Financing.

(1) The Legislature intends and declares it to be the policy of the state that funds to meet emergencies shall always be available.

(2)(a) It is the legislative intent that the first recourse be made to funds specifically appropriated to state and local agencies for disaster relief or response.

(b) If the Governor finds that the demands placed upon these funds in coping with a particular disaster declared by the Governor as a state of emergency are unreasonably great, she or he may make funds available by transferring and expending moneys from the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund created under s. 252.3711. The Governor may request that additional funds be transferred or appropriated to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund by a budget amendment, subject to approval of the Legislative Budget Commission.

(c) Following the expiration or termination of the state of emergency, the Governor may transfer moneys with a budget amendment, subject to approval by the Legislative Budget Commission, to satisfy the budget authority granted for such emergency. The transfers and expenditures supporting the amendment must be directly related to the declared disaster or emergency.

(3) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Governor to apply for, administer, and expend any grants, gifts, or payments in aid of emergency prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, or recovery.

(4)(a) Whenever the Federal Government or any agency or officer thereof offers to the state or, through the state, to any political subdivision thereof services, equipment, supplies, materials, or funds by way of gift, grant, or loan for the purposes of emergency management, the state, acting through the division, or such political subdivision, acting with the consent of the Governor or the Governor’s authorized representative, may accept such offer. Upon such acceptance, the division or the presiding officer or governing body of such political subdivision may authorize receipt of the gift, grant, or loan on behalf of the state or such political subdivision, subject to the terms of the offer and the rules and regulations of the agency making the offer.

(b) Whenever any person, firm, or corporation offers to the state or to any political subdivision thereof services, equipment, supplies, materials, or funds by way of gift, grant, loan, or other agreement for the purpose of emergency management, the state, acting through the division, or such political subdivision, acting through its governing body or a local emergency management agency, may accept such offer. Upon such acceptance, the division or the presiding officer or governing body of the political subdivision may authorize receipt of the gift, grant, or loan on behalf of the state or such political subdivision, subject to the terms of the offer.

(5) Unless otherwise specified in the General Appropriations Act:

(a) Whenever the state accepts financial assistance from the Federal Government or its agencies under the federal Public Assistance Program and such financial assistance is conditioned upon a requirement for matching funds, the state shall provide the entire match requirement for state agencies and one-half of the required match for grants to local governments. The affected local government shall be required to provide one-half of the required match prior to receipt of such financial assistance.

(b) The Executive Office of the Governor may approve a waiver, subject to the requirement for legislative notice and review under s. 216.177, of all or a portion of the required match for public assistance projects for local governments if the Executive Office of the Governor determines that such a match requirement cannot be provided, or that doing so would impose a documented hardship on the local government, and if the local government applies for the waiver within the first 18 months after the disaster is declared.

(c) If the division intends to accept or apply for federal funds for a division-administered program that is new, that will be implemented in a manner that is innovative or significantly different from the manner in which the program is typically administered, or that will require a state match for which the division will be required to seek new budget authority, the division must notify the Legislature of its intent to accept or apply for the federal funds. The notice must detail the federal program under which the funds will be accepted or applied for, the intended purpose and use of the funds, and the amount of funds, including the estimated state match.

(d) Subject to appropriation, and notwithstanding paragraph (a), the Legislature intends to provide the entire match requirement for Public Assistance Program grants to local governments within a county designated in the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations for Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole. Local governments named in such Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declarations must enter into agreements with the division to have their portions of the match requirements waived and must agree to use an equal amount of funds toward further disaster recovery or mitigation. Funds shall be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a local government in an agreement with the division under this paragraph is not required to provide one-half of the required match prior to receipt of Public Assistance Program financial assistance. The division shall report quarterly to the Executive Office of the Governor and the chair of each legislative appropriations committee on the amount of match requirements waived, agreements entered into with local governments, and the amount of remaining appropriated funds. This paragraph expires June 30, 2027.

(e) Subject to appropriation, and notwithstanding paragraph (a), the Legislature intends to provide the entire match requirement for Public Assistance Program grants to local governments within a county designated for individual assistance and public assistance (categories A-G) in the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declaration for Hurricane Idalia. Such local governments must enter into agreements with the division to have their portions of the match requirements waived and must agree to use an equal amount of funds toward further disaster recovery or mitigation. Funds shall be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a local government in an agreement with the division under this paragraph is not required to provide one-half of the required match before it receives Public Assistance Program financial assistance. The division shall report quarterly to the Executive Office of the Governor and the chair of each legislative appropriations committee on the amount of match requirements waived, agreements entered into with local governments, and the amount of remaining appropriated funds. This paragraph expires June 30, 2028.

(6) Whenever the state accepts financial assistance from the Federal Government or its agencies under the federal Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Program and such financial assistance is conditioned upon a requirement for matching funds, the eligible subgrantee recipient shall be required to provide the full amount of the required match prior to receipt of such financial assistance unless otherwise specified in the General Appropriations Act.

(7) The division shall take steps to maximize the availability and expedite the distribution of financial assistance from the Federal Government to state and local agencies. Such steps must include the standardization and streamlining of the application process for financial assistance through the federal Public Assistance Program and provision of assistance to applicants in order to mitigate the risk of noncompliance with federal program requirements. The division shall use federal funds allocated as management costs or other funds as appropriated to implement this subsection.