JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Millions of dollars intended to harden Jacksonville’s infrastructure to mitigate storm damage could now be at risk due to FEMA’s cancelation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC program.
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Statewide, nearly $300 million BRIC program funding are now in question.
In Jacksonville alone, as much as $24.9 million could be at risk.
That money had been requested for road projects, generators and improvements to the Buckman Water Reclamation Facility, which made up the bulk of the funding.
According to JEA, the Buckman Water Reclamation Facility project was slated to cost roughly $32.5 million, with the BRIC program covering roughly $23.2 million.
In addition to improvements at the facility itself, the project also aimed to improve drainage at Bigelow Branch Creek.
“JEA will proceed with the improvements to the Buckman WRF following internal project prioritization and funding procedures,” a JEA spokesperson told Action News Jax in an emailed statement. ”The drainage improvements to Bigelow Branch Creek will need to be reviewed for the availability of other external funds.”
Governor Ron DeSantis pushed back on the suggestion the funding is entirely lost during a press conference Monday.
DeSantis argued President Donald Trump will still make the funds available through other channels.
“He is going to blockgrant the money to the states. And so, we’re not gonna be left in the cold. But I can tell you that the FEMA bureaucracy is an impediment to disaster recovery. It is not doing a good job,” said DeSantis.
But Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) was skeptical during a press call Monday morning.
“In a time when we are experiencing stronger and stronger hurricanes and stronger natural disasters, it’s not the time to cut FEMA funding,” said Driskell.
She argued the BRIC program, which was started during President Trump’s first term, is yet another casualty of the mad dash to cut government spending without fully considering the consequences.
“Money that was meant to keep our communities safe has been called wasteful, political, a wasteful politicized grant program and now these projects meant to protect life and property won’t be completed,” said Driskell.
On top of the nearly $25 million in question here in Jacksonville, the mayor’s office told Action News Jax the city had also just applied for an additional $5.3 million to install underground power lines in Arlington.
In a statement, the Mayor’s Office told us it is hopeful Congress will reauthorize the BRIC program in next year’s budget so, “The application for this critical infrastructure project could be reconsidered”.
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