Latest news with #ElevateFlorida
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Congresswoman calls on federal government amid cuts and start of 2025 hurricane season
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – One congresswoman said the federal government has taken a chainsaw to federal agencies that help you before, during, and after a hurricane. 'Right now, I cannot report that the federal government is there in every way that they were there last hurricane season, unfortunately,' said Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14). Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Castor said the federal government has taken a chainsaw to federal agencies that forecast, track, and respond to hurricanes. In addition, she does not have the confidence that FEMA will be there like they were following Debbie, Helene, and Milton. Castor called it new territory. 'I've never seen it this bad before, and I've lived here for 40 years,' said Nancy Biddle, St. Pete Beach homeowner. NHC watching area off Florida coast for potential tropical development Inspectors have determined Biddle will need to make major changes to storm-proof her St. Pete Beach property against future hurricanes. She applied for the Elevate Florida program in February. She is waiting to hear if help is on the way or if funding cuts could leave her high and dry.'The back and forth whether FEMA should exist at all, does not lend itself having full confidence that they are going to be the partner on the ground that we saw in the aftermath of Helene and Milton,' Castor said. The congresswoman is looking to local leaders to build confidence that the help people need will be there is hurricane season, but she said it's not enough as Floridians, like Biddle, are still waiting for assistance.'This, unfortunately, is reflected in the monies that they are withholding from local communities like St. Pete, Pinellas, Tampa, and Hillsborough as well,' Castor state is relying on $400 million in federal funds to pay for Elevate Florida, which stopped accepting new applications on April 11, citing funding limitations. That same day, the Federal Emergency Management Agency eliminated $300 million in funding for another program meant to help make communities across Florida less vulnerable to storms. It was called the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, or BRIC. In a statement, a FEMA spokesperson wrote: 'The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.''FEMA can be more efficient, but calls to eliminate it and then to take a chainsaw 2,000 experts who understand how to respond to disasters across the country… this is new territory,' said is running out for Biddle.'If this, as the government program has ended, we're kind of right back where we started,' said Biddle. As of last month, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Elevate Florida had not yet been funded. FEMA has not yet responded to our requests about Castor's comments. 8 On Your Side also reached out for comment to Rep. Gus Bilirakis' (R-FL) office about the federal cuts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
On the Gulf Coast, homes are being elevated. When will the rest of Florida follow?
Once the hydraulic jacks were moved underneath the slab, Dr. Meghan Martin's home rose higher and higher – 12 inches at a time, level on a grid of wooden beams. Within a mere seven hours, her 1960s, ranch-style house was 12 feet up in the air. 'It was very surreal,' Martin, an emergency care pediatrician in St. Petersburg who has shared her experience of flooding three times in just four years with her more than 2 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, said. The videos she's now posted of her home elevation project, she told the Herald, don't do it justice, because 'it's just so high.' With hurricane season around the corner, Martin is visibly relieved that her home and her family – her husband, four kids and three cats – are now out of the flood plain. To stay safe from future storm surges and flooding, millions across Florida will need to follow suit. Florida already has more properties at risk of flooding than in any other state, and rising sea levels, increasingly more intense hurricanes and storm surges are making matters worse. Experts across real estate, construction, disaster preparedness, resilience and public and elected officials agree that Florida's future is in the air. This year, the state launched Elevate Florida, offering roughly $400 million in federal funding for residential mitigation, including raising an existing structure. 'If you don't adapt these buildings, they're not gonna make it,' says Roderick Scott, a flood hazard mitigation specialist who's been lifting homes since Hurricane Katrina kicked off the industry in New Orleans. Experts argue that real estate prices in Florida have been propped up — at least in part— by what they call a 'climate denial bubble,' which has been valued in the billions. At some point, though, non-elevated buildings will start to devalue, while insurance costs will continue to rise across the state, whether a certain building has already flooded or not. The task at hand, however, is nothing but formidable: While neither FEMA nor the state provide figures on how many homes will need to be elevated, Scott puts the estimate at as many as 2 million buildings. Roughly two-thirds of them – some 1.3 million – are private homes. Statewide, little progress has been made. High costs, a lack of contractors, questions over permitting, and a market that incentivizes rebuilding without elevating, have led areas like Miami-Dade to instead focus on improving drainage systems or building sea walls. Such mitigation efforts, while part of the solution, will fail to protect properties from the several feet high storm surges that a hurricane can generate. But on the other side of the state, in areas like Tampa Bay, Hurricanes Helene and Milton triggered a dramatic pivot. The two storms combined led to about 334,000 residential property insurance claims, according to February 2025 data by Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation, many of them in areas that were hit by particularly high storm surge. Since then, home elevations have surged. 'The increase is significant – it's actually unbelievable,' said Jeff Trosclair, CEO of JAS Builders, one of the few Florida contractors with experience in home elevation. Trosclair and his partners now raise 15 to 20 homes each month, more than ten times the pre-Helene and Milton average. At one point, demand was so intense the traffic flood took out the company's website. 'That's just something that a construction company doesn't generally experience very often,' he said. Most of his clients are in Pinellas and Hillsborough county, among last year's hardest-hit areas. The city of St. Petersburg, which used to issue an average of fewer than three home elevation permits annually, confirmed that Helene and Milton led to a sudden spike in applications, with 14 permits issue since last year, and another 12 pending from this year already. 'It's an expensive venture' That sudden demand came from communities like low-lying Shore Acres, where the Martins bought a house just big enough to fit their four kids and three cats. They closed on the $260,000 steal nine years ago, having checked with neighbors that the area had never flooded. The only flood insurance record Dr. Martin's husband could find dated some 25 years back. They spent some $80,000 on renovations and assumed they could handle the risk of a little flooding every few decades. But in recent years, repeated flooding from both named hurricanes and no-name storms fundamentally changed the community. When the Herald visited just after Helene, the streets were lined with waterlogged sofas and children's beds. Among Dr. Martin's personal losses: a Santa Claus cross-stitch from her late grandfather, who had inspired her to become a doctor. 'It's just so terrible to lose everything, to have everything in your house just completely water logged and dirty,' she told the Herald. At least three houses on her block have already been elevated, she said, and about six more are in the process within the neighborhood. Another dozen are hoping to get started soon. Friends across the region, she says, are thinking about it. Dr. Martin and her husband had already decided to raise their home after Hurricane Idalia flooded their home in 2023, just three years after they'd recovered from Eta. Each time documenting the devastation and emotional loss on social media. 'It's an expensive venture,' she told the Herald of the $400,000 price tag. Yet even considering that they're still paying off their mortgage, flood and homeowner's insurance, as well as the cost of renting a place while their home is being renovated, it's the cheapest option. A new house in a safer area around St. Pete would have cost them well above $1 million, while building a new, elevated house would have cost around $700,000. The Martins picked the most experienced of the five contractors and got to work on a plan. The ground floor would be raised by a foot – still uninsurable, but useful for storage. Electrical wiring and outlets will be installed only on the 10-foot-high ceilings, and the space will be used for their two minivans, kids' bikes, and general storage. When they submitted their request in June 2024, they were hoping that their home would be elevated in time to survive the next storm surge. The process, however, was 'arduous' and 'very frustrating,' Dr. Martin told the Herald. In August, Dr. Martin says, the permitting office responded with a laundry list of still missing documents and plans. Each time they submitted additional documents, more requests followed. Home elevation applications are already prioritized, the city said, though they're working to improve the process, including by streamlining the zoning review process for flood mitigation. Some have taken less than two months, others, like the Martin's, closer to a year. 'It's very frustrating, all of the things they could have given us in the beginning,' Martin said. A month later, Hurricane Helene flooded their home for a third time. This time, 89 percent of the property's value was destroyed. Whether they'd wanted to or not, they'd now need to elevate their home, as FEMA stipulates that houses with damage exceeding half their value be torn down and rebuilt to the newest standards. Trosclair said that some of his customers are elevating to comply with this so-called '50 percent rule' while others are preemptively raising their homes because they understand that climate change is making storms more severe. Since Helene and Milton, homeowners have been asked to include estimates for budget items that used to fall under the table, like the cost of wall paint. It's a different story in Miami-Dade and along most of Florida's east coast. Raising pre-existing homes is still rare, in part because the region has recently been spared the devastation the Gulf Coast endured. The priority, Scott said, should be elevating homes out of harm's way. Anything short of that simply won't cut it, he said. 'People who think they can stop flooding are delusional - they are not living in the real world,' he said. Challenges of elevating in Florida Like the regions affected by super storms Katrina and Sandy, Florida will need to grow a safe and solid home elevation industry – the sooner, the better. Contractors who execute the job will need to be aware of Florida's unique challenges, Trosclair said. First, there's the sandy soil, which requires special piles to secure the house. Then, there's the low-quality construction. Unlike in New Orleans, where most homes sit on a thick, solid footing of more than 30 inches, foundations in Florida are often just 4 inches thick. Rebars were 'thrown in the dirt' and, decades later, have 'all rusted out,' said Trosclair, who grew up in Louisiana, and first got exposed to home elevation after Hurricane Katrina. The slimmer foundation slab can't hold the weight of the house once it's in the air, making it necessary to reinforce it with steel. On average, raising a home in Florida costs 30 percent more than elsewhere, Trosclair said. The incredibly high expense has many homeowners holding out for Elevate Florida funding. Though the $400 million in federal grants is a step in the right direction, even spending all of it on raising ranch-style, slab-on-grade homes like the Martins' would only elevate about 1,000 homes. That's only about .1 percent of the 1.3 million private homes Scott estimates might need to be raised statewide. Martin and her family felt they couldn't wait that long. They secured a low-interest loan instead, and, with hurricane season just around the corner and still no permit in sight, they gave their contractor the go ahead. 'We decided to raise it up, without a permit,' she told her followers. They did get a code violation, but finally secured their permit in April. 'Congratulations…application has passed the plan review process,' her husband read in a social media video, while she's smiling next to him on the couch in their three-bedroom rental. Her followers, who've mostly come for the medical advice she shared with a no-nonsense approach, have been cheering her on. 'Congratulations on minimizing future flood damage!!,' one follower, who raised their own Connecticut home after Hurricane Sandy, wrote. By the time Dr. Martin and her family return home, it may be early 2026. They still need stairs and must complete interior renovations. But by next hurricane season, they'll be 11 feet above their flood-prone neighborhood – perhaps even high enough to glimpse Tampa Bay – posting medical advice, not storm loss updates. As one follower commented: 'Peace out flooding.' This climate report is funded by Florida International University, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all content. If you have questions for the climate team, please email climate@
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Florida's Elevate Florida program in jeopardy?
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — For Floridians who've faced repeated flooding, the state offered a possible solution: make their homes more storm-resistant with financial help from the new Elevate Florida program. But how likely are some of those hurricane-stricken homeowners to get the help they need? Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The deadline to apply for the Elevate Florida program was in April. People like Nancy Biddle, who owns property in St. Pete beach, are waiting to hear if help is on the way or if funding cuts could leave them high and dry. News article leads to another charge against former New College official: MCSO 'The front two apartments they would become garage and storage, and then the second flood would be built above it which would be the new apartments,' Biddle said. Last year's hurricane season left Biddle with a hefty bill. Biddle owned three apartments in St. Pete Beach. Biddle's sister lived in one; she rented out the other two. Now, she needs to get all three repaired, but because of the damage done, code inspectors have determined she will need to make major changes to stormproof them against future hurricanes. The cost of making those improvements is not cheap. 'Right around $400,000,' she said. That's why Biddle was thrilled to hear about the launch of Elevate Florida — a program designed to help people that need to do more than just fix what's broken. They need to renovate their properties, sometimes even redesign them completely to raise them above flood waters or storm surge. 'I just thought that is fabulous,' Biddle said. 'The state is doing something to help people.' Kevin Guthrie is the executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In March, Guthrie told 8 On Your Side that the goal of Elevate Florida was to start raising homes in flood-prone areas by this summer. 'Not only is it going to help get people out of the floodway, by getting them out of the floodway, that's going to reduce their flood insurance premiums,' Guthrie said. In Nancy Biddle's case, the program could cover at least 75% of the cost to raise her apartments. If she is approved. Biddle applied Feb. 14 and has been waiting ever since. 'I got an email once it's in process, but I haven't heard anything from the lease at least three months,' she said. The state is relying on $400 million in federal funds to pay for the program. Elevate Florida stopped accepting new applications on April 11, citing funding limitations. That same day, the Federal Emergency Management Agency eliminated $300 million in funding for another program meant to help make communities across Florida less vulnerable to storms. It was called the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, or BRIC. In a statement, a FEMA spokesperson wrote: 'The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.' Ethan Frey of the Florida Policy Institute — a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank — said eliminating programs like BRIC can leave Florida less prepared when the next hurricane comes. 'They've cut numerous programs that fund Florida's emergency response network,' Frey said. Frey said a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to unfreeze federal funding, meaning it's possible the needed funds can flow soon, but Biddle worried that Elevate Florida could face the same fate as BRIC. 'I'm not really sure where this goes,' Biddle said. 'If this, as the government program has ended, we're kind of right back where we started.' 'I think they're right to be worried,' Frey said. 'It's in that same category of funding that the administration right now is labeling as waste fraud and abuse and so it's definitely at risk and a lot of the FEMA funding is still frozen from what we understand. Most of these programs are still held up.' With hurricane season less than a month away, time is running out for Biddle to storm proof her property. She knows she has to adapt. She just hopes she can get some help doing it. 'We live in Florida,' she said. 'It's what happens and there's no denying that we have to be productive in how we change the way we live.' The Florida Department of Emergency Management did not respond to our questions about the future of the Elevate Florida program, but they did issue a statement online that if more funding becomes available, the portal may reopen for more people to apply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Friday is the last day to apply for help through Elevate Florida program
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (WFLA) — April 11 is the last day people can apply for assistance through the Elevate Florida program. The program helps homeowners raise, rebuild, or strengthen their homes to help reduce damaged caused by storms. Sarasota mother of children killed in hit-and-run dies months after crash It is important to double check your information on the application, which many have told 8 On Your Side, is a confusing process. To elevate your home or knock it down, Friday is the last day for homeowners to make the decision if they want to apply for the state's Elevate Florida program. A decision that needs to be made soon, since hurricane season is now less than two months away. 'You won't be able to rebuild anything new that isn't elevated. It must be elevated,' said Derek Brunney, a homeowner in Pinellas County. Eligible projects include structure elevation, mitigation reconstruction, and wind mitigation. Homeowners are encouraged to double check their applications before submitting. While information sessions were held last month, many people walked away confused. 'It was information that already we've been able to get through the website on the application process,' said one resident. 'I was expecting a Q&A session rather than just reading from the documents that are already available,' said another resident who went to an information meeting. To apply, you have to be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and own your property. The program could cover at least 75% of the cost to raise the home, as long as the homeowner can cover the rest. Some are worried that they $400 million allocation from the state may not be enough to help everyone in need. $220,000 each home that they're looking at allowing, that doesn't equal a whole lot of homes, and if that funding goes away, who is going to step in?' Brunney said. The program is designed to protect homes and communities from natural disasters, like hurricanes. If you still need to apply, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Elevate Florida program for home flood-proofing deadline is today. How to apply
The deadline to apply for a Florida program to help people whose homes are at risk for flooding ends tonight. Elevate Florida, a state program from the Florida Department of Emergency Management, launched in February to provide at least $400 million in federal grant funding to homeowners to cover up to 100% of their flood-proofing efforts without out-of-pocket expenses to them. Projects include the reconstruction of a damaged or demolished building, wind mitigation, knocking a building down to sell it to the community as open space, or even raising an existing building above the water. Flooding has been a serious and relentless issue for coastal Floridians battered by hurricanes and threatened by rising seas, and inland residents with inadequate drainage who see waters rise with every rainstorm. Another popular state program, My Safe Florida Home, also helps incentivize Floridians to harden their homes to withstand the onslaught of nature better. More than half a billion dollars in state money has been paid out for homeowners to replace roofs, windows and garage doors to mitigate storm damage. Elevate Flooding offers to cover 75% of the cost of protecting a property from future flood damage, with 100% coverage possible if your insured property has been hit multiple times. 'We have this brand-new program — it's the first of its kind in the country,' Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie told a Senate committee. 'We can actually make a homeowner whole between their insurance payout and the Elevate Florida program. With access to this money, what has to come out of their pocket is nothing. The deadline to get your application is 7 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 11, 2025. Elevate Florida is designed to expedite the process of protecting your home against future flooding by providing funds to cover at least 75% of the cost of improving your property. The program began with at least $400 million from two federal grants. Unlike similar flood-proofing grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Elevate Florida promises a quicker turnaround as it's administered through the state. Homeowners will be required to provide up to 25% of the costs determined in the evaluation phase before inspections are completed. You'll be provided with a detailed breakdown of the construction and cost and can decide then if you want to move forward, according to the state's website.. The grant will also cover at least 75% of your relocation costs (moving out/in and storage) during construction. However, if your National Flood Insurance Program-covered building has been repeatedly hit with flood damage, you may be eligible for up to 100% in funding. However, homeowners must still be prepared to contribute up to 25% of the project's total cost to be considered for Elevate Florida. To apply for Elevate Florida, individuals must: Be 18 or older Be a U.S. citizen Be the legal property owner of a residential property in the State of Florida Contribute up to 25% of the project's total cost Properties must be owned by an individual, not a corporation or commercial entity such as a limited liability corporation. Elevate Florida prioritizes homes that have been hit with repeated losses that are covered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFLP). Communities that have been ravaged by storms will also be prioritized. When you apply, you must select one of four project options: Structural elevation, or physically raising an existing building. Mitigation reconstruction of an improved, elevated building where an existing structure or the structure's foundation has been partially or completely destroyed. Acquisition of a building from a voluntary seller and demolition to be maintained by the community as open space (the community must agree to this) Wind mitigation measures, including alterations to the roof, doors or other vulnerable components, which can be an alternative for homes not sturdy enough to elevate The deadline to enter your application is 7 p.m. EDT, Friday, April 11, 2025. Any draft applications that have not been submitted will not be considered for funding. To apply for the state program, visit Elevate Florida's website and portal at To speed the application process up, property owners are advised to have the following information and documents: Photos of the building from all four sides Insurance Declaration pages (if available) Elevation Certificates (if applicable) Geotechnical reports (soil studies) (if applicable) Flooding photos or high watermark photos Insurance claim information Substantial damage determination letters from local government (if applicable) Combined income as reflected on your most recent tax return Contributing: Anne Geggis, Palm Beach Post This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Elevate Florida program home flooding risk: Last day to apply
