Florida teachers affected by Hurricane Ian to get $2M in disaster aid, governor says
Lee County teacher recounts how her family survived Hurricane Ian
A teacher from Cape Coral detailed her family's harrowing story of survival during Hurricane Ian. Despite losing most of her belongings in her home due to storm surge, she says she and other Lee County teachers were eager to return to their classrooms to welcome back and help support students.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Teachers in six counties hit hard by Hurricane Ian are slated to receive $2 million from the Florida Disaster Fund, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
The fund, which is administered by Volunteer Florida, was activated after Ian made landfall Sept. 28 as a Category 4 storm in Southwest Florida.
Educators in Lee, DeSoto, Hardee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Collier counties will receive money from the fund through local education foundations, DeSantis said.
The fund will provide $500,000 in Lee County, while Charlotte, Sarasota and Collier foundations will each receive $350,000 to distribute, according to the governor. Foundations in DeSoto and Hardee will each get $225,000.
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State officials announced Monday that the fund had grown to $45 million, with DeSantis saying Friday that he expected the fund to "very soon" surpass $50 million.
As of Friday, $7 million from the fund had been awarded, DeSantis said.