FDEM details 2024 hurricane response, FEMA reimbursement and debris challenges

Keith Pruitt, deputy director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development during a program review that the division mobilized large-scale response and recovery operations during the 2024 hurricane season and is managing billions in FEMA pass-through dollars.

The committee heard that three consecutive storms—Hurricane Debbie, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton—produced historic flooding, storm surge and debris volumes that strained local and state recovery systems and raised complex reimbursement questions with FEMA. Pruitt stressed the division’s role in vetting contracts and guiding counties on eligibility to reduce the risk that local expenditures will be found ineligible by FEMA.

Pruitt said the state focused on rapid life‑safety response, restoring infrastructure and providing human services. For Hurricane Debbie the division reported distributing more than 218,000 shelf‑stable meals, 321,000 pallets of water, 18,000 tarps and 4,000 hot meals from points of distribution; mobilizing more than 1,700 logistics missions (about 60 still active at the time of the presentation); deploying 12,200 linear feet of flood control systems, 48 pumps and moving roughly 591,000,000 gallons of water; and securing about $146,000,000 in obligated public assistance and an estimated $45,400,000 in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds.

Pruitt said Hurricane Helene produced even larger needs: more than 1,000,000 shelf‑stable meals, 1,500,000 bottles of water, 54,000 tarps, roughly 977,000 hot meals, peak outages affecting about 1,200,000 accounts and more than 4,000 logistics missions (about 230 still active). During Milton the division reported distributing roughly 1,200,000 shelf‑stable meals, 1,500,000 bottles of water, 83,000 tarps and 1,100,000 hot meals; peak outages affecting about 3,300,000 accounts; more than 5,500 missions (about 380 active); deployment of about 35,500 linear feet of flood control and 235 pumps moving about 3,300,000,000 gallons. Pruitt said the division had obligated roughly $1.1 billion in public assistance for Milton and had facilitated donation of about 650 travel trailers for local jurisdictions and nonprofits.

On federal pass‑through funds and grants, Pruitt said the division had drawn about $1.2 billion into the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund (EPRF) over the last two fiscal years and that of $15.3 billion in pass‑through money available, about $10.3 billion had been dispersed and roughly $5.0 billion remained. The division reported about $14.2 billion in obligated public‑assistance projects and roughly 22,000 public assistance projects since Hurricane Michael, with more than 1,500 applicants.

Pruitt described Florida’s FROC process—a vetting and accounting system the division uses to review local “blue‑sky” debris contracts and eligible activities before activation. "Funding and disaster response is federally funded, state managed, but locally executed," Pruitt said, and later added, “If the eligible activity isn't in our FROC system, we know that it's not eligible for reimbursement.” He urged counties to share contracts and scopes of work with state recovery staff and debris monitors before executing expensive debris operations so the state can advise on FEMA eligibility and reduce the risk of nonreimbursable work.

Committee members raised recurring concerns from local governments and businesses. A senator representing parts of Pinellas County described frustration with uneven local planning, the speed of debris collection and out‑of‑pocket expenditures by municipalities to hasten curbside removal. Pruitt said counties should vet blue‑sky contracts with county emergency management and share them with the state so the state can coordinate with FEMA on eligibility; he warned that not all debris or material (for example, sand or certain hazardous items including lithium ion batteries) is necessarily eligible for FEMA reimbursement.

On commercial debris, Pruitt said insurance is typically reviewed first and that eligibility for FEMA reimbursement depends on whether the debris removal is a documented, disaster‑caused expense; he noted some materials and disposal costs (including landfill acceptance and hazardous materials) complicate eligibility.

The committee also discussed disaster recovery centers, HOPE Florida noncongregate sheltering and Elevate Florida mitigation financing. Pruitt said disaster recovery centers and state mobile teams ("marks") are available to help individuals and businesses apply for assistance, correct rejected applications and learn about programs such as temporary housing and small business loans. On Elevate Florida he described the program as accelerating mitigation projects by using available hazard mitigation funding up front and replenishing the fund when FEMA reimbursements arrive; he cautioned that the common expectation of a simple 50/50 split can be misleading because later changes or ineligible aspects of a project can affect future reimbursements.

Senators asked for additional detail on reimbursement timing. Pruitt said reimbursement timelines vary; some recovery projects date back to 2005 and the department continues to manage long‑running closeouts. He also said the division and committee are discussing creating a state pot of funds to advance money to fiscally constrained counties so those counties can meet their local share obligations and remain eligible for federal reimbursement.

The presentation included a brief operating overview: Pruitt said the division has about 225 full‑time positions and 177 OPS positions, an annual operating budget of about $89.6 million, and that most recoveries are administered through grant management and pass‑through arrangements but require careful local documentation.

The committee did not take policy votes on the program review. Senator Martin moved to adjourn at the meeting’s close; the motion was adopted without objection and the committee adjourned.

Details and follow‑up requests recorded in the hearing included senators asking for itemized counts and updated projections for FEMA reimbursements and for the division to supply additional written breakdowns of the Elevate Florida mechanics and the proposed fund to advance obligations to fiscally constrained counties.