Focus on unmet recovery needs
The state of Florida is making more funding available to help individuals, families, and businesses impacted by 2022’s Hurricane Ian, the costliest storm in Florida history. The state Department of Commerce announced last week that it will make more than $910 million available to help with continued recovery, as well as mitigation against future storms. Priority will go to the most-impacted communities and the most vulnerable low-income individuals, including the elderly, disabled, and families with young children.
More than 40 post-storm meetings in all 24 impacted counties, along with a third-party data assessment, determined there were unmet needs from initial response and recovery programs. “These efforts concluded that the available funding is not sufficient to meet all needs in the impacted areas,” according to FloridaCommerce, as the Department is referred to.
Most of the $910 million will be available through the following four Rebuild Florida programs:
- $542 million from the Housing Repair and Replacement Program (HRRP) will be available to repair or replace Hurricane Ian-damaged homes, including mobile homes. Households with seniors 62+ years-old, children under 18 years-old, or with special needs or accommodation requirements will receive priority.
- $120 million from the Multiple Impact Program (MIP) will be prioritized for at-risk and vulnerable populations with the greatest needs.
- $100 million from the newly-created Workforce Affordable Housing Construction Program will be available in partnership with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). Its goal is to build new affordable workforce housing to promote the creation of high-quality, resilient and affordable housing units in Hurricane-Ian impacted areas. FHFC will launch a competitive application cycle, allowing housing developers and public housing authorities with experience in the development and management of rental properties to apply for funding.
- $82 million from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program (HMGMP) will be available to build, rehabilitate, and harden critical infrastructure to support recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Ian, prioritizing rural communities. Eligible entities must have previously been awarded HMGP funding through the Florida Department of Emergency Management, which requires a local match of 25%. This money will go toward that local match portion to complete necessary and significant infrastructure projects that local communities may not have the means to complete on their own. Funding for this is from federal HUD CDBG-DR grants.
Additionally, in the past few months, four of the 24 impacted counties have received direct federal allocations – Lee ($1.1 billion), Volusia ($328 million), Orange ($219), and Sarasota ($201 million) – and have submitted action plans to HUD for separate review.
Hurricane Ian is the costliest Florida hurricane ever and third costliest in U.S. history. The high-end Category 4 storm caused an estimated $109.5 billion in damage in Florida, including insured and uninsured losses. It was responsible for 66 direct deaths and another 90 indirect deaths in Florida from the catastrophic storm surge, damaging winds, and historic freshwater flooding across much of central and northern Florida.
LMA Newsletter of 4-8-24
