2/4/2025

Florida Division of Emergency Management Highlights Governor Ron DeSantis' Commitment to Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Response and Recovery in Focus on Fiscal Responsibility Budget

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) highlighted Governor Ron DeSantis' commitment to emergency preparedness, disaster response and recovery through the Focus on Fiscal Responsibility Budget. The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 proposed recommendations reflect a proactive and robust approach to protecting Floridians and ensuring Florida’s nation-leading recovery efforts continue during times of disaster.

"Governor DeSantis has demonstrated unwavering support for the agency’s efforts to set the national standard in emergency management," said FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “By investing in the enhancement of our core initiatives through his budget recommendations, the Governor once again proves his commitment to strengthening Florida’s communities and assisting residents at every stage of a disaster.”

Over the past year, FDEM responded to a challenging hurricane season with Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, severe weather events including tornadoes and flooding, record freezing conditions, and facilitated the safe return of Americans from Haiti.

Funding for the Division of Emergency Management in Governor DeSantis’ Focus on Fiscal Responsibility Budget proposal includes:

• $505 million and 15 FTE are provided to the Division of Emergency Management in the current year to ensure Florida stands ready to enforce President Trump’s Illegal Immigration policies.
• $1.24 billion in federal and state funding so that Florida communities and the state can respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies and mitigate against future disasters or emergencies.
• $43 million for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current Program to reduce or eliminate repetitive flood damage to buildings insured through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to rebuild more flood-resistant buildings.
• $8.2 million for the continued design, development, testing and application of the Division of Emergency Management Enterprise Solution (DEMES), a state-of-the-art information technology platform that provides seamless and expedited processing of FDEM’s emergency response and everyday business activities.
• $4 million for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant Program to enhance and expand the ability for research-supported, proactive investment in community resilience.
• $3.6 million for the continued maintenance and advancement of information technology utilized by the State Emergency Operations Center to efficiently coordinate and deploy resources when responding to an emergency.
• $3.2 million to support the sustainment of the Statewide WebEOC initiative, a technological solution that allows counties, local municipalities and other entities to coordinate and respond to emergencies impacting Florida.

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