The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sending $800 million to Alabama, Florida and Georgia and almost of those funds will be used to help the timber industry in the Panhandle which was devastated by Hurricane Michael last year.
At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the USDA has awarded $380 million in grant funding for Florida’s timber industry which is still recovering from Hurricane Michael. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Executive Office of the Governor will oversee the funds.
“This is a great day for our timber farmers who were devastated by Hurricane Michael,” said DeSantis. “Since January, I’ve worked closely with President Trump and Secretary Purdue to ensure that our farmers were receiving as much assistance as possible. Fortunately, we were able to secure nearly half of the entire allocation for three states. Now that this funding has been awarded, we look forward to helping these farmers recover, replant and rebuild.”
“Since January, we have shown how efficient the Division can be when you steamroll the bureaucracy,” said FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz. “As soon as the program is finalized, we look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to provide this important funding. Thanks to the governor’s support, the Division has created a track record of success by changing policies and distributing more than $200 million to Florida’s citrus farmers recovering from Hurricane Irma, as well as more than $1 billion for hurricane recovery in record time.”
“State officials will work with Federal officials to create an agreement to administer these funds. After an agreement is in place, FDEM will distribute the funding as quickly as possible,” the governor’s office noted.
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