NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. \u2013 Nearly four years after floodwaters from Hurricane Ian damaged her New Smyrna Beach home, Cheryl Booth says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has finally approved the grant she needs to rebuild.<\/p>\n
\u201cI finally got approved. Hallelujah,\u201d Booth said.<\/p>\n
News 6 previously reported<\/a> that Booth and her husband applied for FEMA\u2019s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which helps rebuild or harden homes and buildings after a disaster. <\/p>\n But state officials say Booth\u2019s case is not the norm \u2014 and that a significant backlog is leaving other Florida disaster survivors waiting for help.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as the number of applications that are backlogged in Florida, I\u2019m going to say it\u2019s a lot,\u201d said Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, who spoke about the delay in FEMA-related processing.<\/p>\n Guthrie estimates roughly 1,000 applications from disaster survivors are currently pending with FEMA.<\/p>\n \u201cHurricanes Helene, Milton, Debby. All of those applications are in process right now, and we are processing in conjunction with FEMA as fast as we possibly can,\u201d Guthrie told News 6.<\/p>\n For homeowners like Booth, the delay can carry a heavy financial toll. Booth said she has continued paying her mortgage and insurance even though she cannot live in her home.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re bleeding,\u201d Booth said.<\/p>\n Why does it take so long? <\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., said the grant approval process involves multiple steps and layers of approval.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to pass it through the Congress, then it goes through FEMA, and then it goes through the state,\u201d Rep. Soto said when asked why the process takes so long.<\/p>\n Guthrie pointed to the pace of federal disaster recovery work as a long-standing problem, saying officials are still working to close out hurricane recovery efforts dating back decades.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we depend on FEMA for more than anything else is financial support,\u201d Guthrie said. \u201cIt\u2019s federally supported through financial offerings, giving us up to 75% of our money over time. We\u2019re still trying to close out Hurricane Wilma from 2005. That\u2019s how far back and how slow that process is.\u201d<\/p>\n Reform proposals in Washington <\/p>\n In Washington, some lawmakers are pitching changes aimed at speeding up disaster relief. <\/p>\n Six Central Florida members of Congress \u2014 Reps. Daniel Webster, Mike Haridopolos, Randy Fine, Kat Cammack, Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost \u2014 are co-sponsoring what\u2019s being called the FEMA Act of 2025<\/a>, a bipartisan proposal that would remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security, allow block grants intended to speed funds to states, and extend housing assistance from 18 months to 24 months.<\/p>\n The legislation is awaiting a debate and vote on the House floor after a 57-3 bipartisan vote approval by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.<\/p>\n Rep. Soto said the bill has a chance, though he cautioned that passage is not guaranteed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a good chance of it because it is bipartisan, but this hasn\u2019t been the most productive Congress, so I guess we\u2019re going to have to see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A Senate companion bill has not been filed. <\/p>\n 2 reform plans, 2 different visions<\/p>\n While the FEMA Act of 2025 moves through Congress, a separate effort is also taking shape. The FEMA Review Council \u2014 appointed by President Donald Trump \u2014 has called for its own overhaul of the agency. But the two proposals represent starkly different visions for how the federal government should respond to disasters.<\/p>\n The FEMA Act of 2025, also known as H.R. 4669, would elevate FEMA by removing it from the Department of Homeland Security and establishing it as an independent, cabinet-level agency \u2014 strengthening the federal government\u2019s role in disaster management.<\/p>\n