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Clay County reports $915,892.22 in preliminary Hurricane Debbie costs; FEMA reimbursement timing unclear
Summary
Emergency Management Director Tim Devin briefed commissioners on damage assessments for Hurricane Debbie and related storms. Staff reported a preliminary total of $915,892.22 for Debbie and said FEMA processing and reimbursement remain in progress with no confirmed payout date.
Tim Devin, Clay County emergency management director, briefed the Board of County Commissioners on March 11 about ongoing damage assessments and the county's FEMA claims related to Hurricane Debbie and other recent storms.
Devin said preliminary totals linked to Hurricane Debbie include about $845,000 for a structural collapse of a drainage feature on Moody Avenue; about $47,000 for shelter invoices, school costs, staff, debris cut-and-toss and Emergency Operations Center activation; and about $22,000 in overtime. Combined, those figures yielded a preliminary total of $915,892.22 for Debbie.
Devin explained there are several FEMA funding streams, including Public Assistance grants and hazard mitigation funds. He said the county had received a mitigation notification letter for Debbie in the amount of $293,391, which requires the county to review local mitigation strategy projects.
When commissioners asked about reimbursement timing, Devin said the county had no firm date. "No. We do not. I do know it takes time. We're still working through some of the previous storms from 2 years ago," he said. He further clarified the flow of funds: "It's processing time. We're a pass through, so FEMA to the state, to us as a county, so just going through that process."
Devin said assessments for the other recent storms (Helene and Milton) are ongoing and that numbers for those events were not yet finalized. The briefing was informational; no board action was taken.
The county did not provide a timetable for when FEMA will complete processing or for when funds will arrive to the county, and commissioners asked staff to continue reporting as assessments and FEMA reviews proceed.
