Three Northeast Florida cities and two nonprofit groups will receive nearly $2 million from the state to help protect the region from damage caused by future storms.
Nearly $87,000 will go to the city of Atlantic Beach to improve resilience.
Jacksonville will get more than $63,000 to identify neighborhoods vulnerable to future disasters.
Palatka in Putnam County is getting $385,000.
Groundwork Jacksonville and the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) will each get around $700,000 to address threats like flooding, and make plans to improve water quality, natural habitats, and overall resiliency.
“This 3-year, $700,000 award will be used to develop a 'North Florida Resiliency Plan for the Health and Medical Lifeline' and will be a collaborative approach across multiple programs of NEFRC, including the Healthcare Coalition Alliance, which serves 18 counties in North Florida," said NEFRC CEO Beth Payne. "This is an exciting step forward to address healthcare infrastructure protection and to maintain essential clinical care service delivery across our 18-county service area.”
The state Department of Economic Opportunity awarded the grants.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter at @cydwjctnews.
