The Central Florida, South Florida, Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay RPCs hosted “Economic Recovery and Resiliency Efforts Following Hurricane Irma” workshops during the month of February. Conducted in partnership with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the International Economic Development Council, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the workshops provided an opportunity to foster greater agriculture, business, and community resiliency by connecting community leaders with information on state and federal resources available after a disaster.
The workshops were especially useful for business or community leaders to learn about their disaster recovery role and how to prioritize actions for short and long-term recovery. Inspiring examples from communities around the country that have experienced and recovered from disasters were reviewed. Continuity strategies and resiliency and financial informational resources available were a major topic of discussion. Workshops were held in the following counties:
- Citrus County, February 16th
- Collier County, February 13th
- Hendry County, February 14th
- Highlands County, February 15th
- Lee County, February 12th
- Monroe County, February 27th
- Polk County, February 15th
Each workshop was tailored to address the priority needs for recovery within the respective communities. Workshops in Hendry, Polk, and Citrus counties focused on programs and resources for agricultural recovery, while the workshops held in Lee and Collier counties especially focused on programs and resources for business recovery. The workshop held in Monroe County centered on needs related to aquaculture, workforce and tourism recovery.