FEMA Awards $116 Million More for Florida Hurricane Recovery, Led by $44 Million to Manatee County

FEMA announced Sept. 29 that it is awarding more than $116 million to Florida for 88 disaster recovery and mitigation projects, including nearly $44 million to Manatee County for emergency response and debris removal after hurricanes Milton and Debby, the largest single reimbursement in the package.

The award is the latest in a steady series of federal payments to Florida as the state closes out the costliest stretch of its recent hurricane history. Counting grants to survivors, reimbursements to local governments and flood insurance payments, federal assistance tied to hurricanes Helene and Milton has passed $11 billion, according to FEMA's most recent Florida recovery fact sheet.

The Sept. 29 money breaks down into more than $66 million from FEMA's Public Assistance program, which reimburses governments for debris removal, emergency protective measures and repairs to public facilities, and more than $50 million from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which pays for projects meant to reduce damage in future storms. Florida's share is part of more than $781 million FEMA announced for more than 490 projects nationwide.

Who gets the money

The release, issued from FEMA's Florida recovery office in Lake Mary, listed these awards:

The listed awards account for most, but not all, of the 88 projects; FEMA did not itemize the remainder. The release framed the package politically, saying that with the funding "President Donald J. Trump is keeping his promise to reform federal disaster support" and ensure taxpayer money goes only to projects that deliver safety and security.

Manatee County's bill from 2024

Manatee County was hit twice in 2024. Hurricane Debby brought flooding rains in August, and Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in neighboring Sarasota County on Oct. 9, sending wind and surge across Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and the county's barrier islands. The nearly $44 million reimbursement covers the county's emergency response and the hauling of more than 1.2 million cubic yards of vegetative and construction debris left by the two storms.

Reimbursements like this one routinely arrive long after the work is finished. Local governments front the cost of debris contracts and overtime, document every load and hour, and wait for FEMA review. For a county the size of Manatee, recovering tens of millions of dollars in cleanup costs eases pressure on reserves heading into future storm seasons.

The Lee County, North Port and Lee County Electric Cooperative awards show how long that tail can be: all three stem from Hurricane Ian, which struck Southwest Florida in September 2022.

The running federal tally for Helene and Milton

FEMA's Florida recovery fact sheet, last updated Feb. 9, 2026, put the combined federal response to Helene and Milton at more than $11 billion. Its major pieces:

• National Flood Insurance Program: nearly $7.6 billion paid to 65,869 policyholders, including $6.4 billion on 49,284 Helene claims and $1.2 billion on 16,585 Milton claims.
• Public Assistance: nearly $2 billion obligated to reimburse communities, including $608 million for removing more than 31.67 million cubic yards of debris.
• Individual Assistance: more than $1.7 billion to help Floridians with uninsured losses.

FEMA's disaster pages, updated more recently, show the totals still climbing. As of Oct. 2, 2026, the Helene declaration showed about $862.7 million in Individual Assistance approved for 170,693 applications, $811.4 million in Public Assistance obligated and $93.1 million in hazard mitigation grants. As of Aug. 27, 2026, the Milton declaration showed about $888 million in Individual Assistance for 301,674 approved applications, $1.56 billion in Public Assistance and $54 million in hazard mitigation. Together, that is roughly $2.37 billion in Public Assistance for the two storms, most of it for emergency work such as debris removal rather than permanent rebuilding. Hurricane Debby, a separate declaration, accounts for another $171 million in Public Assistance.

A steady drumbeat of awards in 2026

The Sept. 29 package follows a string of FEMA announcements this year. Each covers Helene and Milton projects along with older storms such as Ian, Idalia, Nicole and, in one case, 2018's Hurricane Michael:

The Sept. 15 package included nearly $5 million in mitigation money for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority to harden drinking water pipelines in its Snake Creek transmission system, and $4.7 million for seven Public Assistance projects, among them $560,000 for Bay County to remove 74,000 cubic yards of debris from 340 private properties, $490,000 for Lakeland's Hurricane Ian recovery management costs and nearly $400,000 for stormwater repairs in the city of Parker.

Housing aid nears its end date

The most visible piece of the individual recovery, FEMA's temporary housing mission, is approaching its final deadline. FEMA and the state placed 649 families in mobile homes, travel trailers and other units after Helene and Milton. As of February, 309 of those families had moved to more permanent housing and 28 had bought their units, according to the fact sheet.

The original 18-month program was set to end April 11, 2026. In March, FEMA approved a six-month extension, letting remaining residents in Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Hernando, Levy, Madison, Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee and Taylor counties stay on a month-to-month basis until Oct. 11, 2026. Residents have been paying a rising share of fair market rent since April, reaching 100% in October.

What's next

The direct housing extension expires Sunday, Oct. 11, the most immediate deadline for Helene and Milton survivors still in FEMA units. Public Assistance and hazard mitigation awards will keep arriving in batches as FEMA finishes reviewing projects, many of them permanent repairs that take years to design and build. The $46.4 million statewide residential mitigation award will flow through the state to elevate, buy out or demolish 62 flood-prone homes. And with the Atlantic hurricane season running through Nov. 30, a late-season Florida landfall would push new emergency work to the front of the line.