Helping More Floridians Repair and Rebuild Homes Damaged by Hurricane Irma
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) today announced an additional $157 million for Rebuild Florida, totaling federal disaster recovery funding to $773 million for the program. Rebuild Florida, run by DEO in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a long-term recovery effort to repair and rebuild the homes of Florida families that were significantly damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma.
This program was announced jointly by Governor Rick Scott and HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson in June and will connect eligible Floridians with federal disaster recovery funding, prioritizing most-impacted communities and the most vulnerable low-income individuals, including the elderly, those with disabilities and families with young children. New funding will extend the federally designated, most impacted and distressed areas to include Clay, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Osceola counties. Also included are ZIP codes 32145 and 32084 in St. Johns County, 32771 in Seminole County, 33935 and 33440 in Hendry County, 33825 and 33870 in Highlands County and 33523 in Pasco County.
DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Families all across our state are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irma. Due to Governor Scott’s leadership and our team’s dedication, we have secured this additional funding which allows us to repair and rebuild more homes for additional families across the state. We want to encourage anyone who was impacted by Hurricane Irma to contact the Rebuild Florida team.”
Earlier this year, funding for Rebuild Florida was announced jointly by Governor Rick Scott and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, and the program was launched by DEO in September. The long-term recovery effort connects eligible Floridians in the most-impacted communities with federal disaster recovery funding. This funding prioritizes the most vulnerable low-income households, including seniors age 62 and older, families 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.
Rebuild Florida centers are open across the state to serve as local resources for homeowners to begin the disaster recovery process. Centers are open Monday through Saturday with case managers available to help homeowners complete the registration process before the December 23 deadline. Assistance is available through Rebuild Florida mobile bus units that travel throughout designated counties and make scheduled stops. Homeowners can also visit RebuildFlorida.gov or call the Rebuild Florida customer center at 844-833-1010 to receive assistance.
About DEO
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.
