In Case You Missed It: The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Visits Communities Impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Leadership Visits Partners in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota Counties following Hurricanes Ian and Nicole

Tallahassee, Fla. – In April, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) met with communities impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole to discuss long-term recovery efforts. To date, DEO has visited and facilitated listening sessions in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties. DEO will continue meeting with communities across the state that were impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole to assist them with long-term recovery efforts.

The input communities provided during listening sessions are helping inform Florida's use of more than $910 million through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. DEO staff continue to assist all impacted communities with navigating the application process for CDBG-DR funds.

"Last fall, Hurricanes Ian and Nicole wrecked havoc on Florida communities – unpending the lives of Floridians and significantly impacting public infrastructure and homes," said DEO Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey. "Our team is here for Floridians and communities impacted for the long haul – ready and available to support now and into the future until communities fully recover."

On April 28, 2023, DEO Secretary Meredith Ivey and DEO Director of the Office of Long-Term Resiliency, Justin Domer, met with Commissioner Kevin Ruane and attended Lee County's Task Force meeting to coordinate state and county efforts and to learn more about how DEO can provide support to the county throughout the ongoing recovery efforts. Highlights from the April 28 Lee County Recovery Task Force meeting include: 

Before the Task Force meeting began, Lee County and DEO leaders met and discussed the county's recovery efforts. 




DEO Acting Secretary, Meredith Ivey, discussed with the Task Force the capabilities of Starlink units, needs for workforce housing and availability of recovery funding. Through this discussion, DEO gained insight into how to best assist the county's continued recovery efforts.  

On Friday, April 21, 2023, listening sessions were held in communities within Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Highlights from the April 21 listening sessions include:

Sarasota County and DEO Leadership are pictured during their visit to discuss the impacts of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in Sarasota County communities. 


Manatee County and DEO leaders are pictured following the listening session, where they discussed the anticipated timeline of funding availability through the CDBG-DR program.



Hillsborough County and DEO leadership are pictured following the listening session in Tampa. The teams discussed opportunities to utilize every tool available to fund projects that will benefit impacted counties and Floridians.


Attendees who participated in the Pinellas County listening session shared the needs of Pinellas County communities.


DeSoto County and DEO leaders are pictured mid-listening session in Arcadia, discussing the impacts of recent storms and the remaining unmet needs.


Charlotte County listening session participants detail the county's needs and discuss where DEO may be able to assist Charlotte County with its ongoing economic development initiatives. 


Polk County Manager Bill Beasley (left) and DEO Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey (right) are pictured discussing available opportunities Polk County and DEO to collaborate.

DEO will continue to facilitate listening sessions in all 24 counties impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole through the beginning of June 2023. The process for securing funding to implement programs in order to help communities impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole fully recover is outlined below:

DEO is the governor-designated state authority responsible for administering all U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds awarded to the state.

Created in 2019, DEO's Office of Long-Term Resiliency (OLTR) was federally allocated funding to support communities following disasters by addressing long-term recovery needs for housing, infrastructure, economic development, workforce training, and mitigation activities. Since 2017, the State of Florida has been allocated nearly $2.5 billion in federal funding to support long-term recovery for Florida communities and individuals impacted by Hurricanes Hermine, Matthew, Irma, Michael, and Sally, as well CDBG-Mitigation funding related to storms that impacted Florida in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. For more information, visit RebuildFlorida.gov.