More than a year after back-to-back hurricanes, homeowners accepted into Elevate Florida say FEMA delays are leaving them unable to rebuild
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than a year and a half after back-to-back hurricanes devastated parts of Tampa Bay, homeowners accepted into a state-funded program designed to speed up flood recovery say they are still waiting — and in some cases, losing patience.
Elevate Florida, a $400 million program intended to help homeowners elevate flood-prone houses, was created to cut red tape and reduce the years-long recovery process many residents previously faced. But residents in Shore Acres, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, say progress has stalled as applications await federal review.
Jason Nash is among roughly 2,000 applicants statewide accepted into the program, yet he has not received final approval and still cannot begin repairs.
“This is our house — a shell of the house,” Nash said.
Nash said his home took on about four feet of water during Hurricane Helene, marking the third flood in three years. Because his house must be elevated before repairs can begin, he has been unable to live there for more than a year.
After completing soil testing, engineering evaluations and mountains of paperwork, Nash said he was told his application was sent to FEMA in late July, and he’d hear back within one to four months. He still hasn’t heard anything.
Elevate Florida allows homeowners to apply directly for funding rather than waiting for local government projects to move forward. But as applications have advanced, residents say the process has slowed dramatically.
“It’s a common-sense solution that government got their hands on,” said Kevin Batdorf, president of the Shore Acres Civic Association.
Batdorf said FEMA’s role in reviewing applications has become a major bottleneck.
“FEMA with this part of the process is not transparent, and that’s the frustrating part right now,” Batdorf said.
Some residents have already dropped out of the program, opting to sell rather than wait indefinitely.
“How long can you wait?” Batdorf said. “You want to be back in your house. You have to make a decision — do you want to repair the damage from the flood?”
Nash says he’s willing to wait, for now, but his patience isn’t unlimited.
“The last thing we heard was April,” he said. “But if it goes much past April, we’ve been talking about different options we can take, because we want to come home. We lived here almost 15 years, and we haven’t lived here for almost a year and a half.”