~ Prioritizing Housing and Hazard Mitigation Infrastructure Grants to Support Impacted Communities ~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, FloridaCommerce announced the approval of the State of Florida’s Action Plan for Hurricane Ian Recovery from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Action Plan outlines the administration of over $910 million in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program funding for long-term recovery efforts for 20 Hurricane Ian-impacted counties. The program will prioritize housing repair and replacement to support impacted families and Hazard Mitigation Infrastructure Grants to support community resilience. 

“The impacts of Hurricane Ian are still being felt across Florida communities and this approval is another step towards restarting a sense of normalcy for impacted Floridians and their communities,” said FloridaCommerce Secretary, J. Alex Kelly. “We will continue to expedite disaster recovery assistance for Floridians, and we encourage impacted residents to submit a pre-assessment survey for the housing repair and replacement program."

Residents impacted by Hurricane Ian can take the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian Housing Repair and Replacement Program (HRRP) Assessment. This is the first step in the application process for homeowners interested in applying for the funding allocated to Florida for disaster recovery and mitigation following Hurricane Ian. Assessment responses will help FloridaCommerce identify potential applicants and determine outstanding needs of homeowners impacted by Hurricane Ian. Applicants may receive an invitation to apply for assistance based on their responses.

This funding will support long-term resiliency and mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ian in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole and St. Johns Counties. Four counties, Lee, Orange, Sarasota, and Volusia received direct federal allocations and will each submit action plans to HUD for separate review. Lee County will receive more than $1.1 billion, Volusia County will receive more than $328 million for disaster recovery and mitigation efforts, Orange County will receive more than $219 million, Sarasota County will receive more than $201 million.

Florida’s Action Plan for Hurricane Ian Recovery Timeline: 

• On March 15, 2023, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that the state of Florida will receive more than $910 million in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to support long-term resiliency and mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ian in Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole and St. Johns counties.
• In May 2023, Florida received the additional instructions from HUD on how to develop the plan.
• From May through July, 2023, to create Florida’s state action plan FloridaCommerce hosted a total of 40 citizen and stakeholder workshops, visiting every impacted county in the state at least once. These workshops gave FloridaCommerce valuable insight into the needs of these communities as they continue the hurricane recovery process.
• On July 13, 2023, FloridaCommerce posted the Hurricane Ian Draft Action Plan for public comment, which closed on August 12, 2023. 
• In July 2023, FloridaCommerce also actively collaborated with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, and Florida Housing Finance Corporation in the development of the Hurricane Ian Draft Action Plan.
• On September 13, 2023, FloridaCommerce submitted the State of Florida Action Plan for Hurricane Ian Recovery to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) ahead of schedule. 
• On November 9, 2023, HUD approved FloridaCommerce’s Action Plan for Hurricane Ian Recovery.