Why Florida could face a steeper burden if Trump slashes FEMA
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Florida could face greater financial burdens than other states if President Trump slashes federal resources for disaster relief, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: President Trump this year floated "fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA, or "maybe getting rid" of it entirely — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos.
By the numbers: Florida would be hit especially hard by reductions in federal relief funding, according to the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database.
- The state received an average of about $2.1 billion a year in FEMA and HUD relief funding from 2015 to 2024, covering 17 disasters.
- That's equal to 2.8% of Florida's around $75 billion in overall spending in fiscal year 2023.
Zoom in: FEMA doled out around $1 billion to the state last year — $53 million for Debby, $559 million for Milton and over $630 million for Helene.
- Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered Tampa Bay and caused about $5 billion in damage across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties alone, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
- In Hillsborough, county commissioners had to lean on an affordable housing trust to cover some of the cost for displaced residents.
What they're saying: "Up to now, when there is a disaster, the [federal] government responds," says Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who led this analysis.
- "They clean up the debris, they rebuild the schools, they run shelters, they clean the drinking water."
Driving the news: Trump is reportedly mulling an executive order empowering state and local governments to handle disaster readiness and relief, and he has already created a "FEMA review council."
- FEMA and other federal agencies funnel billions of dollars to individuals and communities affected by disasters, ranging from building and infrastructure assistance to financial and direct services for households.
- It's unclear how or whether Trump's order could change that.
- Part of FEMA's utility is also overseeing people, including relief experts who can be dispatched to states as needed after disaster strikes.
The bottom line: The U.S. currently relies on "a federal disaster relief ecosystem that spreads the risk around the country, spreads the costs around the country," Labowitz says.
- "And if we stop spreading the costs around the country, then it's going to fall on states, and it's going to fall on states really unevenly."