Gov. Ron DeSantis rolls out special Hurricane Michael recovery assistance

Tallahassee Democrat

MARIANNA — At the direction of President Donald Trump, FEMA will give Panhandle communities hit hard by Hurricane Michael a 45-day window for claiming total reimbursement for debris removal, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced today.

“This week I went up to the White House to meet with the President one on one and I discussed the situation here,” said DeSantis, a former Republican congressman and big supporter of Trump. “He loves the Panhandle. He loves the folks here. I think he understands this was not a typical storm.”

Hurricane Michael was a devastating Category Four storm that leveled Mexico Beach and cut a 40-mile wide path of destruction through several Panhandle counties, destroying homes and businesses as well as timber, cotton and peanut crops.

More:Port St. Joe rebuilds after Hurricane Michael

“This was probably most lethal storm that we had,” said DeSantis, who grew up in Florida and experienced several hurricanes himself. “The President was impressed by the figures of the damage.”

For example, he said, Hurricane Irma left behind 2.5 million cubic yards of debris across the state. In a comparatively smaller area, Michael left 25 million cubic yards of debris, or 10 times as much as Irma dumped statewide.

“That has put an enormous stress on the counties and localities here,” DeSantis said. As an example, he said Mexico Beach has a $3 million annual budget but $30 million in debris costs.

The state fast-tracked some funding for Mexico Beach, but other counties are also cash-strapped and overwhelmed by the amount of debris.

The deal DeSantis got from Trump was to expand the time frame from five days to 45 days for counties and municipal governments to submit claims for 100 percent reimbursement for debris removal and emergency protective measures.

More:Family business rebuilds after Hurricane Michael

“That’s real money that’s going to take the burden off these communities here,” DeSantis said. “He heard. He listened and you can’t ask for anything more from a president. I couldn’t be happier.”

The news was cheered by the state, county and city representatives present.

A pile of rubble sits on the beach in Port St. Joe, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. Homes that once lined the beach were ripped apart by Hurricane Michael on Oct. 10, 2018.

More than 137,000 property insurance claims totaling more than $5 billion have been claimed, 76 percent of which have already been settled, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said. He said his staff would be monitoring recovery efforts to make sure people aren't ripped off by unlicensed contractors.

Jackson County Emergency Management Director Rodney Andreasen said Michael was the worst thing to hit Jackson County, and thanked the governor for his leadership.

"I praise God we got you," Andreasen said.

Joel Schubert, assistant county manager for Bay County, said its debris costs alone will hit $300 million.

Sen. Bill Montford appears at a press conference in Marianna where Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the deadline for getting 100 percent reimbursement of hurricane recovery costs has been changed from 5 to 45 days.

“I’ve got seven counties that were hit hard,” Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, said. “If you look at those counties severely impacted, these local governments are broke not because of poor management.”

Adam Johnson, interim emergency management director for Calhoun County, said the county's debris removal contract with the state Department of Transportation was $16 million, more than the county's general fund budget of $12.9 million.

"Most of the calls the county is getting are from people wanting to know when is the debris going to be picked up," he said.

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Contact Schweers at jschweers@tallahassee.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffschweers.