Gov. DeSantis announces $40.9M in Hurricane Irma relief funds for Collier County

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Governor Ron DeSantis announces relief fund for Collier County. Photo via Collier County live stream

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in Naples Tuesday morning making a major announcement about the ongoing effort to provide relief to areas damaged by Hurricane Irma.

In his announcement, Governor DeSantis pledged a total of $40.9 million to the relief efforts in Collier County, effective as of Tuesday.

These funds will got to reimburse the county for more than 3-million cubic yards of debris that needed to be cleaned up after hurricane Irma moved through Collier County.

“I am proud to announce this funding for Collier County, as it is vital for a full recovery from Hurricane Irma,” said Governor DeSantis. “Irma devastated this area and this funding has been a long time coming. My administration will remain committed to making sure that all communities impacted by recent hurricanes make a full recovery.”

In January, FDEM implemented new procedures to accelerate FEMA reimbursements to communities impacted by hurricanes Irma, Matthew and Hermine. Previously, the Division required projects to be 100-percent validated before any funding was awarded. Under the new process, half of the funds are awarded when a project is 50-percent validated, while the Division continues to work with applicants to provide funding as projects continue to be validated.

Under this new process, and with today’s announcement, the Division has paid out more than $116 million for communities recovering from these hurricanes. This process is in addition to expedited payments for communities impacted by Hurricane Michael.

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