Polk County to apply for $37 million in FEMA funds
BARTOW — Polk County officials plan to apply for $37 million in federal disaster-mitigation funds to help grapple with flooded roads and neighborhoods and to build generators at lift stations and the Central County Jail.
County commissioners and officials discussed the potential funds during a meeting in the county administration building on Tuesday.
The money became available to counties across the state after Hurricane Irma devastated the area in September.
The federal funding requires a 25 percent match by the county. The county would be required to spend about $9 million to receive the $37 million in funds.
The deadline to apply for the funds is Aug. 6. It could take two years before the county receives the money, said Bill Beasley, deputy county manager.
Beasley said more urgent projects that need to be addressed sooner would be funded by the county.
For example, Beasley said the county would address installation of permanent generators at critical areas, but applications for federal funding could be written for other less critical locations.
In all, the county would apply for $4.7 million in generators at more than a dozen locations and pay for $1.2 million.