Florida communities are set to receive a massive influx of federal disaster relief, with nearly $2 billion in previously outstanding FEMA assistance funds now secured for statewide recovery efforts.
Senator Ashley Moody announced the funding milestone today during a briefing at the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The total includes more than $64 million specifically directed toward Charlotte County to fund 28 local restoration projects.
“Florida has been waiting on essential disaster assistance funds for hurricane recovery since 2017—I’ve been in the Senate for less than a year and a half and have worked hard to bring nearly $2 billion of outstanding FEMA funds back home to Florida. I’ll continue fighting to deliver the federal support Floridians need while making the disaster recovery process more transparent, efficient, and accountable,” Moody said.
The $64 million allocated to Charlotte County will support the restoration of critical local infrastructure. According to state officials, the money will fund repairs to waterways, roads, traffic signal systems, debris removal, and improvements at the Port of Charlotte. These projects are part of the ongoing recovery from a succession of major regional storms, including Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Debby, Helene, and Milton.
An additional $14.4 million has been locked in for joint projects shared between Charlotte County and neighboring counties in the Southwest Florida region. Other regional allocations announced today include more than $57 million secured for Lee County and over $4.2 million designated for Collier County.
Statewide, the total amount of secured FEMA public assistance funding stands at more than $1.8 billion. The grants are being distributed through FEMA’s Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs, which will ultimately support more than 500 individual projects across Florida.
Local municipalities and state agencies will use the disbursed funds to cover debris removal, repair educational facilities, restore public infrastructure, and offset emergency costs incurred while protecting lives and property during the storms.
The funding rollout follows the passage of the TRACK Act (Transparency in Recovery Assistance & Claims Knowledge Act), legislation introduced by Moody to alter the FEMA disaster aid process. Now signed into law, the act mandates that FEMA maintain a status tracker on its official website, allowing disaster victims to directly monitor the progress of their federal claims.
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