FEMA Should Recover $401,046 of Public Assistance Grant Funds Awarded to the City of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida — Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne

Our Audit objective was to determine whether the City accounted for and expended Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funds according to Federal regulations and FEMA guidelines. The City received Public Assistance grant awards totaling $5.6M from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (State), a FEMA grantee, for damages resulting from Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which occurred in September 2004. The awards provided 100 percent FEMA funding for the first 72 hours of emergency protective measures and debris removal activities and 90 percent funding thereafter for those two activities.