St. Petersburg, Florida – President Joe Biden announced over $600 million in funding for electric grid resilience during a visit to Florida on Sunday to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Milton. This funding is aimed at strengthening the U.S. electric grid in the face of increasingly frequent and severe storms, like Hurricane Milton, which recently impacted the Gulf Coast.

The funding includes $94 million allocated to Florida, with $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and another $47 million for Switched Source in partnership with Florida Power & Light. These investments are part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program led by the Department of Energy, designed to improve grid reliability amidst extreme weather events.

Biden expressed empathy for those affected by Hurricane Milton, describing residents as "heartbroken and exhausted." During his visit, he stressed the need for bipartisan collaboration in disaster recovery, commending the resilience of Florida communities while noting the urgency of additional disaster-relief funding from Congress.

Despite FEMA having enough resources for immediate needs, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized the need for further Congressional action to address long-term funding shortages for disaster relief. Biden's trip follows earlier visits to states affected by Hurricane Helene, as extreme weather continues to strain federal resources.