At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded more than $3.8 million to Bay County, Chipola College, the city of Cottondale, and the town of Havana for hazard mitigation projects.
These projects will construct, rehabilitate, and expand critical infrastructure to support recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Michael through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Rebuild Florida Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program.
“Northwest Florida has worked hard to recover since Hurricane Michael struck nearly four years ago, but there is more work to be done to help these communities strengthen their resiliency,” said DeSantis. “Through the Rebuild Florida Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program, communities in the Panhandle are able to harden their infrastructure and take another step toward a complete recovery.”
“Governor DeSantis is committed to helping communities recover from Hurricane Michael and strengthen their infrastructure to withstand future storms. These efforts will keep their residents safe and drive economic development,” said DEO Secretary Dane Eagle. “DEO is proud to work alongside our federal, state, and local partners to secure available resources to help Florida communities recover and remain strong for generations to come.”
The Rebuild Florida Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program is designed to fund impactful projects that support recovery efforts and harden infrastructure for communities to mitigate the effects of future disasters. More than $35 million has been awarded through the match program alone. DEO has awarded more than $348 million in total funding to date to Hurricane Michael-impacted communities for long-term disaster recovery.
Project funding includes:
Bay County (more than $2.5 million) – to pave and install drainage for 22 unpaved roads to provide safer emergency evacuation routes for more than 100,000 citizens who utilize these roads.
Chipola College (more than $1.2 million) – to harden critical infrastructure at Chipola College to serve as an emergency shelter and housing for emergency responders after a disaster.
City of Cottondale (nearly $45,000) – to install crucial generators at three critical facilities.
City of Cottondale (more than $20,000) – to install a vital generator at the city’s Sprayfield Pump Station.
Town of Havana (more than $27,000) – to install a generator for backup power to two lift stations, the fire department, and the police station.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) administers the state’s FEMA HMGP awards, which requires a local match of 25 percent. DEO fulfills the local match portion of the HMGP through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, allocated to the state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
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