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Taylor County clerk briefs commissioners on disaster-relief receipts and spending for Idalia and Helene
Summary
Clerk Gary Knowles told the Taylor County board Jan. 20 about disaster-relief money received and spending: $5,050,000 received for Idalia (held in interest-bearing account), $3,060,000 received for SHIP/Idalia projects, and outstanding obligations that may be subject to state review and potential repayment.
Clerk of Court Gary Knowles presented the board with an overview of disaster-relief funding and expenditures for recent storms, noting several pools of money and outstanding obligations.
According to the handout reviewed at the meeting, the county received $5,050,000 for the Idalia response; those funds must be held in an interest-bearing account with interest remitted quarterly to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The handout showed $186,027.23 expended from that pot as of Jan. 12, 2026. A related SHIP disaster allocation for Idalia listed $3,060,000 received up front and $745,181.79 expended as of Jan. 12, 2026.
Clerk Knowles also reported the county has expended $2,564,325.87 related to Idalia (not including the amounts above) and has received $647,050.58 in insurance payments and $1,438,383.59 from federal and state sources (FEMA). He cautioned that some federal/state reimbursements may be subject to review; if FDEM finds projects incomplete or extensions not requested, the county may have to return funds. The handout estimated potential returns of about $214,000 tied to specific incomplete projects (airport and historical society projects and questions about the recycle building).
On Helene-related funding, the county received $162,000 for SHIP Disaster-Helene and had expended $0.00 from that pot as of Jan. 12; the county reported $2,334,201.37 expended for Helene (not including that SHIP figure) and $201,114.48 recovered from insurance. The clerk noted a March deadline to obligate Helene grants or request extensions.
Clerk Knowles provided the handouts to commissioners for reference; he did not propose new appropriations at the meeting. Commissioners posed procedural questions and expressed appreciation for public participation during the meeting.
