TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, FloridaCommerce announced more than $910 million in funding is available through four Rebuild Florida programs. Rebuild Florida programs connect eligible Floridians with disaster recovery funding and prioritize the most-impacted communities and the most vulnerable low-income individuals, including the elderly, those with disabilities and families with young children. These programs will help return Hurricane-Ian impacted Floridians to decent, safe, and sanitary homes, create new affordable workforce housing, and fund vital infrastructure projects.

“Thanks to the detailed feedback we received from over 40 meetings in all 24 impacted counties, 4 of which received their own direct federal allocations, Florida has prioritized housing for our neediest citizens and hazard mitigation infrastructure grants to support impacted communities following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian,”said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly.“I encourage Floridians to utilize these long-term recovery and disaster mitigation funds to rebuild and make their communities more resilient than ever before.”

Eligible counties include Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Seminole, and St. Johns. Please see below for more information on the programs and how to apply.

FloridaCommerce conducted a third-party, data-driven needs assessment and held more than 40 in-person meetings with citizens and stakeholders to accurately determine the unmet needs in Hurricane Ian-impacted communities. The data and information collected through these efforts concluded that the available funding is not sufficient to meet all needs in the impacted areas. Florida’s state action plan for disaster recovery aims to maximize the available funding to serve the communities and homeowners with the most urgent needs and is scalable in the event additional funding becomes available in the future.

Four counties, Lee, Orange, Sarasota, and Volusia received direct federal allocations and have submitted 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.

Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program for Hurricane Ian Recovery

There is $542 million available through the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program for Hurricane Ian Recovery (HRRP) to repair or replace Hurricane Ian-damaged homes, including mobile homes. Households with one or more of the characteristics identified below will be prioritized and processed in the order that they completed an application.

• Households with seniors aged 62 and above
• Households with children under the age of 18
• Households with special needs or special accommodation requirements

Eligible individuals are encouraged to apply for the program by visiting Ian.RebuildFlorida.gov.

Additionally, FloridaCommerce continues to maximize every available dollar to help meet the needs of Florida homeowners impacted by Hurricane Irma. The Multiple Impact Program prioritizes vulnerable homeowners who have suffered damage from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Ian.

There is $120 million allocated for the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian Multiple Impact Program (MIP). At-risk and vulnerable populations with the greatest needs will be prioritized.

For more information, please visit the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian webpage or email CDBG-DR@Commerce.fl.gov.

Rebuild Florida Workforce Affordable Housing Construction Program for Hurricane Ian Recovery

FloridaCommerce, in partnership with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC), has launched the Rebuild Florida Workforce Affordable Housing Construction Program to provide $100 million for the construction of new affordable workforce housing to fund 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. The Request for Applications for this program along with workshop notices and other information is posted onFlorida Housing's website .

Rebuild Florida Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program for Hurricane Ian Recovery

There is $82 million available through the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program (HMGMP) to construct, 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 percent. FloridaCommerce administers the local match portion of the HMGP funding to complete necessary and significant infrastructure projects that they may not otherwise have the monetary means to complete. Applications to the Rebuild Florida HMGMP are limited to entities that have been awarded HMGP funding through FDEM and are located in areas the state of Florida and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have designated as being Most Impacted and Distressed (MID).

For more information, please visit the Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian webpage or email CDBG-DR@Commerce.fl.gov.

Funding for the program is allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. The Department is the governor-designated state authority responsible for administering all HUD long-term recovery funds awarded to the state. Rebuild Florida uses federal funding for Florida’s long-term recovery efforts from the devastating impacts of natural disasters.

For more information, please visit the Rebuild FloridaHurricane Ian webpageor email CDBG-DR@Commerce.fl.gov.

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