Out of more than 7 million square feet of offices being built in North Texas, a Frisco project stands out.

It’s not the largest building. It’s not the tallest. But it is the only speculative office being built out of wood in Dallas-Fort Worth.

That’s right, wood.

The construction industry calls it “mass timber,” and it’s the latest trend in commercial real estate.

Developer Crow Holdings’ Southstone Yards office project on State Highway 121 is the first and largest mass timber office building going up in North Texas. The seven-story, 242,000-square-foot office is the initial phase of a 45-acre mixed-use development.

“We actually had wood show up on the site today — our first mass timber,” said Cody Armbrister, Crow Holdings’ senior managing director. “The structural elements are made out of laminated timber.

“Laminated timber construction has been around since the late ‘70s but mostly in Europe and in British Columbia,” Armbrister said. “Hopefully there will be more to come. We’ve received really positive comments.”

Related:Crow Holdings raises funds for $1.5 billion in development deals

Timber construction is something old that’s new again. In the 19th century — before the widespread use of steel and concrete — many commercial buildings in the U.S. were built with wooden beams. Historic properties in downtown Dallas’ West End district are constructed with stout wooden timbers.

By reaching into the past, Crow Holdings hopes to catch the eye of tenants looking for new North Texas office space.

“We want to stand out in a crowded market,” Armbrister said. “We are not aspiring to create the typical commodity office. We want to do something different.”

Businesses hunting office space in Dallas’ north suburbs have plenty of choices. More than a half dozen offices are going up along the Dallas North Tollway in Plano and Frisco. But Crow Holdings has the only wooden building.

“When our prospective tenants come on a tour and see five buildings, they all run together, unless there is something markedly different,” Armbrister said.

With Southstone Yards, he said, the developer is counting on building something unique.

“We think it’s beautiful,” Armbrister said. “It’s an organic experience. It’s very warm and welcoming.”

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Big timber columns and wooden ceilings aren’t what you find in a typical modern office.

“This thing will absolutely glow,” Armbrister said. “Lower stress levels, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, a sense of wellness, a sense of employees feeling like they are important — those are demonstratable benefits for officing in that environment.”

Armbrister said a special workspace is what businesses want to lure employees back to the office. “It’s going to be really hard for employers to give a mandate to come back to something that feels old, tired and stale,” he said.

Designed by architects Duda|Paine and Gensler, the Offices at Southstone Yards building has floor-to-ceiling windows, outdoor terraces and a two-story lobby. There’ll be a fitness center, tenant lounge and café.

“We want to build the best office building in the Metroplex — and by the way, it happens to be mass timber,” Armbrister said. “The wood is the special thing about the building, and we celebrate the wood.”

Before Crow Holdings chose wood, the developer also drew up plans for a traditional 10-story concrete frame building.

“We took both to market,” Armbrister said. “We showed it to tenants and brokers and capital sources. People came back and said we want the mass timber.”

He still gets a lot of questions.

“You’re going to build a wood building, won’t it burn?” Armbrister said. “That’s a very obvious question.”

The wooden beams are engineered to resist fire and the construction is recognized as safe by international building codes.

Armbrister said there can be a 7% to 12% construction premium using mass timber. “But you can start to make up that premium with speed to market — 14 months versus 17 to 18 months” for a standard building.

The core of the Southstone Yards building, which houses elevators and mechanical components, is made of concrete.

“One of the tricks to these buildings is they are really quick to build, which is great,” Armbrister said, noting that the Frisco building will be substantially complete by the end of the year.

Mass timber is also promoted for its environmental benefits.

“We thought about the sustainable aspects,” Armbrister said. “This is all southern yellow pine. All this wood is coming from southern Alabama and northern Florida. These are farmed trees.”

Wood construction is catching the eye of a growing number of Texas developers. A San Antonio developer recently built a six-story mass timber office project. In Southern Dallas, USAA Real Estate and Seefried Industrial Properties last year built a warehouse using cross-laminated timber.

“It will be a construction type we will continue to pursue moving forward, but not exclusively,” Armbrister said.

Crow Holdings has land at the Southstone Yards project to build two or three more offices. The office buildings are part of the mixed-use development at State Highway 121 and Spring Creek Parkway.

“There is lots of dirt up in Frisco,” Armbrister said. “But that visibility up on 121 and the proximity to the tollway is great.”

Along with the offices, Southstone Yards will include more than 1,000 apartments, a hotel with as many as 300 rooms and 30 single-family homes.

“And 22% of the acreage has to be green space,” Armbrister said. “That’s bigger than Klyde Warren Park.”

There will be a two-and-a-half acre park in the middle of the project, plus other outdoor spaces.

“To have a juxtaposition of a very dense urban project and greenspace is important,” Armbrister said. “It’s crystal clear in our minds that people want to engage with the outdoors.”

Follow a typical day in the field with one of Rayonier's veteran foresters

Submitted by Rayonier

Few people can say they’ve been with the same company since graduating college 30+ years ago. Forester and Resource Land Manager Terri Hall is one of those people.

“Rayonier was my first permanent job after graduating from college. I started working for Rayonier in 1989 in the old Chandlery Building in downtown Fernandina. At that time, it was known as ITT Rayonier, Corporate was in Connecticut and the timberlands were primarily in Florida and Georgia.”

Today, Rayonier’s timberlands span across the Southeast from South Carolina to Texas, and in Washington and Oregon in the Pacific Northwest as well as forests in New Zealand.

Terri soon found her home in Rayonier’s Florida Resource Unit, our team based in Rayonier’s southernmost forests in Florida.

“I started in Technical Services, then worked for the Florida region as a timber sales forester. Since 1992, I have had 5 different job titles but my office for all of them has been right here at the Bradford Forest Office.”

If that isn’t extraordinary enough, her boss has been with her for the span of her career. Rick Piagno, a colleague who eventually became her boss in 1996, is still her boss and Resource Unit Leader today.

“So I’ve had the same boss for 26 years and have worked for the same company for 32 years!” she chuckled.

Forging a career path all her own

Many foresters have a family background in the profession or some previous experience, but not Terri. She chose this career based on her own goals and objectives.

“I had no experience and no family background, I just wanted a job that was not going to be boring. I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day long, and I wanted variety in my line of work. I definitely have variety. We always say: don’t make too hard of plans because every morning things are likely to change.”

Terri studied hard to earn her forestry education. She holds a Bachelors and Masters degree from Auburn University. Yet, she still encounters many misconceptions about her field of expertise.

“When I say I’m a forester, people think I sit in a fire tower. So I get to explain all that’s involved, from site management to seed selection, planting, disease control, working with loggers, fire fighting, sampling and statistics. People don’t realize all that goes into the education and daily work of it all.”

Terri began when few women worked directly in the field

Terri says it never concerned her that she was one of only a few women foresters. Nor did it motivate her to approach her job or make career decisions any differently.

“When I went to school there were 3 other women in my forestry classes. When I began working I think there was — I don’t really pay attention to this — no, there were not any other field women when I came. Then a couple more did come on but most of them did not stay in the field, they went into specialized things like technical services, GIS or research. I don’t know of many who were actually in forest management.

“I’ve never had a problem though. The nice thing about forestry is everyone is so great. Whether it’s Rayonier employees, contractors, loggers or employees with the Florida Forest Service, everyone’s just good, down-to-earth people. I’ve loved every minute of it. Honestly, unless somebody pointed out that I was one of the only women around, I never paid attention to it.”

A day in life of this Rayonier forester

In December 2021, when Rayonier employee Robert Hall shadowed Terri for a day and took the photos included in this story, she and her team were dealing with seasonal planting. She began her day in the field supervising planting and taking plots.

“In this picture, I’m laying out my pole to measure it for the correct length for a 35th-acre plot. I then swing the pole and count the seedlings on the plot.”

Terri has to count the number of trees to ensure the contractor is planting the correct density. “Planting compliance is complicated. Planting density can be affected by so many factors including bedding width, quality of the site prep and weather conditions. Really, the only thing a planter can control is how far apart the trees are in the bed.”

Back at the office, there are forest fire maps to review and analyze

“We do a lot of work looking at fire protection and things we can do to reduce fire danger, especially in Florida. Sometimes that’s through release work, in which we chemically spray under the trees to reduce competition. You create a map of all the stands to show what areas need a reduction in fire danger. After evaluating the map, we make plans for the coming year to do activities in these high risk areas such as mowing or spraying to mitigate the danger.”

Next, it’s on to timber sales — of which Terri has 21 pending for Bradford County

This involves checking in on and meeting with the loggers every 10 days to make sure harvesting is going according to plan.

“When I go out there, my biggest concerns are: stumps being low and trees being cut to the right top diameter so they’re getting proper utilization of the trees. Also, I check that the roads are not being torn up, no oil spills, that the right area’s being cut — you’d be surprised what can happen! — and that they only use our designated crossings. Since it rains a lot in Florida and we’re so close to the water table, we’re also very concerned about soil disturbance and wood not being left on the ground.”

“So I go to the field every week to check on the loggers and walk the timber sale area, making sure they haven’t messed up any sites, channels or roads and ensure they have what they need. I try to maintain a good working relationship with the loggers where they feel free to call and tell me what they need whether it is road work, additional tickets or clarification of the sale area.”

Now, she moves on to overseeing planting and nursery inventory

“Whenever the planting crew works on my forests, I give them maps showing the planting area, number of acres, species to be planted, the seed lot number and the trees per acre to be planted. One of the most challenging things about planting season is getting the seedlings from the nursery to the field when the planters need them. It is a huge coordinated effort when the forests in different states are all planting at once and getting their trees from our one nursery in Elberta, Alabama.”

The seedlings are delivered in refrigerated vans which are left on-site. When that inventory runs low, it’s up to Terri to ensure they have a new van of seedlings on the way so planting isn’t interrupted or delayed.

With the seedlings taken care of, Terri checks on the health of the larger tree stands

No matter how well you plan, cultivate and care for them, some trees are bound to experience pest pressure and/or disease. A regular part of Terri’s work includes evaluating trees for early signs of trouble.

“When you find a spot in a stand where the pine needles are turning red, you look for evidence like pitch tubes, popcorn or sawdust to try and identify the forest pest. Once you figure out the pest, you have to decide on a course of action. For example, if it’s southern pine beetle, we know that pest travels fast! So you might have to cut them down plus create a buffer around them to capture the red, dead and dying. This creates a buffer to protect the healthy trees. So when we see dead spots we have to look at them and see what’s going on.”

This level of consistent observation is critical to preserving and maintaining healthy forests and wildlife habitats.

What Terri loves most about being a forester

Terri’s love and passion for her work comes through in everything she does. Here’s what she loves most about her job.

“Some of it has to do with the actual work and some of it has to do with the management. I enjoy the freedom and the responsibility, I’m free to make decisions and I’ve been given a lot of responsibility. I appreciate the trust that’s involved. I like the challenge because we’re always looking for better ways to do this and solutions for the problems that come up. I especially like having an area that’s mine to manage.

“I love that I have the whole spectrum. From the time I put the seedling in the ground to the time the loggers cut it. I choose the seedlings for each stand, I determine whether the stand gets some intermediate treatment, and I’m the one who’s out there helping to protect it either through fire fighting or pest management.

“Another thing I like about my job is how we’re structured. There’s a lot of accountability. If I don’t make sure the logger got it right then I’m going to hear it from the site prep guy. If I don’t ensure that the site prep is right, I am going to hear it from the planting contractor. I’m in charge of the whole rotation. Also, I oversee planning of road work in preparation for new timber sales so just about anything that happens, it’s my responsibility…and I like that.”

Terri adds: “I’ll tell you a secret, the Florida Resource Unit is the best. We have a great time together, we really do!”

Rayonier

Rayonier is a leading timberland real estate investment trust with assets located in some of the most productive softwood timber growing regions in the United States and New Zealand. As of June 30, 2022, Rayonier owned or leased under long-term agreements approximately 2.7 million acres of timberlands located in the U.S. South (1.79 million acres), U.S. Pacific Northwest (486,000 acres) and New Zealand (418,000 acres). More information is available at www.rayonier.com.

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL Canton 78, Highmore-Harrold 67 Waverly-South Shore 74, Sully Buttes 68 Lower Brule 59, Wolsey-Wessington 52 Marty 74, Colome 47 Herreid/Selby Area 59, Hitchcock-Tulare 45 Ipswich 50, Tiospa Zina 39 Warner 73, Timber Lake 45 Pine Ridge 78, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 37 Aberdeen Central 57, O’Gorman 44 Alcester=Hudson 69, Burke 61 Avon 50, Andes Central/Dakota Christian 19 Brandon Valley 57, Harrisburg 44 Centerville 69, Scotland 33 Corsica-Stickney 65, Gayville-Volin 42 Estelline/Hendricks 84, Langford Area 47 Groton Area 60, Florence-Henry 27 Hamlin 71, Flandreau 42 Hettinger-Scranton (ND) 57, Lemmon 41 Hot Springs 51, Custer 47 Iroquois-Lake Preston 67, Elkton-Lake Benton 54 Mitchell 63, Watertown 47 Sioux Falls Lutheran 58, Wilmot 56 Sioux Falls Washington 39, Sioux Falls Jefferson 38 St. Thomas More 66, Hill City 31 Sturgis 53, Red Cloud 44 Tripp-Delmont/Armour 52, Freeman Academy/Marion 44 Wall 82, Newell 59 West Central 66, McCook Central-Montrose 47

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL Sioux Falls Washington 63, Sioux Falls Roosevelt 25 Sioux Falls Jefferson 51, Sioux Falls Lincoln 31

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY Oahe 8, Mitchell 3 Yankton 4, Brandon Valley 3 Sioux Falls 1 5, Sioux Center 1 Rushmore 9, Huron 1 Brookings 7, Watertown 0

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY Rushmore 10, Huron 1

SD MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL South Dakota State 91, Omaha 70 Denver 86, South Dakota 68 Sioux Falls 61, Augustana 60 Northern State 74, Minot State 71 Black Hills State 97, Adams State 78 Fort Lewis College 80, South Dakota Mines 69 Dakota Wesleyan 75, Concordia (NE) 72

SD WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL South Dakota State 87, Omaha 54 Denver 79, South Dakota 74 Augustana 76, Sioux Falls 47 Northern State 90, Minot State 54 Black Hills State 67, Adams State 60 South Dakota Mines 93, Fort Lewis College 73 Dakota Wesleyan 61, Concordia (NE) 54 College of St. Mary 58, Mount Marty 45

NHL Nashville 7, Florida 3 Colorado 4, St. Louis 1 Boston 6, New York Islanders 2 New Jersey 5, Pittsburgh 2 Columbus 4, Dallas 1 Toronto 5, Montreal 1 Carolina 4, Washington 1 Calgary 3, New York Rangers 2 (OT) Vancouver 6, Philadelphia 2 Arizona 6, Los Angeles 5 (SO) Buffalo 4, San Jose 2 Seattle 4, Detroit 2 Vegas 5, Tampa Bay 4

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL (1)Alabama 108, Georgia 59 (4)UCLA 78, California 43 (5)Kansas 87, (9)Baylor 71 (6)Texas 85, Oklahoma 83 (OT) (7)Virginia 57, Notre Dame 55 (8)Arizona 78, Colorado 68 Kentucky 66, (10)Tennessee 54 (12)Kansas State 61, (19)Iowa State 55 (13)Gonzaga 97, Pepperdine 88 (14)Indiana 71, Illinois 68 (15)Miami 96, Wake Forest 87 (16)Xavier 82, DePaul 68 (17)Saint Mary’s 71, BYU 65 (18)Creighton 77, St. John’s 67 (20)Connecticut 64, Seton Hall 55 (22)TCU 100, Oklahoma State 75 (24)Providence 85, Villanova 72

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL (6)Connecticut 60, (14)Villanova 51 (7)Iowa 80, Nebraska 60 (8)Maryland 66, Michigan State 61 (20)Gonzaga 65, Saint Mary’s 51 (22)Iowa State 81, Baylor 77 (2 OT)

The Master’s Academy 12, Lake Highland Prep 0

Buzz: Jackson Bellhorn pitched a complete game with 8 strikeouts for Master’s. Colby Cason went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI, Trey Seluk went 1-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI. Joey Talbot pitched 3 innings striking out 4 for the Highlanders. Jayden Summerville, John Talbot and Manny Soccarras each had 1 hit for Lake Highland Prep.

Geneva 4, Lake Mary Prep 3

Buzz: Caleb Juarbe went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI for the Knights.

Seven Rivers Christian 17, Real Life Christian Academy 0

Buzz: Nathan Tidwell went 2-for-4 with 6 RBI and a triple for Seven Rivers Christians. Palmer Looper went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 2 doubles.

Oviedo 8, Seminole 3

Buzz: Brody Pezza went 2-for-4, including a home run and 2 RBI for Oviedo. Kaiden Lopez went 1-for-3 with a 3-run home run. Robbie Mitchell struck out 8 in 5 innings to earn the win. Jalen Fox had a 2-run home run for Seminole.

Crooms Academy 13, Central Florida Christian Academy 3

Buzz: Joshua Speer had 3 RBI while Matthew Trapane went 3-for-4 with a double for the Panthers.

Hagerty 3, Lake Brantley 0

Buzz: Isaac Padilla went 1-for-3 with a double for the Patriots.

Lake Mary 15, Lyman 0

Buzz: Matt Shumate pitched 4 innings and had 8 strikeouts, while not allowing a hit. Andy Perez had 3 hits and Cam Williamson added 2 hits and 2 RBI for Lake Mary (5-1).

Lake Minneola 8, The VIllages Charter 0

Buzz: Ethan Diaz threw 5 scoreless innings, striking out 5 and earning the win for the Hawks. He also went 2-4 with an RBI and 2 runs. Ryan Paul threw 2 no-hit innings and struck out 2 for the save.

East River 6, Mount Dora Christian Academy 1

Buzz: Tyler Marczak pitched 5 innings, allowed 4 hits, an earned run and 6 strikeouts. Hunter Key went 2-for-4, while Ty Kennedy hit a solo home run for East River. Bryan Schutte went 3-for-4 for the Bulldogs.

Apopka 7, DeLand 5

Buzz: Jackson Adam went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and Cody McKinley went 2-for-3 scoring a run and an RBI for Apopka. Jeremy Wright went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI while Christopher Caruso went 3-for-4 and scored 2 runs for DeLand.

OTHER SCORES

St. Cloud 5, Liberty 1

Deltona 4, Matanzas 2

East Ridge 2, Leesburg 1

South Lake 3, Dr. Phillips 0

Pine Ridge 7, New Smyrna Beach 2

Tavares 7, Mount Dora 6

Timber Creek 2, Boone 1

Orange City University 9, Eustis 2

Celebration 8, Poinciana 2

First Baptist Christian Academy 15, Altamonte Christian 4

Wekiva 4, Windermere Prep 3

Lake Howell 10, Winter Springs 9

Kissimmee Osceola 12, Tohopekaliga 2

Cornerstone Charter Academy 9, Kissimmee Osceola 0

Buzz: Kenzie Boisvert went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI for the Ducks. Olivia Nogueras went 2-for 2 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI. Bekah Mitchell pitched a complete-game shutout, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. Jodee Matos had 2 hits for Osceola.

The Geneva School 15, Orangewood 4

Buzz: Emma Bastian and Chloe Incinelli had 3 hits and 2 RBI each for Geneva. Ava Colet added 4 RBI. Caroline Putt had 2 hits while McKaelyn Fowler had a triple for Orangewood.

Trinity Prep 7, Lake Highland Prep 1

Buzz: Anabelle Sharp went 2-for-3 for the Highlanders.

Bishop Moore 6, Olympia 0

Buzz: Riley Johnson 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI for the Hornets. Olivia Lenzen went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and a double.

The Villages Charter 7, Tavares 5

Buzz: Layla Farrish went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI for The Villages. Ella Thomas added 2 RBI.

Freedom 3, Wekiva 2

Buzz: Pahola Chavez went 1-for-3 with an RBI for the Mustangs.

East River 5, Colonial 1

Buzz: Catey Picone went 3-for-4 with a triple and 2 RBI for the Falcons. Eugenia McCormick went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Trinity Catholic 8, Mount Dora Christian Academy 7

Buzz: Emma Simms went 2-for-4 with a home run for Trinity Catholic. Brooke Moss went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI while Cora Welter 2-for-3 with a double for the Bulldogs.

OTHER SCORES

Foundation Academy 5, Lake Nona 0

Poinciana 23, Jones 1

Boone 18, Cypress Creek 0

Dr. Phillips 21, Gateway 4

Trinity Christian Academy 17, Edgewater 2

West Orange 9, East Ridge 8

Lake Brantley 9, Apopka 1

University Orange City 14, Matanzas 1

Oviedo 9, Winter Springs 3

South Lake 11, Forest 4

Mainland 3, New Smyrna Beach 0

Boone 13, Lake Brantley 10

Buzz: Gage Buttice had 6 goals, 1 assist and 2 steals for the Patriots.

OTHER SCORES

Land O’ Lakes 8, Foundation Academy 6

Lake Highland Prep 19, Lake Brantley 4

Winter Park 23, East River 1

Lake Nona 16, Freedom 1

Windermere 14, Edgewater 0

Lake Highland Prep 9, IMG Academy 8

Buzz: Izzy Hughes led the Highlanders with 3 goals while Molly Connolly added 2 goals.

OTHER SCORES

Lake Nona 12, St. Cloud 8

Celebration 24, East Ridge 16

Lake Howell 7, Winter Park 4

Hagerty 13, Bishop Moore 4

Apopka 16, Dr. Phillips 6

Horizon 19, Edgewater 10

Gateway 7, Osceola 0

Buzz: Danara Marcos won line No. 1 singles 9-7 against Karla Gomez. Anaila Cooks, Aurelia Cooks, Zulaika Hanafi and Karima Hanafi all won their matches 8-0 for Gateway.

Boone 11, Lake Brantley 3

Buzz: MJ Metzdorf had 16 blocks and 2 steals for the Patriots.

Boone 13, Lake Brantley 10

Olympia 3, Lake Highland Prep 0

Buzz: Olympia (1-0) defeated Lake Highland Prep (0-2) 25-19, 25-18, 25-15.

OTHER SCORES

Lake Buena Vista 3, Oak Ridge 0

St. Cloud 3, Poinciana 2

Bartram Trail 3, Celebration 1

Cypress Creek 3, Gateway 0

Spruce Creek 3, Lake Mary 1

Oviedo 3, Hagerty 2

Freedom 3, Colonial 0

Dr. Phillips 3, Boone 0

Lyman 3, Winter Springs 0

Colonial 13, Cypress Creek 6

Timber Creek 19, Freedom 0

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Apopka 13, Dr. Phillips 6

Eustis 14, Lake Minneola 7

Orange City University 6, Atlantic 0

Pine Ridge 15, Deltona 0

Kissimmee Osceola 25, Cornerstone Charter Academy 6

Timber Creek 19, Freedom 0

This report was first published at Orlandosentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

This week, Governor Ron DeSantis continued to visit areas impacted by Hurricane Ian and make major announcements related to storm recovery. The Governor announced the opening of the Sanibel Causeway for vehicle access and signed an Executive Order to extend the deadline for property taxes in areas impacted by Hurricane Ian. The Governor also announced that Florida Housing Finance Corporation is awarding $5 million to local housing partners to help Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian pay their home insurance deductibles and Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced awards totaling $4 million through the Florida Disaster Fund to support residents of Southwest Florida impacted by Hurricane Ian.

The US Army Corps of Engineers has extended the Operation Blue Roof application deadline through November 1, 2022. As of October 22, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has installed over 7,000 Blue Roofs for homeowners impacted by Hurricane Ian. The program is a free service that provides homeowners with a temporary solution to protect property and allows residents to remain in their home as they continue to recover from Hurricane Ian. This program is available for homeowners in Lee, Charlotte, DeSoto, Sarasota, and Collier counties. For more information, visit blueroof.us or call 1-888-ROOF-BLU.

The Florida Disaster Fund has raised nearly $50 million since activation. The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to provide financial assistance to our communities as they respond to and recover from times of emergency or disaster. To read more, click here. To contribute, visit www.FloridaDisasterFund.org or text DISASTER to 20222.

First Lady Casey DeSantis has worked to expand mental health in response to Hurricane Ian. The First Lady has also worked with the State Disaster Recovery Mental Health Coordinator, Sara Newhouse, to compile a comprehensive webpage of resources to help navigate available resources for mental health needs post hurricane. To visit the site, click here.

To guide Floridians looking for their next-steps as they rebuild, FloridaStormRelief.com serves as a one-stop-shop to navigate all available assistance. This webpage highlights the resources available through the state’s public and private partners, and faith-based organizations. Here you can find a step-by-step check list for Floridians recovering following Hurricane Ian, mental health resiliency resources and ways to help Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian. This website also has a list of resources available to help your business recover following the storm.

State response efforts include:

Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM)

Power

Internet Connectivity

Health and Human Services

Infrastructure

Roadways (state roads & interstates)

Mass Care

Law Enforcement

Private Sector Support

Florida Department of Education (DOE)

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

Licensing

Insurance

Florida Main Street Program

Elections Update

Search and Rescue