County proceeds with dune repair work despite funding delays
Frustrations mounted throughout 2017 in Flagler County as government officials had to postpone their timeline for revitalizing dunes destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, even in advance of Hurricane Irma's visit last year. Environmental red tape and inflated sand prices delayed plans for recovery from the 2016 storm.
On top of that, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow in doling out funds to municipalities across the state.
In Flagler County, officials had to alter a plan to bankroll a $25-million project to rehab the county's battered dune line but work finally began late last month.
The project, which will dump 750,000 tons of sand along 12 miles of Flagler's coast north of Beverly Beach, represents the first public dune repairs since Matthew struck more than 15 months ago. With no guarantee of federal funds, Flagler County decided on a different approach that relies more heavily on local, private and state dollars as release of federal funds stalled.
In November, the county hired eight new Public Works employees to focus on dune restoration work and commissioners last month approved a pair of special tax districts in Painters Hill and The Hammock, where residents will help pay for emergency berms and seawalls to protect their homes.
Meanwhile, FEMA reimbursement funds for Matthew are just now beginning to trickle in. County Administrator Craig Coffey told commissioners during a January workshop that the county had finally received its first two reimbursements from FEMA — $17,624 for road repairs and $20,040 to pump water from a canal on MalaCompra Road.
Federal reimbursements are available only after local governments pay upfront costs for eligible projects. Coffey explained that the county has hired a consultant and will not pay for any new projects unless they are first "obligated" by FEMA for reimbursement.
“When FEMA obligates a project, that means the money has moved from the federal level down to the state level, and then we apply to the state to get that funding,” Coffey said during a Jan. 8 commission workshop. “Early on, what was going on is we weren’t getting any projects written up and we were getting no obligations. We couldn’t even get money from the state. We couldn’t get money from anybody. There was nowhere to submit for money if you weren’t obligated by FEMA.”
The funding delays for Matthew take on added significance considering Hurricane Irma struck about 11 months later, costing the county alone at least $1.5 million in more upfront costs.
Bunnell hasn't 'gotten a dime'
Bunnell officials also are waiting on FEMA reimbursements from both storms. City Manager Dan Davis said recently that, because he’s seen some progress with Irma funds, he thinks Bunnell could actually see reimbursements for expenses from Irma before Matthew.
Still, “we haven’t gotten a dime,” he said.
City officials are waiting for about $200,000 in FEMA funds from Matthew. That money will reimburse the city for debris cleanup and employee overtime expenses, Davis said.
He said the wait is tough on the small city, which operates on a tight budget. But Bunnell has not had to borrow money, lay off employees or cut services so far because city officials took precautions and have been “very, very frugal.”
Palm Coast still counting costs from Irma
In Palm Coast, Matthew cost nearly $3.9 million, largely for debris removal, wiping out the city’s emergency disaster fund. The city applied for about $3.5 million in public funding, and a spokesperson said in January that Palm Coast has been obligated for about $1.3 million more in state and federal reimbursements, but those funds have not yet been approved for release.
The city received its first payments for Matthew on Dec. 7 — $4,375 to replace damaged street signs. Palm Coast’s finance team is still tallying up the final costs from Irma to submit those requests.
Beau Falgout, Palm Coast’s administrative services and economic development director, said one of the biggest costs from Irma was hiring contractors to pump down sewer system overflowing with flood waters. Officials said the city spent over $1 million for tankers during rain storms this fall.
“Matthew was much more of a wind event," Falgout said. "The bulk of the cost was for debris removal. Irma definitely hit us harder with the rain event and then the inundation into our sewer systems. We contracted several times. There were rain events before Irma, after Irma and then weeks and weeks after Irma.”
Flagler Beach may lobby state reps
In Flagler Beach, City Manager Larry Newsom said FEMA owes his city about $1 million in Matthew reimbursements.
So far, the city has received $50,000 and is approved to get another $191,000, he said. That sum will cover expenses from the first 30 days after Matthew hit. The main expense from that period is debris removal, which the city completed after about 60 days.
But Flagler Beach has yet to hear about the rest of its claim.
“The disappointing part is we did our due diligence,” said Newsom. “A lot of time and effort have gone into this.”
If FEMA has questions for the city, it hasn’t voiced them. Nor has it rejected the city’s claim. If it had, Flagler Beach would have the option to appeal.
Instead, there has been only silence.
City officials are trying to sort out where the money is tied up: the state or FEMA. Knowing that will tell them whether they need to address concerns to the state or U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis’s office.
Newsom did credit both state Rep. Paul Renner and Sen. Travis Hutson for their efforts.
“They’re working hard on this,” he said.
Newsom said that while “we’re not panicking yet,” the delay in reimbursements is making it more difficult to address other projects, such as the wastewater treatment plant upgrade and street paving.
Fortunately, Newsom said, the city’s insurance funded repairs to the pier, which was reopened Dec. 15.
He said Irma’s cost to the city could total about $2 million. That includes debris removal and roof repairs to the Funky Pelican and the city library. The last word hasn’t yet been spoken on those expenses, however; bills from Irma are still coming in.
FEMA denies Flagler claim again, county plans new appeal
Meanwhile, Flagler County officials will have to fight for nearly $943,000 spent to remove debris from private roads in Matthew’s aftermath.
Last February, FEMA officials denied the county’s initial $1.1 million request for private property debris removal, or PPDR, because the agency did not receive all the required information from the county. Flagler appealed that decision and FEMA again denied the county in November, ruling Flagler removed the debris before FEMA inspectors were able to assess the ruins.
The rejection letter also indicates Flagler failed to submit pictures to show the extent of the debris, a claim Coffey says is not true. He said the county plans to file a second appeal by Feb. 8.