Applications for federal disaster assistance now being accepted in Florida

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) began accepting applications on Oct. 18 for disaster assistance funding in Florida counties affected by hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.

Approximately $26 million will be made available in Emergency Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) funding to provide technical and financial assistance to agricultural landowners and producers in recovering from damages caused by the storms, according to a news release.

The sign-up period for disaster assistance ends Dec. 20.

“NRCS is committed to helping Florida agriculture with every means available to repair damages to their land caused by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton,” Juan C. Hernandez, NRCS State conservationist in Florida, said in the release.

NRCS Florida will evaluate disaster assistance applications using the ACT NOW process. ACT NOW allows NRCS to pre-approve ranked applications with scores meets or exceeding an established threshold.

The minimum threshold ranking score for EQIP disaster assistance funding is 50 points. Applications will be batched and processed in the order received, according to the release.

A webinar on Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. until noon EST will provide more information. Participants can join via ZoomGov.

Florida counties targeted for EQUIP disaster assistance include: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, , Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, and Wakulla.