TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hurricane survivors will need to wait a while longer to see additional disaster relief aid come from Congress.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, whose district covers most of Pinellas County, posted on X that she did not support the first continuing resolution proposed Wednesday that contained billions of dollars in disaster aid. She wants a separate bill.
"I just want to assure you that we will be getting the funding for FEMA. We will be getting the funding for Pinellas County beach renourishment, and also SBA, but it's going to be coming in a different bill,” Luna said.
In a different post, she listed one of the reasons was the CR contained billions for Ukraine.
"It was so bad. There was so much backlash, not just in Pinellas County, but across the country against it,” Luna said.
The initial spending plan included $10 billion in disaster relief for Florida that was meant for families, businesses, and repairs to federal properties.
Rep. Kathy Castor announced during a virtual news conference that the money could've also helped FEMA avoid going in the red if another disaster strikes. She said it could've also replenished Small Business Administration disaster loans that have run dry.
“SBA ran out of money in October right at the time when so many of our neighbors needed those dollars to do home repairs,” Castor said.
After Milton, so far, the SAB has only made two loan offers out of more than 35,000 completed applications in Florida. The SBA is currently waiting on Congress for more funding. Post-Helene had more offers since funding was still available.
“This delay is going to cost jobs, it's going to cause small businesses to close that were just teetering on the brink, it's going to delay the economic recovery of many of our neighbors,” Castor said.
In Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, alone, FEMA has distributed more than $540 million in individual assistance from Milton and Helene. That includes home repair, temporary housing, and other serious needs.
Even though the SBA is not distributing low-interest loans at this time, it is still accepting applications.