Record Florida floods hit 14 counties; no federal aid yet as FEMA pushes states to pay

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has put 14 counties under a flood state of emergency. On Monday he declared one for seven counties, including Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast. On Wednesday he added seven more: Glades, Hendry, Lake, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Seminole and Volusia ¹².

So far the help is coming from the state and from local governments. In an interview published this week, St. Lucie County said it had seen no sign of a federal disaster declaration or of aid from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ⁶.

A 'once-in-a-thousand-year' rain

Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County was among the worst-hit places. The city manager said more than 19 inches of rain fell in 12 hours, and more than 100 people were rescued from flooded homes, some of them residents with special needs ⁵. Mayor Douglas Lawson called it a "once-in-a-thousand-year event" and warned of mold, structural damage and people being out of their homes for a long time ¹⁴.

A sewer main broke under Blue Heron Boulevard, and the city asked people to use less water ¹⁵. Water stood waist-deep in parts of Lone Pine Estates on Wednesday. A CBS12 photographer waded through deep water to bring medicine to Zed Kuchar, 76, who lives alone ⁴.

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Without the state and federal government, they're failing our city right now.

Port St. Lucie got 16.7 inches of rain from Nov. 1 to 3. Wildlife officers took about 300 people out of flooded areas of St. Lucie County, and the county fire district handled 135 high-water rescues ³. In the Vitalia neighborhood, people waited without power or air conditioning as their food spoiled before they were carried out on a swamp buggy ³.

It's not fun for sure. I think it's part of living in Florida.

County officials said the Indian River Lagoon is running about 5 feet above normal for this time of year, so the drainage system has nowhere to send the water. They could not say when it will go down ⁶.

Local money and a damage count, but nothing federal

Port St. Lucie has set aside $1 million for flooded homeowners with low or moderate incomes. It offers up to $25,000 as a 0% loan with no monthly payments, forgiven over five years. Applications opened Thursday at cityofpsl.com/housing or 772-344-4084, and the money goes until it runs out ⁸.

St. Lucie County is asking residents and businesses to report flood damage in an online survey by Friday, Nov. 20. The results will go to state and federal partners. Officials stressed that filling out the survey is not an application for aid and does not guarantee any money ⁷.

Mayor Lawson had pushed the governor to add Palm Beach County to the state emergency. Local reporting said that step could help open the door to FEMA aid ¹⁵. Even so, he told CBS12 the city still needs more help from above ⁴.

FEMA's new message: build your own reserves

The floods come two weeks after FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton gave a speech in Little Rock, Arkansas. On Oct. 20 he told state emergency managers that the Trump administration plans changes to disaster aid "in the next six months," with states expected to handle most disasters on their own, according to Politico, which got a recording ⁹.

Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves

Hamilton said he hopes for a future where fewer federal disaster declarations are needed, "because the capability of states is so high." Yet a report FEMA released days earlier found that state disaster agencies "are typically understaffed and underfunded" ⁹.

That matters because a federal disaster declaration is what unlocks FEMA grants for home repairs and temporary housing. Late last month Trump did approve that kind of individual aid for eight Panhandle counties hit by Hurricane Isaias, after DeSantis asked for it ¹³. Other states have been turned down. FEMA rejected Colorado's requests for wildfire and flood aid in December 2025, saying the damage was not severe enough, and then rejected the state's appeals ¹⁰.

Coloradans should not be left to shoulder these costs alone,

A flood insurance deadline is coming

Many Riviera Beach residents have no flood insurance because they live outside a mapped flood zone ⁴. For people who do have it, there is a deadline. The National Flood Insurance Program, the federal plan that sells most U.S. flood policies, is authorized only until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2026 ¹¹.

If Congress lets it lapse, FEMA says it would no longer sell or renew policies but could still pay valid claims with the money it has ¹¹. Existing policies stay in force until they expire, plus a 30-day grace period ¹².

The pattern is clear. Floodwaters are still receding in a state Trump won, local governments are paying for the first round of help, and the administration is telling states to plan for less federal help next time.

The Record

1. Sep 2, 2026Trump signs a law extending the National Flood Insurance Program to Dec. 11, 2026 ¹¹
2. Oct 20, 2026FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton tells states to build financial reserves and says disaster aid changes are coming within six months ⁹
3. Oct 30, 2026Reports say Trump approved FEMA individual aid for eight Florida Panhandle counties hit by Hurricane Isaias ¹³
4. Nov 2, 2026DeSantis declares a flood emergency for seven counties under Executive Order 26-227 ¹
5. Nov 4, 2026DeSantis expands the flood emergency to 14 counties, including Palm Beach ¹²

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<h2>Record Florida floods hit 14 counties; no federal aid yet as FEMA pushes states to pay</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/record-florida-floods-hit-14-counties-no-federal-aid-yet-as-fema-pushes-states-to">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 6, 2026.</em></p> <p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has put 14 counties under a flood state of emergency. On Monday he declared one for seven counties, including Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast. On Wednesday he added seven more: Glades, Hendry, Lake, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Seminole and Volusia .</p> <p>So far the help is coming from the state and from local governments. In an interview published this week, St. Lucie County said it had seen no sign of a federal disaster declaration or of aid from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency .</p> <h2>A &#39;once-in-a-thousand-year&#39; rain</h2> <p>Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County was among the worst-hit places. The city manager said more than 19 inches of rain fell in 12 hours, and more than 100 people were rescued from flooded homes, some of them residents with special needs . Mayor Douglas Lawson called it a &quot;once-in-a-thousand-year event&quot; and warned of mold, structural damage and people being out of their homes for a long time .</p> <p>A sewer main broke under Blue Heron Boulevard, and the city asked people to use less water . Water stood waist-deep in parts of Lone Pine Estates on Wednesday. A CBS12 photographer waded through deep water to bring medicine to Zed Kuchar, 76, who lives alone .</p> <blockquote><p>Without the state and federal government, they&#39;re failing our city right now.</p><p>&mdash; Douglas Lawson, Mayor of Riviera Beach, Florida</p></blockquote> <p>Port St. Lucie got 16.7 inches of rain from Nov. 1 to 3. Wildlife officers took about 300 people out of flooded areas of St. Lucie County, and the county fire district handled 135 high-water rescues . In the Vitalia neighborhood, people waited without power or air conditioning as their food spoiled before they were carried out on a swamp buggy .</p> <blockquote><p>It&#39;s not fun for sure. I think it&#39;s part of living in Florida.</p><p>&mdash; Sheri George, Port St. Lucie resident evacuated from Vitalia</p></blockquote> <p>County officials said the Indian River Lagoon is running about 5 feet above normal for this time of year, so the drainage system has nowhere to send the water. They could not say when it will go down .</p> <h2>Local money and a damage count, but nothing federal</h2> <p>Port St. Lucie has set aside $1 million for flooded homeowners with low or moderate incomes. It offers up to $25,000 as a 0% loan with no monthly payments, forgiven over five years. Applications opened Thursday at cityofpsl.com/housing or 772-344-4084, and the money goes until it runs out .</p> <p>St. Lucie County is asking residents and businesses to report flood damage in an online survey by Friday, Nov. 20. The results will go to state and federal partners. Officials stressed that filling out the survey is not an application for aid and does not guarantee any money .</p> <p>Mayor Lawson had pushed the governor to add Palm Beach County to the state emergency. Local reporting said that step could help open the door to FEMA aid . Even so, he told CBS12 the city still needs more help from above .</p> <h2>FEMA&#39;s new message: build your own reserves</h2> <p>The floods come two weeks after FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton gave a speech in Little Rock, Arkansas. On Oct. 20 he told state emergency managers that the Trump administration plans changes to disaster aid &quot;in the next six months,&quot; with states expected to handle most disasters on their own, according to Politico, which got a recording .</p> <blockquote><p>Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves</p><p>&mdash; Cameron Hamilton, FEMA administrator, Trump appointee</p></blockquote> <p>Hamilton said he hopes for a future where fewer federal disaster declarations are needed, &quot;because the capability of states is so high.&quot; Yet a report FEMA released days earlier found that state disaster agencies &quot;are typically understaffed and underfunded&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because a federal disaster declaration is what unlocks FEMA grants for home repairs and temporary housing. Late last month Trump did approve that kind of individual aid for eight Panhandle counties hit by Hurricane Isaias, after DeSantis asked for it . Other states have been turned down. FEMA rejected Colorado&#39;s requests for wildfire and flood aid in December 2025, saying the damage was not severe enough, and then rejected the state&#39;s appeals .</p> <blockquote><p>Coloradans should not be left to shoulder these costs alone,</p><p>&mdash; Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, Democrat</p></blockquote> <h2>A flood insurance deadline is coming</h2> <p>Many Riviera Beach residents have no flood insurance because they live outside a mapped flood zone . For people who do have it, there is a deadline. The National Flood Insurance Program, the federal plan that sells most U.S. flood policies, is authorized only until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2026 .</p> <p>If Congress lets it lapse, FEMA says it would no longer sell or renew policies but could still pay valid claims with the money it has . Existing policies stay in force until they expire, plus a 30-day grace period .</p> <p>The pattern is clear. Floodwaters are still receding in a state Trump won, local governments are paying for the first round of help, and the administration is telling states to plan for less federal help next time.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/record-florida-floods-hit-14-counties-no-federal-aid-yet-as-fema-pushes-states-to">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/record-florida-floods-hit-14-counties-no-federal-aid-yet-as-fema-pushes-states-to.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

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2. NewsRadio WIOD, “State Of Emergency Expanded In Florida Due To Widespread & Extensive Flooding” (2026-11-05). wiod.iheart.com/featured/florida-news/content/2026-11-05-sta
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9. Politico (via Yahoo News), “FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own” (2026-10-20). yahoo.com/news/us/articles/exclusive-fema-chief-tells-states
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11. FEMA, “Congressional Reauthorization for the National Flood Insurance Program” (2026-11-06). fema.gov/flood-insurance/rules-legislation/congressional-rea
12. National Association of Realtors, “FAQ: National Flood Insurance Program Expires December 11, 2026” (2026-11-06). nar.realtor/flood-insurance/faq-national-flood-insurance-pro
13. WLRN, “Trump OKs individual FEMA assistance for eight Florida counties hit by Isaias” (2026-10-30). wlrn.org/weather/2026-10-30/trump-oks-individual-fema-assist
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15. WFLX, “15.5 inches of rain floods Riviera Beach homes, forces evacuations, strains wastewater system” (2026-11-03). wflx.com/2026/11/04/155-inches-rain-floods-riviera-beach-hom

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