Reps. Soto, Spano and Steube Announce FEMA Funding to Polk County Schools Two Years After Hurricane Irma
Reps. Soto, Spano and Steube Announce FEMA Funding to Polk County Schools Two Years After Hurricane Irma
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. RepresentativesDarren Soto (FL-09), Ross Spano (FL-15) and Greg Steube (FL-17) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved eligibility for funding for 117 projects to help the Polk County School District (District) recover from the longstanding damages sustained in 2017 from Hurricane Irma. The funding comes after Representatives Soto, Spano and Steube sent a letter to FEMA on September 27, 2019, in which they expressed their concerns over the agency's delayed response to reimbursement appeals made by the District.
"As the road to recovery from Hurricane Irma continues for communities across our districts, we're happy to announce the Polk County School District will finally receive the much-needed funds to rebuild the schools once devastated by tragedy," said Rep. Soto. "With this funding, I hope our schools can continue their mission of fostering safe, healthy learning environments for the next generation of Florida's leaders. Thank you to the students, faculty and staff of my district for staying united in the wait for assistance and to my colleagues who joined me, on a bipartisan basis, in expediting the recovery process for our schools."
"I am happy to see FEMA stepping up to help in our community's resiliency. Florida-15 was heavily impacted by Hurricane Irma and these funds will enable the district as a whole to get its feet back on the ground," said Rep. Spano. "Of great importance, the Polk County School District will also have access to needed funds to strengthen themselves as a hub to educate and groom the next generation."
"I am pleased to see that FEMA has approved the funding request from the Polk County School District as they work to rebuild after Hurricane Irma," said Steube. "It is essential that our school districts have the resources they need to properly educate our youth. These funds will have an enormous impact as we continue to recover from Hurricane Irma's devastation."
Full text of the letter to FEMA can be found here.
Full text of FEMA's response can be found here.
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Congressman Darren Soto represents Florida's 9th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Osceola County, as well as parts of Orange and Polk counties.
Twitter/Instagram: @RepDarrenSoto | Facebook: CongressmanDarrenSoto | Website: https://soto.house.gov