More than $11 million in grants has been awarded to the Naples Airport, Lee County Utilities and the city of Fort Myers as part of $150 million distributed via the Resilient Florida Program to strengthen coastal and inland communities against the impacts of flooding and hurricanes.
“The Resilient Florida Program is turning planning into action,” said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “These grants will equip Florida’s communities to better withstand impacts from flooding, storm surge and hurricanes, advancing on-the-ground efforts to safeguard Florida’s natural resources and infrastructure.”
The local projects include:
- $5,138,762 to the City of Fort Myers for a Wellfield Expansion and Flood Resilience project.
- $3,478,000 to Lee County Utilities for Fort Myers Beach Water Reclamation Facility Restoration and Resilience Project – Phase II
- $2,776,307 to the City of Naples for Naples Airport Authority Electrical Resilience Improvements
Fort Myers was awarded nearly $15 million last September to build two new water wells as part of a $1.1 billion grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recover (CDBG-DR). The money was allocated following Hurricane Ian to help Lee County with long-term recovery.
The Resilient Florida Program provides a strategic, statewide approach to fortifying Florida’s community infrastructure against the impacts of hurricanes, flooding and severe weather, focusing on protecting infrastructure, transportation corridors, emergency services and natural resources.
In addition to investments in physical infrastructure, the program also prioritizes coastal management solutions, including the use of hardened shorelines, wetland restoration and vegetative barriers, which also serve as invaluable natural defenses against storm surge and flooding.
Since its inception, the Resilient Florida Program has invested more than $1.8 billion to enhance Florida’s coastal and inland resilience. For fiscal year 2025-26, Florida has committed more than $200 million toward statewide resilience.
For more information and to view the full list of fiscal year 2025-26 Resilient Florida projects, visit ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov/Grants.
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