10/7/2022

Senate President-Designate Passidomo and Secretary Harris Announce the Opening of Naples Disaster Recovery Center in Collier County for Floridians Impacted by Hurricane Ian

Disaster Recovery Center at Veteran's Community Park in Naples
will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily 

Today, Florida Senate President-Designate Kathleen Passidomo and the Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris announced the opening of a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian at:

Veteran's Community Park
1895 Veteran’s Community Park
Naples, FL.
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily

This DRC location opened to provide services to Hurricane Ian survivors today at 1:30 p.m. and will be operational from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily. DRCs are located throughout the impacted area and have more than 10 agencies to provide a one-stop shop for individuals or businesses that need help recovering from the storm.  

Senate President-Designate Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), who represents Collier County in the Florida Senate said, “This Disaster Recovery Center will serve as a one-stop-shop for families and businesses as we begin the process of rebuilding our homes and community. So many have lost everything. Some are in need of the basic necessities like food, water, medication, and diapers, while others need to replace a lost identification card, or begin the process of filing their insurance claim. We know this is just the beginning, and we have a long way to go, but under the outstanding leadership of Governor DeSantis, state government is prioritizing this community. Your needs and concerns are being heard, and we will do everything in our power to help you recover. Whatever you might need during this trying time, there is someone here who can help you.”

“The Disaster Recovery Centers are one of the critical resources needed to swiftly respond to individuals and businesses that need help recovering from Hurricane Ian,” said Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris. “We are truly grateful for the Governor‘s leadership and all of the federal, state, and local agencies that are working together to help those devastated by this storm. Our thoughts and prayers are with the residents of this community.”

“The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has team members at the Disaster Recovery Centers in the impacted areas committed to helping our citizens get back on their feet as quickly as possible,” said DBPR Secretary Melanie S. Griffin. “We are here to assist with any licensing needs, as well as to educate the public on the importance of hiring licensed contractors, how to identify fraudulent and predatory sales practices, and how to spot unlicensed activity that can be extremely harmful to Floridians and their property.”

Additional Disaster Recovery Centers are being established by FEMA and FDEM and locations will be updated in real time at FloridaDisaster.org/info. Residents and business owners who prefer not to visit a Disaster Recovery Center in-person can call the FEMA Disaster Line at 800-621-3362 or visit DisasterAssistance.gov.

Along with volunteer groups, representatives from the following state agencies, partners, and federal organizations currently on site and available to help survivors and provide individual and business assistance include:

• Florida Division of Emergency Management
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
• Office of Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis
• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
• Florida Department of Children and Families
• Florida Department of Health
• Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• Enterprise Florida, Inc.
• Legal Services of North Florida
• CareerSource Southwest Florida
• CareerSource South Florida
• CareerSource Pasco Hernando
• Florida Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC)

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)