TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —New federal rules from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could affect hurricane preparedness projects. The state, which has faced $110 billion in storm damages since 2020, is already facing stretched budgets.
In September 2025, FEMA shortened the window for states to spend preparedness grant money from three years to one. This is in concurrence with the agency pausing more than $300 million in grants nationwide, requesting that states verify their population counts excluding deported migrants.
“These funds are the backbone of local emergency management programs,” the National Emergency Management Association said in a statement. “Without timely access, communities face gaps in readiness that could slow response to disasters and emergencies when every minute counts.”
Florida has several resilience and infrastructure projects that require multi-year planning as well as stable funding. The one-year deadline could impact the projects by forcing local agencies to rush construction.
“Recent population shifts, including deportations of illegal aliens, create a need for updated data to ensure equitable distribution,” a FEMA spokesperson told CNN, but agency officials have not clarified how Florida’s submissions will be judged.
FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program was cancelled in April. The projects that depended on it are now in jeopardy. One such project was a shelter in Seminole County requesting funds for a generator to run electric medical devices. Representative Cory Mills said he would help find other ways to fund the generator.
Florida cities are now mitigating the effects of frozen federal resilience funds.
In the Florida Keys, Monroe County stopped road-raising projects that were planned. Officials warned partially completed home elevations were at risk of not receiving follow-up reimbursement. Escambia and Santa Rosa counties paused stormwater management projects. Miami-Dade County reported delays in seawall elevation projects meant to protect coastal neighborhoods from storm.
