Commissioners authorize initial Metro task order to search FEMA portal for missed reimbursements
March 17, 2026 | Holmes County, Florida
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The Holmes County Board of County Commissioners authorized initial work with Metro (Metrc) consultants on March 17 to review older disaster projects and financial records in the FEMA portal in search of missed obligations or unpursued reimbursements.
County legal staff and consultant Billy Waddell of Metrc Engineering & Consulting told the board the scope is an administrative deep dive: identify outstanding projects from storms including Hurricane Sally and Hurricane Elaine, determine what was obligated versus what was awarded, and pursue any additional funding the county might be eligible to reclaim. Waddell said the administrative review itself is not usually reimbursable and will require county funding to complete initial work.
County staff and commissioners discussed the risks and potential payoffs; staff said the portal shows several open and partially obligated projects and that cleaning up prior work could produce meaningful recoveries. The board authorized Metro to begin the review under a task order and approved an initial funding allocation to start the work; staff will return with invoices and status updates as the research proceeds.
"This is to go back and clean up old messes — find projects that were never followed up on and see if there's money that should have been obligated or reimbursed," Metrc's Billy Waddell said. He outlined a scope intended to cover administrative work going back multiple years.
Commissioners framed the decision as a calculated risk: spending limited county funds now in the hope of larger recoveries later. The motion to proceed passed with the commissioners present.
County legal staff and consultant Billy Waddell of Metrc Engineering & Consulting told the board the scope is an administrative deep dive: identify outstanding projects from storms including Hurricane Sally and Hurricane Elaine, determine what was obligated versus what was awarded, and pursue any additional funding the county might be eligible to reclaim. Waddell said the administrative review itself is not usually reimbursable and will require county funding to complete initial work.
County staff and commissioners discussed the risks and potential payoffs; staff said the portal shows several open and partially obligated projects and that cleaning up prior work could produce meaningful recoveries. The board authorized Metro to begin the review under a task order and approved an initial funding allocation to start the work; staff will return with invoices and status updates as the research proceeds.
"This is to go back and clean up old messes — find projects that were never followed up on and see if there's money that should have been obligated or reimbursed," Metrc's Billy Waddell said. He outlined a scope intended to cover administrative work going back multiple years.
Commissioners framed the decision as a calculated risk: spending limited county funds now in the hope of larger recoveries later. The motion to proceed passed with the commissioners present.
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