President Donald Trump has plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after the
2025 hurricane season . It’s a move that would put many conservative-led states, especially Florida, in a precarious situation.
More than 41% of all hurricanes that have made landfall in the United States between 1851-2023 have impacted Florida , according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Floridians spend six months of the year hoping that none of the dozen-plus and increasingly severe tropical storms and hurricanes that manifest each season hit their neck of the woods. If they’re lucky, they’ll only be impacted by the shared cost of ever-rising insurance rates and utility companies passing billion-dollar recovery charges onto customers. Now, as Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes to reduce or axe property taxes, the primary source of financing for most municipalities, Trump looks to "wean" states off FEMA. “We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office, later saying, “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.” FEMA paid more than $3.1 billion to Florida and its residents in federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments in 2022 after Hurricane Ian, a monstrous Category 5 storm, rocked the Sunshine State. It remains the costliest hurricane in Florida history. Data collected and published by Axios shows that
Florida has been FEMA’s largest recipient of direct relief dollars since 2015 . Florida residents have received more than $2.5 billion through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which provides financial and direct services to individuals and households affected by a disaster. Texas and Louisiana, two more Republican strongholds, aren’t far behind the Sunshine State. Both states received more than $2 billion through the IHP, and all three states made up the majority of FEMA’s direct assistance between 2015-2024, according to Axios. Here's a look at how Florida could be impacted if Trump eliminates FEMA.
Why does Trump want to eliminate FEMA?
Trump's statements on eliminating FEMA aren't new, but they are certainly the most direct yet. When Trump began floating the idea of abolishing FEMA while visiting the California wildfires in January, he claimed that the agency was "very expensive" and a "mostly failed situation." Trump claimed that states didn't need FEMA, just good government, though he did not elaborate on what that might look like. In March, he signed an executive order that directed state and local governments to "play a more active and significant" role in preparing for disasters. Emergency management experts said at the time that the order wouldn't change much as local and state governments already manage disasters.
How does Trump plan to phase out FEMA?
The complete details surrounding how FEMA might be phased out have not fully come to light, but Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have provided some rough outlines. "We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level — a little bit like education, we're moving it back to the states," Trump said on Tuesday. "We're going to give out less money," he continued. "We're going to give it out directly. It'll be from the president's office. We'll have somebody here, could be Homeland Security." Trump and Noem have proposed that state governors work together in response to natural disasters in a united effort. "It's extremely expensive and, again, when you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind, in a state, that's what you have governors for. They're supposed to fix those problems, and it's much more local and they'll develop a system, and it will be a great system," Trump said. Noem has reiterated the idea, saying that "communication and mutual aid agreements among states" were being built so that they could "stand on their own two feet with the federal government coming in catastrophic circumstances with funding."
What does FEMA do?
According to the agency's website, it's mission is "helping people before, during and after disasters." The agency says it employs more than 20,000 people and has 10 regional offices nationwide, allowing it to "leverage a tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters." FEMA was officially created in 1979 through an executive order by President Jimmy Carter, and the agency says its history can be traced as far back as 1803. In 2003, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency aims to help people and communities understand and prepare for possible disaster risks, coordinates the federal response to disasters, and supports disaster recovery, according to its website. For more information about what specifically FEMA does and how it operates, you can visit the
FEMA website .
What happens to Florida if FEMA is gutted?
Eliminating FEMA would have significant repercussions for Florida, but the extent would depend on whether Trump decides to reform the agency or completely sunset it. Floridians have received more FEMA assistance than any other state in the U.S. The state has also received billions in funds through federal grants, disaster loans and flood insurance payments. Those grants and programs don't exist without FEMA, which means residents would have to find assistance elsewhere or forego it. Financial assistance isn't the only support FEMA provides. When the agency responds to a state’s major disaster declaration request, it supports those governmental entities in a number of other ways, such as coordinating operations if the disaster spans multiple states, managing volunteer and nonprofit groups that work in disasters and more. Even a downsized FEMA would limit how it could support governments in those roles. The loss of experience from losing key leadership and staff would heavily impact rural, tribal and low-income communities that rely on FEMA’s expertise.
