Florida Department of Health Gets $28 Million From Feds to Respond to COVID-19

As the Legislature prepares to vote on a $93.2 billion budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis thanked legislators for making the Florida Department of Health eligible for almost $28 million in federal funds to respond to coronavirus.

The federal funds come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The Florida Department of Health now has the ability to receive nearly $28 million in critical federal funds to support Florida’s ongoing efforts to mitigate and contain COVID-19,” said DeSantis on Monday. “These funds will increase capacity in our state labs for more testing and support our efforts to investigate and monitor cases. I thank Senate President Galvano and House Speaker Oliva for their swift action to make these dollars available.”

“The Florida Department of Health will immediately begin working with the federal government to access these dollars,” said Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees. “Our state labs and epidemiological teams are working around the clock and this grant will help ensure we can continue to increase our capacity to combat COVID-19.”