Ashley Moody Secures More Than $1.56 Billion in FEMA Reimbursements
ashley moody said she secured more than $1.56 billion in FEMA relief funding for Florida disaster reimbursements, with the money tied to work already completed across the state. The senator said the funds will help cover more than 500 projects, including debris removal, infrastructure repairs, power restoration and stormwater work.
Florida disaster reimbursements
Moody said the federal money is coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs. She said the reimbursements cover disaster costs from over the past several years and apply to weather-related events that included hurricanes, drought, fires and freezes.
The announcement centers on reimbursement rather than new construction. Moody said the funding will pay back state and local work that has already been finished, which gives counties and cities a way to recover money spent on cleanup and repairs after repeated weather events.
County projects and repairs
Among the specific reimbursements Moody listed were $17.2 million for Sarasota countywide contracted debris removal and $6.6 million for Tallahassee citywide debris removal. She also cited $4.1 million for Brevard County dune engineering and another $4.1 million for Clearwater beach walkways and seawall projects.
Other reimbursements include $2.2 million for Dunedin marina seawall projects, $721,822 for Columbia County power restoration, $617,987 for Madeira Beach parking lot repairs, $617,068 for Lynn Haven Waste Water Plant repairs and $167,955 for Seminole County roads and stormwater projects.
Moody and Markwayne Mullin
Moody said she worked with recently-appointed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to secure the funding. In a news release, she said, "I came to Washington to fight for Florida’s best interest, which is why I’m proud to announce the successful recovery of more than $1.5 Billion in FEMA reimbursements for Florida communities hit hard by disasters," and added, "This is money that has been slow walked and tangled in our federal government, I’m cutting through bureaucracy and getting things done for Florida."
Mullin responded, "Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, FEMA is committed to cutting red tape and getting resources directly to the American people and communities who need them most," and said, "Sen. Moody has been a great partner in our efforts to slash bureaucracy, strengthen accountability, and ensure rapid, effective recovery for Floridians. I want to thank her for fighting alongside us to get this disaster recovery funding across the finish line."
For Florida communities that already completed the work, the immediate effect is reimbursement rather than another round of approvals for new projects. The next step is the federal payment process tied to the FEMA programs Moody said supplied the money.
