Scott announces $616 million Irma recovery ‘action plan’

May 21, 2018

Gov. Scott announced this week that the Department of Economic Opportunity had submitted a plan that would see Florida use $616 million in federal disaster recovery funds to build new affordable housing and provide grants to severely impacted businesses.

“Even before Hurricane Irma made landfall, we began working with the federal government to express the diverse needs our state would face following a storm of this magnitude and how best to address those needs,” Scott said. “Since the storm, we have worked tirelessly alongside community and business leaders to build stronger communities that are better prepared for future disasters. I’m glad that DEO submitted this plan to help families in our state.”

Federal rules on the Community Development Block Grant require 80 percent of the funds head to the hardest-hit areas in the state, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development lists as Brevard, Broward, Collier, Duval, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Polk and Volusia counties, as well as certain ZIP codes in Bradford, Clay, DeSoto and Flagler counties.

“We are thankful to these communities for their commitment and partnership to determine the best way to use this funding to make a difference across the state. We are committed to helping Floridians recover, particularly families who do not have the resources to rebound as quickly after a disaster,” said DEO head Cissy Proctor.

Source: Scott announces $616 million Irma recovery ‘action plan’ – from Florida Politics