The U.S. Department of Labor announced the incremental award of $3,750,000 in funding to support continued disaster-relief employment and workforce training for eligible residents in Florida as the state recovers from Hurricane Ian.

On October 17, 2022, the department announced the award of a National Dislocated Worker Grant with an initial award of $15 million. This was followed by an incremental award of $7.5 million on October 2, 2023, to the Florida Department of Commerce. The funds are intended to provide temporary jobs for debris removal, humanitarian assistance, and clean-up work. Additionally, the funding supports career and training services for area workers.

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along Florida’s southwest coast, causing high winds, storm surges, and massive flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a major disaster declaration on September 29, 2022, enabling the state to request federal assistance for recovery efforts.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration and supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide funding assistance to temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker programs at state and local levels when large unexpected economic events cause significant job losses.