ORLANDO, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity opened the Orange County Rebuild Florida Center to help Florida homeowners repair, rebuild or replace homes that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Even before Hurricane Irma’s landfall, we began working with our partners to map out Florida’s long-term recovery needs. We are committed to helping families rebuild their lives and homes, especially our most vulnerable populations.”

Rebuild Florida, a program of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, will connect eligible Florida homeowners with federal disaster recovery funding to repair and rebuild homes. The program will initially serve those in the federally designated most impacted and distressed areas.

Rep. Mike Miller said, “Orlando families have been recovering from Hurricane Irma for the past year, but there are still families in our area with homes in need of repair. Rebuild Florida will help these families repair and rebuild their homes that are still damaged from the worst natural disaster Florida has seen in more than a decade.”

Rep. Bobby Olszewski said, “Hurricane Irma left a devastating impact on our community. Rebuild Florida is providing much-needed access to funding to help Floridians in Orlando recover. We appreciate Governor Scott and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for their efforts in securing this funding for Floridians across the state.” 

In these hardest-hit communities, funding will prioritize the most vulnerable populations, including low-income households with seniors age 62 and older, households with children age 5 or younger, individuals with disabilities and those displaced from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands who are permanently resettling in Florida. Owners of rental properties also may qualify if they are renting to low or moderate-income Floridians.

The Orange County Rebuild Florida center will serve as a local resource for homeowners to begin the disaster recovery process. The center will be open Monday through Saturday so case managers can help homeowners complete the 15-30 minute registration process. Homeowners have until December 23 to begin the registration process. The center is located at 6101 Chancellor Drive, Suite 100-B in Orlando. Homeowners may also visit RebuildFlorida.gov or call the Rebuild Florida customer center at 844-833-1010 to receive assistance with registration.

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