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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — From utilizing new technology to strengthening state and local coordination, Florida leaders are looking at the future of hurricane response and working to streamline it.
Coming off one of the costliest hurricane seasons in history, even as the state has become a leader in its emergency response, improving it remains a priority.
“Despite the many challenges that we faced and with storm impact spanning across much of the state, we were able to respond to multiple strong hurricanes in a short amount of time,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Director Kevin Guthrie, reflecting on the massive response to hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Guthrie was at the Capitol on Tuesday, highlighting the massive response effort that included physical rescues, aid delivery and rebuilding infrastructure.
“We partner with every state agency and work closely with the state legislature to ensure that Floridians are prepared and able to recover from any disaster that may impact their community,” Guthrie added.
“Here, we can reflect on the past year, successes and challenges working together to better serve Floridians and ensure Florida continues to lead through,” said Guthrie, who’s looking for legislative backing to help streamline efforts and bolster local coordination.
Some of the requests are in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal, which includes $1.2 billion in federal and state funding to respond to, recover from and mitigate disasters or emergencies.
Guthrie says they plan on acquiring and utilizing more of the quick-deploy flood barriers, including Tiger Dams and AquaFences.
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“We’ll have more flood control device material as we move into this next season, and we’re looking forward to saving more property,” Guthrie explained.
They also want to continue utilizing new technology; $11.8 million is proposed for the continued development of a state-of-the-art platform and advanced technology to expedite processing of emergency response and efficiently coordinate and deploy resources.
Months after hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged the Gulf Coast, headaches continue for some homeowners stuck in the recovery process.
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“There are still residents who are waiting to get their permits to get back into their homes,” State Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-Indian Rocks Beach) said.
DiCeglie introduced and sponsored SB 180, which looks to alleviate hurdles some locals have been facing.
The wide-ranging bill includes training for local government employees to ensure they understand the permitting process and requirements, with hopes to lead to quicker permit issuing. It also has a carve-out to require counties and municipalities to develop post-storm permitting plans and guides.
SB 180 would also prevent local government from increasing permit or inspection fees following an emergency while also prohibiting hard-hit areas from imposing more restrictive regulations. The bill also gives stronger guidance on debris cleanup following a storm.
“I think that’s going to expedite the process way, way better than what we’re seeing right now on the ground today,” DiCeglie said.