Ford's hurricane relief bill passes Florida House

Rep. Clay Ford introduced a bill to provide a second chance for local governments to apply for hurricane relief. The house passed the bill and it now moves on to the Senate.

TALLAHASSEE - House Bill 1593, relating to Hurricane Relief, sponsored by State Representative Clay Ford (R - Gulf Breeze), won unanimous approval on the floor of the Florida House today.

The bill fixes a glitch in the application for hurricane relief funds created by the House Special Session in 2004.

After the 2004 Hurricanes, an Executive Order of the Governor set the filing deadline for relief funding application on September 24, 2006. During the House Special Session in December 2004, the deadline was moved up to March 10, 2006 and many local governments were not aware of the change and missed the opportunity to file for relief. This Bill gives these governments the ability to reapply for Hurricane Relief.

"Gulf Breeze as well as many other municipalities were affected by the change in the deadline," said Representative Ford. "This bill allows these governments to get the much needed relief."

The bill will now be referred to the Senate.