‘Moving Forward’ – Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Executive Order to Help Florida Businesses Recover Faster After Helene’s Death

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The state of Florida is making it easier to rebuild businesses destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced an executive order Monday aimed at easing restrictions and cutting red tape for people rebuilding their businesses.

“Our community is hurting, hurting a lot,” said Linda Wicker, owner of Roy’s Restaurant in Steinhatchee.

Wicker is looking forward to rebuilding Roy’s along the Steinhatchee Coast after the strong winds and rain that hit Helene fogged the building. The restaurant survived hurricanes Idalia and Debby, which hit the region over the past 13 months.

“I have a long list of people we have contacted. “In the next week or so we’ll get some answers, we’ll hire some people and we’ll move on,” Wicker said.

Wicker is trying to move forward quickly. She started calling on Friday morning, just hours after Helene was hit.

“It has to go fast, it has to go well, but we don’t need a lot of bureaucracy,” Wicker said.

To speed up the process, a new executive order issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation eases restrictions. It allows contractors to expand the range they can travel while waiving the fees companies must pay for certain permits.

“We don’t have time for bureaucracy. I don’t want to deal with bureaucracy,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Governor DeSantis said this order is intended to help communities return to normal as quickly as possible.

“Whatever we can do to help pave the way for people to get back on their feet, we absolutely must do it,” said Governor DeSantis.

Getting back on her feet is something Wicker is more than ready for.

“We are moving forward. We’re going to make Roy great again,” Wicker said.

Wicker said she expects construction to begin in the next few weeks.

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