{"id":387969,"date":"2026-09-02T05:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T05:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387969\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T05:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T05:56:08","slug":"federal-cuts-leave-floridas-hurricane-forecasting-and-recovery-system-stretched-thin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/387969\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Cuts Leave Florida’s Hurricane Forecasting and Recovery System Stretched Thin"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI, FLA \u2014 In 2025, Carlos Martinez, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, was working as a fellow at the National Science Foundation, managing the Coastlines and People Program<\/a>, which used federal funds to connect climate science to hazards along the coasts of the U.S. <\/p>\n

But after the signing of a slate of executive orders on January 20, 2025, cuts, freezes, and rescissions to the National Science Foundation, as well as other government agencies the federal government viewed as \u2018wasteful<\/a>,\u2019 Martinez foresaw his future at the NSF, and he left the agency by June of that year. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually finishing that fellowship with the intent of pursuing future job opportunities at the agency,\u201d said Martinez. \u201cAnd then we saw what happened in January of 2025, where\u2026 the administration brought a sledgehammer and destroyed and fractured the entire research enterprise within the federal government\u2026 I knew there wouldn’t be opportunities for me to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Martinez isn\u2019t alone. <\/p>\n

After President Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration in January 2025, cuts to federally funded scientific research projects led to the loss of over 20,000<\/a> jobs over the year, according to a study by the Progressive Policy Institute. <\/p>\n

In Florida, one of the states most affected by Hurricanes, these cuts are echoed through loosened<\/a> forecasting, mitigation, and preparation efforts. As hurricane season approaches its peak<\/a>, experts across the nation are raising questions<\/a> about the state\u2019s ability to prepare for and recover from a hurricane. <\/p>\n

But Florida has found ways to adapt to the cuts, especially through state-funded projects\u2014such as Florida\u2019s Hurricane Loss Mitigation Project<\/a> and Resilient Florida<\/a>\u2014that provide funding to fill gaps left by the cuts. <\/p>\n

What are the cuts, and how do they affect Florida?<\/p>\n

Around the country, several government agencies work hand in hand to prepare for, recover from, and forecast climate disasters, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> (NOAA), <\/a>the Federal Emergency Management Agency<\/a> (FEMA), the National Weather Service<\/a> (NWS), and the National Science Foundation<\/a> (NSF). <\/p>\n

Over the past year, each agency has experienced several funding cuts that have drastically affected how states handle climate disasters. <\/p>\n

The Trump Administration has cut<\/a> more than 100 climate studies at the National Science Foundation by reducing funding for projects related to keywords the administration says are at odds with its political agenda. <\/p>\n

As for the NSF\u2019s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY2027), the Trump Administration is requesting<\/a> a 54% decrease from the foundation\u2019s FY2026 budget of $8.8 billion, leaving it with a little bit over $4 billion. <\/p>\n

In 2025, the Trump Administration announced a plan to end a large portion of NOAA’s climate research by reducing funding for the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Office by over $485 million, effectively eliminating the office. <\/p>\n

OAR serves as NOAA’s main research arm, conducting scientific research and providing data to help develop technology for forecasting, warning systems, and understanding natural disasters affecting the country. <\/p>\n

Although Congress rejected this proposal, it still moved certain research projects and operations to the National Weather Service, reducing OAR’s overall funding by nearly 10%<\/a>, according to a congressional report. <\/p>\n

In 2026, Congress again faced the task of cutting funding for OAR and other NOAA functions to allocate budget for FY 2027. According to reports<\/a> from the Congressional Research Service, House appropriators on July 28 declined the Trump Administration\u2019s proposal to shut down OAR for a second year, instead choosing to cut OAR programs by only 2 percent. <\/p>\n

But these proposed cuts to NOAA aren\u2019t the only ones affecting researchers and climate scientists around the country. <\/p>\n

In December 2025, the Trump Administration announced plans<\/a> to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado, the nation\u2019s largest and most important atmospheric science center. <\/p>\n

For Melina Matos<\/a>, assistant professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla, these proposed changes to NCAR\u2019s operations signify an important move in the work done by scientists who work on national multi-year projects, such as those at NOAA and the NSF. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe work with the community, we inform the community, we work a lot with this applied research\u2026 I\u2019m not alone in doing that,\u201d said Matos. \u201cWe have so many scientists that do that, and we are great, and we help the whole world. And suddenly\u2026 [our work] is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

But scientific research isn\u2019t the only aspect being cut by the federal government. Recent cuts to FEMA have also shaken up the world of climate resilience and disaster preparedness. <\/p>\n

FEMA works to provide logistical capacity and expertise based on the needs of communities across the country. This is done through its role in coordinating the distribution of essentials such as food, water, and medical supplies to local communities. <\/p>\n

According<\/a> to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA sent over 17,000 personnel and delivered 20 million liters of water during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. <\/p>\n

But following recent changes to FEMA\u2019s operations \u2014 including a 14%<\/a> cut to FEMA\u2019s workforce, the closure and eventual reinstatement<\/a> of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant, nonrenewal<\/a> of emergency call-center contracts, and the cancellation<\/a> of a door-to-door canvassing initiative in disaster areas \u2014 the agency has left its most vulnerable communities fighting to ensure proper disaster recovery and its staff at a dead end. <\/p>\n

Additionally, the NWS has also been affected by cuts that have severely impacted its operations and forecasting abilities. The agency works to provide \u201cweather, water, and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impact-based decision support services,\u201d according to its website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Recent cuts, however, have created gaps in the service\u2019s ability to operate 24\/7 and suspended operations, including<\/a> daily recurring weather balloon launches, and created<\/a> gaps in public broadcast warnings and communications. <\/p>\n

In Florida, the roles of each of these agencies are crucial to the state\u2019s ability to address these weather events. Across the state, the NWS operates<\/a> seven offices dedicated to monitoring regional weather 24\/7. <\/p>\n

NOAA operates a wide range of offices within the state as well, including an Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection and three Natural Estuarine Research Reserves that serve as spaces for scientists to study historical aspects of the state\u2019s composition and climate. <\/p>\n

According to reporting<\/a> from the WLRN, Miami\u2019s NWS office was operating with about half of its normal staffing by 2025. WLRN also reported that about a dozen scientists at NOAA\u2019s Virginia Key Offices in Miami were laid off. <\/p>\n

16 scientists working in local fisheries and half a dozen working on projects surrounding hurricane modeling and forecasting were also fired, according to a report<\/a> from NPR. <\/p>\n

Yoca Arditi-Rocha, CEO of the CLEO Institute \u2014 a Miami-based \u201cnon-partisan organization exclusively dedicated to climate crisis education and advocacy,\u201d according to its website<\/a> \u2014 believes that these cuts are imperative to the state\u2019s reaction to hurricanes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurricanes don’t care about politics, and they don’t care who you vote for; they don’t care about geographies, and they truly respond to physics,\u201d Adriti-Rocha said. \u201cAnd Florida is one of the most hurricane-exposed states in the nation. So our ability to protect lives and to protect our communities, our property, and our economy should be of all everybody’s best interest.\u201d <\/p>\n

Adriti-Rocha explains that these cuts not only weaken funding towards research, but also what she calls institutional knowledge. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s about weakening the foundation that informs emergency management, that informs local planning, that informs infrastructure investment, insurance risk assessments, and quite frankly, public communication,\u201d said Adriti-Rocha. \u201cWhen research slows, the ability to anticipate future risk also slows. I think when you have fewer resources to tell the public to prepare and to prepare for what you know, the bottom line is we have fewer resources to do so effectively and safely.\u201d <\/p>\n

What is the state doing to fight back?<\/p>\n

But when federal funding disappears, many functions once funded by the federal government are redirected to state and local governments.<\/p>\n

Florida\u2019s Hurricane Loss Mitigation Project<\/a>, a mitigation program aimed at minimizing hurricane damage, is state-funded and run by Florida\u2019s Division of Emergency Management. <\/p>\n

Resilient Florida<\/a>, enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2021, specifically works to ensure coordination of Florida\u2019s resilience in coastal and inland area but protecting waterways, coastlines, and shores. <\/p>\n

The program has created a wide range of grants that counties, municipalities, and special districts can apply for to address flooding and sea-level rise impacts, plan for vulnerabilities, and implement mitigation projects. <\/p>\n

Although the program was originally set to expire in 2025, the state legislature renewed it last year without any controversy. <\/p>\n

However, concerns about the program\u2019s survival arose after the establishment of Florida\u2019s version of the Department of Governmental Efficiency<\/a> (FL DOGE<\/a>), which began cutting state funding for projects aimed at combating climate change. <\/p>\n

According to a report<\/a> from FL DOGE, various efforts have been made to create investments in climate advocacy and resilience programs around the state, based on a controversial finding<\/a> by the U.S. Department of Energy that \u201cscientific evidence does not support claims of a long-term increase in so-called \u2018extreme\u2019 weather events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, [and] floods.\u201d <\/p>\n

Experts were concerned that these cuts would affect Resilient Florida, one of the largest state-led resilience efforts in the country, but after securing funding from a $6 billion deal with the Seminole Gaming compact, an agreement between the Seminole tribe of Florida and the state government for online betting to fund environmental projects, the project will continue<\/a> to be funded at $150 million. <\/p>\n

The program\u2019s ability to cut through state funding to remain active reveals the larger role Congress plays in allowing state-funded and even federal programming to persist. <\/p>\n

Various proposed cuts targeting NOAA and other government agencies faced scrutiny from Congress and were ultimately rejected, including a cut<\/a> to NOAA facilities that would have shut down all weather and climate research labs.<\/p>\n

But as the federal administration keeps pushing for deeper cuts, Martinez emphasizes that Congress’s and the courts\u2019 roles in deciding the future of environmental programming and emergency management become more pronounced. <\/p>\n

\u201cCongress has done some things, particularly appropriating funds and rejecting the proposed funds that the administration wanted, but the administration is still using very slow disbursement tactics to lapse funding in order to get to the funding levels that the president wanted, and this has an oversight authority,\u201d said Martinez. <\/p>\n

Arditi-Rocha notes that when it comes to protecting the environment, Congress needs to set aside its partisan biases. <\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting Americans’ lives from hurricanes or wildfires or extreme heat is not a partisan issue. Should not be a partisan issue,\u201d said Arditi-Rocha. \u201cEvery family and every community can benefit from accurate forecasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizations and non-profits such as the Ocean Conservancy Group have also worked to create advocacy for change. <\/p>\n

In June, Ocean Conservancy<\/a>, an organization that works to protect the world’s oceans through advocacy, set off on a statewide \u201cFlorida Needs NOAA\u201d tour, sounding the alarm about the impacts of funding cuts on the state while informing citizens about NOAA and climate research. <\/p>\n

At the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the recently founded Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation arose<\/a> from the very Senate bill that funded Resilient Florida. The research lab hopes to direct state funds towards projects related to mitigating flood risks. <\/p>\n

Other projects at universities that fill some of the gaps left by state and federal funds include the Wall of Wind<\/a> (WoW) simulator at Florida International University, which simulates hurricanes for testing building materials and design. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for resilience science and natural disaster preparedness? <\/p>\n

Bryan Koon, President and CEO of Integrated Emergency Management (IEM<\/a>), worries about the future of resilience science and the consistency of national funding towards emergency management projects. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a lot of moving parts right now that particularly local government are going to find challenging in how they deal with disasters because [states] just don’t know where the support’s coming from,\u201d said Koon. \u201cThey don’t know where the money’s coming from, and the money’s looking to be reduced in the future, particularly in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

His agency, which works primarily with state and local agencies following natural disasters and other emergencies, <\/p>\n

Matos believes that although funding for scientists and researchers is being cut, they believe in the importance of their work and may continue to pursue it even if it isn\u2019t at the federal level. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot just stop funding, and the science that we are working on right now in terms of resilience, in terms of mitigation,\u201d said Matos. \u201cIt’s something that is extremely important because it will make of how can communities be safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabriela Quintero is an incoming freshman at Barnard College of Columbia University, pursuing her B.A. in Political Science and Economics. Interested in politics, migration, policy, and culture, she hopes to pursue a career in political and cultural journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI, FLA \u2014 In 2025, Carlos Martinez, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387970,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[155315,155313,28,30,121939,29,155314,155312,155316],"class_list":["post-387969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-climate-research-funding-cuts","tag-fema-budget-cuts-2025","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-hurricane-preparedness","tag-florida-news","tag-national-weather-service-staffing","tag-noaa-funding-cuts","tag-resilient-florida-program"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}