FDEM Director Wes Maul to Meet with Keys Officials Twice in Four Days
Today, Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Director Wes Maul returns to Monroe County for his second meeting this week with Keys officials regarding recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma.
Director Maul’s visit coincides with a $603,988.06 Public Assistance payment issued by FDEM to Monroe County today.
On Monday this week, Director Maul participated in a roundtable discussion with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and local stakeholders to discuss the continued recovery effort as well as steps that FDEM has taken improve and expedite the reimbursement process.
These steps include bringing on additional technical experts to assist in the state review of projects for corrections or compliance issues, pre-validation of project costs and revision of internal processes to eliminate redundant and unnecessary steps.
As demonstrated in the graphic below, these changes have not only ensured best practices, but have had a direct and positive effect on the speed at which Florida processes and pays out federal reimbursement claims. The changes outlined above took effect during the late summer and fall of 2017.
Division staff are expeditiously processing every reimbursement request to ensure the reduction of the Florida Keys’ potential for future federal de-obligations. With our newly instituted policies and procedures, Monroe County applicants will not only receive actual reimbursements faster than during previous storms, but with a significantly reduced risk of later federal de-obligation. This will enable Keys communities to achieve and maintain budget certainty following future storms.
FDEM staff continue to work hard every day with our local and federal partners to make sure Florida’s communities receive their obligated federal reimbursements as quickly and with as much security as possible.
For more information regarding the Division’s current storm recovery efforts and our complete elimination of a prior-existing reimbursement review backlog, please visit: https://www.floridadisaster.org/news-media/news/fdem-eliminates-hurricanes-matthew-and-hermine-reimbursement-review-backlog/
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Updated: Friday, April 13, 2018
