Good morning – Please see below.  The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) is rolling out the Florida Recovery Obligation Calculation (F-ROC).  The potential benefits of the F-ROC initiative is to receive a portion of obligated FEMA funds much quicker.  F-ROC will not be fully functioning until the 2024 hurricane season, however, you can become eligible to receive 20% of FEMA obligated funds upfront just by opting into the program for the 2023 hurricane season.  Please see below on how to opt-in to F-ROC and the requirements you must complete to receive the 20% upfront funds.

Michelle Hershel
Director of Regulatory Affairs
Florida Electric Cooperatives Association
2916 Apalachee Parkway
Tallahassee, FL 32301
c: 850-510-1693

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From: Melissa Foggy <Melissa.Foggy@em.myflorida.com>
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 5:35 PM
Subject: Now Open! F-ROC’s 2023/2024 Opt-in Period

Hello Leaders,

Hopefully, by now, you have heard of the Florida Recovery Obligation Calculation (F-ROC)! F-ROC is a transformational initiative, sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), that standardizes, streamlines, and simplifies the Public Assistance process. It employs a proactive approach to help Applicants recover funds quicker and reduce their risk.

You may be asking yourself – why should I care about F-ROC?

  *   Standardization: F-ROC standardizes and simplifies forms, making it easier and faster to submit accurate documentation for Public Assistance and receive funding timely.
  *   Procurement: F-ROC helps you to ensure you have contractors and vendors in place and your procurement plans meet federal regulations.
  *   Procedures: F-ROC helps you proactively prepare for events by ensuring you have policies and procedures that are accurate, up-to-date, and follow FEMA guidelines.
  *   Assessment: F-ROC’s Disaster Readiness Assessment provides you with the insights needed to be successful as well as abatement plans to help you minimize risk.

We recently completed a pilot of F-ROC, which engaged over 20 Applicants and helped us to identify improvement opportunities. In addition, we are nearing completion of Phase 1 of training, which has been focused on providing an overview of F-ROC to you – our Emergency Management Leaders across the State! We are proud to say that, as of today, we have reached an audience of over 700 individuals across 63 counties via 57 in-person trainings and 8 virtual sessions.

We continue to be motivated by the collective interest in and passion for F-ROC, and are excited to announce that the 2023/2024 Opt-in Period is now open to Applicants through September 30, 2023! Opt-in benefits include, but are not limited to, the ability to recover up to 20% of funds upfront for the 2023 hurricane season, the ability to recover up to 80% of funds upfront for the 2024 hurricane season, and access to the State’s expertise as it relates to the identification of risks and associated abatement plans.

Now you may be asking yourself – how do I opt-in?
Now – Mid-June:

  1.  Applicant Leadership makes the decision on whether to opt-in.
  2.  Applicant Leadership reviews the “Participation Request Form<https://www.floridadisaster.org/contentassets/6210cd586424454dac89e19660f8722b/2023-2024-f-roc-participation-request-form-for-website.pdf>” to further understand opt-in terms and conditions.
  3.  Based upon the “Participation Request Form”, Applicant Leadership identifies their entity’s appropriate, authorized Public Assistance representative.
  4.  The entity’s Public Assistance representative reviews the “Participation Request Form” in preparation for the launch of the next phase of opt-in steps.

Mid-June – September 30:

  1.  The entity’s Public Assistance representative completes the ~1-hour opt-in e-learning course (for which details will be shared at a later date).
  2.  The entity’s Public Assistance representative works with their Leadership to complete and sign the “Participation Request Form”.
  3.  The entity’s Public Assistance representative emails the completed and signed “Participation Request Form” to the F-ROC team.
  4.  The F-ROC team responds with confirmation that all requirements have been met and the opt-in process is complete.

We hope you elect to participate and contribute to Florida’s improved ability to serve its citizens! Remember – just by opting in, you will receive 20% of funds upfront. We will continue to share information related to key milestones and available trainings as we near associated dates, however, you can also visit the official F-ROC website<https://www.floridadisaster.org/froc/> at any time for more.

Thank you in advance for your time and efforts! Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback.

[https://portal.floridadisaster.org/diroffice/ea/Shared%20Documents/FDEM-2-inches-LOGO-jpeg.jpg]
Melissa Foggy, PMP, FCCM
Admin & Management Cost Manager
F-ROC Project Manager
Bureau of Recovery
Florida Division of Emergency Management

Office: (850) 815-4412
Cell: (850) 759-7771
Email: melissa.foggy@em.myflorida.com<mailto:melissa.foggy@em.myflorida.com>

Please note that Florida has a broad public records law (Chapter 119, Florida Statutes).  Most written communications to or from state employees are public records obtainable by the public upon request. Emails sent to me at this email address may be considered public and will only be withheld from disclosure if deemed confidential pursuant to the laws of the State of Florida.

Under Florida law, correspondence with the Florida Division of Emergency Management concerning agency business that is neither confidential nor exempt pursuant to Florida Statutes is a public record and will be made available to the public upon request.