FEMADR-1539-FLMajor disasterDeclared August 13, 2004
DR-1539-FL: Florida Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley
FEMA made a major disaster declaration for Florida (DR-1539-FL) on August 13, 2004 for the incident of August 11, 2004 to August 30, 2004; it covers 67 designated areas. FEMA had approved $209.0 million for 116,215 households through the Individuals and Households Program (as of October 1, 2026) and obligated $619.5 million in Public Assistance (as of May 17, 2026).
The declaration
- Declaration
- DR-1539-FL (also written FEMA-1539-DR)
- Type
- Major disaster declaration
- State
- Florida
- Incident
- Hurricane: Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley
- Incident period
- August 11, 2004 to August 30, 2004
- Declared
- August 13, 2004
- Programs declared
- Individuals and Households, Individual Assistance (the older program, flagged until 2008), Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation
- FEMA region
- 4
- Place in the year
- the first of 4 major disaster declarations for Florida in 2004
- Status
- open (not yet closed out by FEMA)
- Registration deadline (individual help)
- February 28, 2005
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Which areas are covered, and for what?
| Designated area | Individuals and Households | Individual Assistance (older program) | Public Assistance | Hazard Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Baker (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bay (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Bradford (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Brevard (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broward (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Calhoun (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Charlotte (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Citrus (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Clay (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Collier (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Columbia (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| DeSoto (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dixie (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Duval (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Escambia (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Flagler (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Franklin (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Gadsden (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Gilchrist (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Glades (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gulf (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Hamilton (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Hardee (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hendry (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hernando (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Highlands (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hillsborough (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Holmes (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Indian River (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jackson (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Jefferson (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Lafayette (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Lake (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lee (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leon (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Levy (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Liberty (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Madison (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Manatee (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Marion (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Martin (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Miami-Dade (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Monroe (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nassau (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Okaloosa (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Okeechobee (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Orange (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Osceola (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Palm Beach (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Pasco (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pinellas (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Polk (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Putnam (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Santa Rosa (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Sarasota (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Seminole (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Johns (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| St. Lucie (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Sumter (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Suwannee (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Taylor (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Union (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Volusia (County) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wakulla (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Walton (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Washington (County) | — | — | Yes | Yes |
An area can be added to a declaration after the first day, or have a program added: this table is FEMA's current list.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
How much has FEMA approved?
116,215households approved for help (IHP)
$209.0 millionIndividuals and Households Program approved
$91.7 millionof it for housing
$117.2 millionof it for other needs
$619.5 millionPublic Assistance obligated
$87.6 millionHazard Mitigation Grant Program obligated
Individual assistance figures as of October 1, 2026, public assistance as of May 17, 2026. FEMA updates both as applications are decided.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2); FEMA, OpenFEMA FEMA Web Disaster Summaries (v1). Data as of September 29, 2026.
Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). Data as of September 29, 2026.
FEMA's page for this declaration
FEMA's own page for this declaration is fema.gov/disaster/1539. AreaZine is not FEMA and cannot answer questions about an application. Registration for individual help closed on February 28, 2005.