On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced almost $17 million has been awarded to the city of Bonita Springs in Lee County through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program.
Funding will be used to make critical improvements to 2.5 miles of stormwater infrastructure and will repair damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
“Today we are excited to be able to make an impact in Bonita Springs,” said DeSantis. “This award will help the city make key stormwater system improvements and is one of the many projects we have awarded utilizing long-term recovery funds to make meaningful infrastructure improvements. We are going to continue to support infrastructure that builds our resiliency.”
“Here in Florida, we are fortunate to have Governor DeSantis’ leadership and dedication to our state’s ongoing recovery efforts,” said DEO Sec. Dane Eagle. “I witnessed first-hand the flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Irma in Bonita Springs, and the nearly $17 million being awarded today will advance Bonita Springs’ infrastructure for future resiliency. We are excited to see these critical improvements come to fruition.”
The program, administered by DEO, allows local governments to develop large-scale infrastructure projects to make communities more resilient to future disasters. This award will provide the city of Bonita Springs with funding to make improvements to approximately 2.5 miles along East Terry Street, from Old 41 Road East to Bonita Grande Drive. Once stormwater projects are complete, Bonita Springs plans to construct a multi-use path for residents. This pathway will link urban and rural areas to commercial, recreational, and civic destinations.
The project will also include the addition of a multi-use pathway along the corridor for walking and biking. Approximately 30 percent of the city’s population and almost one-quarter of jobs in Bonita Springs are within walking or biking distance to Terry Street. It is anticipated that this pathway will help to reduce traffic along Terry Street and provide safer access to the schools, churches, and community facilities located in the area.
Rebuild Florida is administered by DEO and allows local governments to develop large-scale infrastructure projects that aid communities in making them more resilient against future disasters. The city of Bonita Springs will use the funding to upgrade the stormwater facilities along Terry Street in Bonita Springs and greatly reduce or eliminate future flooding events. By doing so, it will improve access times for emergency services during or following a storm event and reduce the effects of standing water on the city’s water and sanitary sewer lines.
Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida’s long-term recovery efforts from the devastating impacts of natural disasters. The department 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.
