Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, gave $100 million to counties severely impacted by two hurricanes in 2022 to support beach recovery initiatives.
The amounts ranged from $250,000 for St. Lucie County south of Volusia on Florida’s Atlantic Coast to $37.7 million for Volusia County, which was severely damaged by Category 1 Hurricane Nicole. Lee County, which includes the Fort Myers region where Category 4 Hurricane Ian made landfall, received $23.1 million according to an article published by The Epoch Times on January 23, 2023.
The governor’s office stated in a public statement on January 18 that “placing sand as quickly as possible is essential to avoid additional damages to public and private infrastructure from subsequent storms and erosion.”
Wide beach systems reduce erosion, absorb wave energy, and shield upland areas from flooding, according to the governor’s office.
The money is in addition to $20 million that was given in November to assist several local governments in immediately halting erosion.
It caused damage worth an estimated $112 billion and killed at least 146 people in Florida, five in North Carolina, one in Virginia, and five in Cuba.
On November 10, Hurricane Nicole hit Florida’s Atlantic coast south of Vero Beach, leaving 11 people dead and causing more than $1 billion in damage.
Hurricane Ian left the state via the state’s Atlantic Coast, and erosion from the storms revealed an 80-foot wooden ship from the 1800s at Daytona Beach Shores and what is thought to be a Native American burial site on South Hutchinson Island.