Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $380 million in grant funding for Florida’s timber industry following the impact of Hurricane Michael. USDA announced this funding today as part of an $800 million package to agricultural producers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. This grant will be administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) in conjunction with the Executive Office of the Governor.
“This is a great day for our timber farmers who were devastated by Hurricane Michael,” said Governor 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.”
Following today’s announcement, 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.