FLORIA — A $2 million fund that can be used to help with hurricane relief in the Sunshine State is being created.
The Sunshine Fund, which is the brainchild of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, will provide money to Florida’s Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for hurricane relief.
The fund will be used for a variety of things, including disaster relief in areas hit by hurricanes, according to Bondi.
The funds will be available for disaster relief projects and the state will use its share to purchase supplies to help communities recover from a disaster.
The money will also be used by local officials and FEMA to support their communities, she said.
“I think the fund will do just as much good in this hurricane season as any other,” Bondi said at a press conference Wednesday.
The state of Florida has been hit by four hurricanes in the last four years, and the number of evacuations from the hurricane season has jumped by nearly half, according the Department of Public Safety.
Officials have urged the public to heed the warning signs and be prepared.
“It’s a good time to be prepared,” said FDLE Commissioner Michael Smith, who said there is “no time like the present.”
The Florida Emergency Management Association is working with Bondi and other state officials to determine what needs to be done to help.
“We have to find ways to support each other in this time of need,” said David Ritter, president of the group.