interested vendors are encouraged to register for FloridaCommerce’s virtual webinar on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at 11 a.m., Eastern Time. This webinar will give an overview of the RFQ process and Florida’s Draft Action Plan.

Visit Floridajobs.org/Hurricane-Ian for more information about the CDBG-DR program. For any additional questions, please email CDBG-DR@DEO.MyFlorida.com.
 

About Rebuild Florida

Rebuild Florida is administered by FloridaCommerce and allows local governments to develop large-scale housing and infrastructure projects that aid communities in making them more resilient against future disasters. Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida’s long-term recovery efforts from the devastating impacts of natural disasters. FloridaCommerce is the Governor-designated state authority responsible for administering all U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) long-term recovery funds awarded to the state.