Hernando County will receive $50,000 in grant funding to support long-term recovery efforts following Hurricane Idalia. The funds are derived from the Florida Disaster Fund, the State of Florida’s official private fund. It was established to assist the state’s communities as they respond to and recover from a disaster.
“Hurricane recovery does not happen in just the days and weeks following a storm, and we will support impacted communities every step of the way,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said in announcing the award.
In Hernando County, County Emergency Management Director David DeCarlo said exactly how the funds will be used is still to be determined.
“We will be working with our local Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) organization, partner, and lead of Volunteers and Donations, United Way CEO Angie Bonfardino-Walasek, along with the State of Florida, as to the fiduciary manner to distribute this funding that will best serve Hernando County,” DeCarlo said. “We will know more about the process and the parameters of this grant opportunity once we officially get the award letter outlining the guidelines.”
Hernando is one of 11 Florida counties to receive the grant funds. The grant awards were announced by DeSantis’ office on Jan. 24.
