More Than $64M Issued For Flood Prevention In 8 FL Communities

Lakeland FL

09 February, 2022

8:29 AM

Description

BARTOW, FL — More than $64 million will be given to eight communities in and near Tampa Bay to help with water protection and flood risks, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at a Bartow news conference Tuesday. The funding is through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program. Projects include drainage and roadways in neighborhoods, hardening water systems, and stabilizing current water reservoirs to lower future risks of flooding, according to DeSantis. "By supporting the infrastructure of Florida's communities we are supporting their economic resiliency," DeSantis said. "Today, we are helping another eight communities reinforce important infrastructure that will mitigate the impacts of future disasters, while building a foundation that will support their future economic growth." The following communities will receive funding awards through the Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program, according to the governor's office: City of Boynton Beach ($16,500,000) – to make drainage, utilities, and roadway improvements to mitigate recurrent flooding in the San Castle neighborhood.City of Eatonville ($5,986,105) – to harden the existing water system to provide critical supply during natural disasters.City of Fort Meade ($6,125,115) – to improve the water collection system to mitigate flood risk.City of Punta Gorda ($2,521,250) – to resolve flooding and improve water quality treatment in the Boca Grande neighborhood.City of St. Petersburg ($2,034,517) – to dredge Bartlett Lake to increase storage volume, improve water quality, and improve stormwater flow.Orange County ($2,726,000) – to harden the master pump station to increase reliability and resiliency to withstand extreme weather events.Pinellas County ($17,120,395) – to stabilize and widen the Joe's Creek channel to lower flood risk and increase resilience throughout the watershed.Town of Lake Park ($11,067,635) – to retrofit the existing drainage system to mitigate recurrent flooding. Through the Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program, over $370 million has been given to communities across the state to support efforts to harden infrastructure against future storm damage, a news release said. Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida's long-term recovery efforts from the devastating impacts of natural disasters. For more information, visit RebuildFlorida.gov.