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Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tampa leaders approve $3.2M in funding to help homeowners recover from hurricanes
The Brief Four months since Hurricane Milton destroyed lives across Tampa Bay, many residents are still trying to recover. The Tampa City Council approved $3.2 million in aid for homeowners still trying to rebuild their homes. Many city officials are saying more needs to be done. TAMPA, Fla. - It's been almost four months since Hurricane Milton destroyed lives across Tampa Bay. It came on the heels of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the region as a whole. Dig deeper On Thursday, the Tampa City Council unanimously approved a little more than $3.2 million in funding from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program to help homeowners recover from the storms. "We have a lot of residents who are paying two rents," Abbye Feeley, the Development and Economic Opportunity administrator, said. "Or, they're paying their mortgage, and then they're paying to stay somewhere else. So, this will allow for mortgage assistance up to $5,000." The backstory The funding is aimed at helping homeowners with mortgage payments, home repairs, and insurance deductibles. "If you hired a contractor, you already paid for your repairs, you permitted them, you'll be able to get some reimbursement for that," Feeley said. The city says homeowners can apply for up to $5,000 in mortgage assistance, $20,000 in home repair assistance and $10,000 in insurance deductible reimbursement. It says each eligible household will be able to receive up to $20,000 in total. Although councilors unanimously approved the funding, they voiced frustrations about the need for more funding and an expedited process. "It's taken us 125 days to get here for $3 million," Councilor Luis Viera said. Viera has pushed for more hurricane recovery resources and funding, particularly for neighborhoods in North Tampa and the university area. Big picture view Many people are still displaced from their homes, and some cannot afford to rebuild and move back into their homes. "The people that I talked to, they're really going through hell, still," Viera said. The storm damage is spread throughout the city. After Hurricane Milton, neighborhoods around Port Tampa were also underwater. City leaders questioned how thin the funding could be spread. "It's not enough," Councilor Bill Carlson said. "It's barely going to touch anybody." Carlson also emphasized the need to rebuild stronger to help prevent this type of hurricane damage in the future. "We've got to put every dollar we can towards maintenance because even if we pay for people to renovate their homes, floods are going to come right back in and hit them," Carlson said. "We've got to fix the underlying problem." What's next City leaders hope this funding is a step toward rebuilding and recovery, which will take much longer. Councilor Lynn Hurtak also pressed city officials on how soon homeowners would be able to access the funding. "A timeline for how long it will take," Hurtak said. "This partner had to come up with a phone number for folks to reach out to, because the question I keep getting asked is, 'What's next?'" City officials say they're working to create a pre-application screening process for residents and a phone number people can call to get information about the funding. They also say they're working to designate a space where people can visit in person to get information or apply for funding. They hope to have information on the funding and how to apply for it by mid-March. City leaders recommend that people organize documents such as mortgage information, income statements, pay stubs, and receipts. The Source FOX 13's Kylie Jones collected the information in this story. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tampa makes $3.2 million fund available to those impacted by hurricanes
City officials unanimously approved using $3.2 million to make up to $20,000 in grants available to income-eligible households impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton. The funds come through a partnership with the State Housing Initiatives Partnership and the private company ICF, and are expected to reach anywhere from 160-642 impacted residents. Residents will soon be able to apply for up to $20,000 for home repair reimbursement, including debris removal; up to $10,000 for insurance deductible assistance; and up to $5,000 for mortgage or utility assistance for those who were displaced or lost work. Thirty percent of the funds will be set aside for those earning 50% or less than the annual median income. Another 30% will be set aside for residents earning 80% or less than the annual median income, while the remainder will go to those earning at or below 140% of the annual median income. For a single person, 50% of the median would be an annual income of $33,450, 80% would be $53,500 and 140% would $93,660. Residents are urged to collect pay stubs or income statements, receipts for repair work and other proof of financial hardship. Abbye Feeley, the city's Development and Economic Opportunity administrator, said a public-facing portal where residents can apply would be open no later than April 1. 'I don't want to put out something that's half-baked because that's not fair to our residents,' she said. Council member Luis Viera reminded the council that he raised the idea of making additional funds available to residents the week after Hurricane Milton. He said the funds are a good start but that more is needed. 'This should really just be the beginning of our commitment that we're going to have to this area to assist them again,' he said. Council member Bill Carlson also called the funds a good 'symbolic gesture,' but said they weren't enough. 'It's barely going to touch anybody,' he said. '...Even if we pay to renovate people's homes, the floods are going to come right back. We've got to fix the underlying problems.' Carlson said the city should look to start securing other sources of funding. Council member Lynn Hurtak said at a future workshop, the council planned to examine unused funds from the past budget year and hoped to be able to contribute more to this effort.
