FEMA To Southwest Ranches; Pay Up

SOUTHWEST RANCHES (CBS4) - Five years after Hurricane Wilma caused millions of dollars in damage to South Florida; a storm of another sort is brewing in Southwest Ranches over payments it received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA is demanding that the town more than $750 thousand in what they are calling overpaid reimbursements, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Current Town Administrator Charles Lynn said he didn't know anything about it until a FEMA representative mentioned it during a discussion last month. In doing a little checking, Lynn found that the first letter demanding repayment was sent in mid-2008.

In August of this year FEMA sent a letter Lee Rickles, the town's general services coordinator, who never followed up on it or informed Lynn.

After Wilma, FEMA reimbursed Southwest Ranches $2.3 million for damage and clean up costs. The town hired an outside contractor to do an audit of how the funds were spent and planned to appeal.

Just one catch – time's up.

FEMA said town officials had 60 days to appeal the amount after receiving the August correspondence. Their only option now is to pay up.

Lynn said they plan to appeal anyway but if that doesn't work they're prepared to dip into the town's $1.8 million emergency fund or even take out a loan.

Source: The Sun-Sentinel