Central Florida Lawmakers Call on President Trump to Include Counties for Individual Assistance

Washington, D.C. – The bipartisan delegation of Central Florida sent a letter to President Donald Trump today urging the administration to designate Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, and Seminole Counties as eligible for individual assistance under the Federal Disaster Declaration for the State of Florida. If granted, the designation would allow the Central Florida counties directly affected by Hurricane Irma to apply for FEMA financial assistance under the Individuals and Household program.

"We are working closely with our community and our emergency operations center to gather qualifiable evidence on the damage caused by Irma. The FEMA individual assistance emergency funds would help constituents recover after this historic storm. Together, we will rebuild our beloved Central Florida," stated Congressman Darren Soto.

On September 10, 2017 President Donald Trump issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Florida, allowing for federal funds to be used in the recovery phase from Hurricane Irma. Although all 67 counties in the state were designated for public assistance, only nine counties' residents are currently eligible for individual and household assistance.

The letter, led by Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL), was signed by U.S. Representatives Val Demings (D-FL), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Thomas Rooney (R-FL), and Dennis Ross (R-FL).

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Mr. President,

We write to urge that Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, Polk County, and Seminole County Florida be included for individual assistance in the major disaster declaration that was approved for Hurricane Irma. As you are aware, many of the original projections for the hurricane had landfall occurring on or close to Hillsborough County. Given that the eye of the storm turned more eastern than expected and crossed over Central Florida, these counties experienced several hours of hurricane force winds, and should receive prompt consideration and approval for individual assistance. Such approval will permit the people of Lake County, Orange County, Osceola County, Polk County, and Seminole County Florida to begin making a quick and full recovery from this destructive storm.

While we are gathering data and photographic evidence of the individual damage to Central Florida homes, we believe the harsh impact to our area can be reflected by the power outage numbers which are astounding. Over 53% of customers in these five counties have no power - over 764,000 homes.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and we look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

Sincerely,