Senator Simon gives Idalia relief update at Chamber luncheon

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Hurricane Idalia bumped the regular luncheon meeting of the Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce one week later than usual, to Tuesday, Sept. 12. Whatever Florida District 3 Senator Corey Simon might have planned to say as the guest speaker on the original date, the focus of his delayed talk naturally came to center instead on the hurricane response.
Chamber President Roger Champion introduced Simon, noting he was born in the Miami neighborhood of North Beach, Fla. Simon rose to local fame for his athletic accomplishments at the Florida State University, including being a member of the 1999 National Championship team. In the 2000 NFL draft he was selected sixth overall to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. During his professional football career, he also won a Superbowl while playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Simon has a not-for-profit foundation called Corey's Kids that mentors children in North Florida who are part of the foster care system. He's coached at Maclay school and played an active role in his local church. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to be the CEO of Volunteer Florida. In 2022, District 3 of the Florida Senate elected him to represent 13 counties in North Florida. He's been selected as chairman of the Pre-K through 12 Education Committee and sits on nine other Senate committees. In addition, Simon serves as Athletic Alumni Engagement and Development Director for FSU's Football Boosters Program. He resides in Tallahassee with his wife, Natasha, and son, C.J.
“It's good to be here, after the week and a half that all of us have had, it's good to be able to laugh a little bit, smile a little bit, because we're still here…”
Simon noted that in the 13 counties he represents, many were very hard hit, including Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Hamilton and Lafayette.
“All lost power, many of them totally, but we're still standing,” he said. “I wanted to touch on a few things on just what's out there, resources that's available for you, and encourage you all to take advantage of these resources. Going in to the storm, we struggled. Twelve out of my 13 counties are all fiscally restrained. And so we struggled going in to the storm. As we come out of the storm, what it did was highlight those struggles to a greater degree.”
Simon described how emergency management teams in Lafayette and Suwannee counties had to relocate during the storm because their buildings might not hold up to the strength of the storm.
“That concerns me,” he said. “That concerns me greatly because the command center, the place that's set up to be able to handle all the response efforts to a storm, are the places we have to preserve in the midst of it.”
Simon promised that he was making significant asks of his colleagues in the Florida Legislature as a result.
“In the words of [University of Colorado coach] Deion Sanders, 'We're coming,'” he said. “...When I start asking, the numbers are going to be big, because the problems are big, and they are not just problems caused by a storm. It's problems caused by years of neglect and not being seen, and oftentimes they are not being seen because we are not saying anything. Now is the time I need you to ask... so that we can build back a stronger North Florida.”
He was referring to the opportunity that local governments and organizations have to fill out appropriations forms for the Florida House and Senate, requesting state funding for a project. Forms are being circulated now, ahead of committee meetings that take place beginning the second week of October.
Simon went on to discuss resources available now as part of the emergency response, including Florida Commerce, FEMA and SBA.
“Apply, apply, apply,” he encouraged. “Even if you don't see the damage right now, you never know what's going to pop up. Go ahead and get the claim number, and we'll fight the battle on the other end if and when something happens. We're going to try to get back as quickly as we can.”
Simon concluded with remarks about how he is looking forward to his continued work in the Florida Senate.
“I look forward to representing you all. It has really been a joy this past year. It has gone by so quickly, but I think we've got a tough road ahead. I want to be there to make sure we get all that we deserve through this process.”