Property owners may apply for assistance to reduce damage caused by natural disasters
Five months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, home repairs continue across Hillsborough County. Many homeowners are considering mitigation improvements to make their structures more resilient to natural disasters. The Florida Division of Emergency Management realizes these upgrades come with a cost and has developed a first-of-its-kind statewide residential mitigation assistance program called Elevate Florida.
Cost-share platform
Elevate Florida is funded by Federal grants and will cover at least 75% of a mitigation project’s cost. The property owner is responsible for 25% of the cost. This cost-share platform includes the initial inspection, total construction cost, and relocation expenses during construction.
After the initial inspection and review period, approved property owners will receive a complete breakdown of the construction cost-share and can decide if they want to move forward with the project.
Eligible mitigation projects
- Wind mitigation – structure updates to reduce the risk of future wind damage. May include alterations to roofs, windows, doors, or other vulnerable areas of the structure.
- Structure elevation – physically raising an existing home or structure.
- Mitigation reconstruction – the construction of a new, elevated, and code compliant structure on the site where an existing structure was partially or completely destroyed or demolished.
- Acquisition/Demolition - homeowners voluntarily sell their structure to be maintained by the local community as open space. The local community must agree to this project type.
Project timeline
There are five project stages with the following estimated time periods:
- Stage 1 (less than one week) - Application Submittal
- Stage 2 (one to four months) - Application review
- Stage 3 (two to three months) - Decision and approval
- Stage 4 (three to nine months) - Construction
- Stage 5 (one to three months) - Closeout
*Timelines vary based on project type and some projects could take up to two years.
Program benefits
- Cost-share platform provides significant savings to homeowners
- May increase property value and reduce insurance premiums
- Elevate Florida will provide end to end assistance – construction, contractor services, temporary housing support and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accommodations
Elevate Florida eligibility
- U.S. Citizen
- 18 years old or older
- Be the legal property owner of a residential property in Florida
- Contribute to a portion of the project’s total cost
More information, how to apply, questions, and assistance
- For more information, visit FloridaDisaster.org
- Create an account and complete an application on the Elevate Florida Portal
- For questions, technical assistance, or application support, submit a “Contact Us” form on the Elevate Florida Portal, email info@elevatefl.org, or call (877) 353-8835 (877-ELEV8FL) Monday – Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM