Glades County is among seven additional Florida counties placed under a state of emergency following historic rainfall that caused widespread flooding across South Florida, damaging homes, flooding roads and threatening farmland.
Outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded his emergency declaration on Wednesday to include Glades County among other neighboring counties. counties.
The move follows a powerful storm earlier this month that dumped unusually heavy rain across the region, leaving some communities struggling with standing water days later.
The county was not included in DeSantis’ emergency declaration ahead of a hurricane threatening Florida’s Gulf Coast. The governor also left Glades County out of his initial emergency declaration earlier this week amid the widespread flooding.
In neighboring Okeechobee County, officials described the rainfall as a “one-in-200-year” storm, meaning an event of that size has an estimated 0.5% chance of occurring in any given year.
Preliminary damage assessments in Okeechobee County show more than $2.1 million in damage to homes, with about 850 structures still waiting to be evaluated.
The figures highlight the scale of the flooding in the region, although a separate damage estimate for Glades County was not immediately available.
Hundreds of homes still awaiting inspection
At a meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission on Thursday, County Administrator Jessica Bezares told commissioners that officials were still working to determine the full extent of the damage. About 400 mobile homes were among the properties that had not yet been evaluated.
A temporary shelter opened at the Okeechobee County Civic Center, located at 1750 U.S. 98 North, for residents displaced by the storm. The American Red Cross is managing the shelter with assistance from county staff.
According ot reporting by Lake Okeechobee News, Assistant County Administrator Justin Nelson said Florida Department of Transportation projects in the county had been shut down because of the storm and its aftermath.
County crews, engineers and private contractors are continuing to inspect roads, bridges and other public infrastructure. Multiple pumps are operating to remove floodwater. “We’re looking at a pretty significant increase in what still could be coming in,” Nelson said, warning that the total damage could rise as inspections continue.
Flooding threatens farms and ranches
The flooding is also creating serious concerns for agriculture, a major part of the economy in Glades and neighboring counties.
Okeechobee County Commissioner Brad Goodbread said large areas of pasture remain underwater, threatening the grass ranchers depend on to feed their cattle during the winter.
“A lot of people have been displaced from their homes. They lost property,” Goodbread said. “There are still pastures that are a solid sheet of water.”
He warned that ranchers could face higher costs for hay and feed supplements if floodwaters destroy the grass. “It’s going to take a toll, not just on residents, but on agriculture,” he said. “It’s going to be a long lasting issue for us for the next six months or more.”
State emergency declaration opens door to assistance
The expanded emergency declaration allows Florida officials to coordinate resources and respond more quickly to flooding in affected counties, including Glades. The state is also preparing a submission to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as officials continue to assess the damage.
However, a state emergency declaration does not automatically mean that individual homeowners or businesses qualify for federal disaster assistance. That would require additional federal action.
The full impact of the flooding on Glades County’s roads, homes and agricultural operations remains unclear.