Rebuild Florida Update ...............

March 2020 Update

Rebuild Florida is a program of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) created to support communities following disasters by addressing long-term recovery needs for housing, infrastructure and economic development.

DIRECTOR’S UPDATE

Since our last Rebuild Florida newsletter, our Disaster Recovery team achieved milestones across multiple programs, and I’m excited about all of our recent accomplishments and progress. In just the past few weeks, we:

· Awarded $14 million to seven organizations through the Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program. Award recipients included local workforce development boards, schools, colleges and universities in communities impacted by Hurricane Irma.

· Hosted an online webinar to seek additional feedback for the development of the State Action Plan for Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding for communities impacted by Hurricane Michael.

· Closed out the Hurricane Michael Long-Term Recovery Survey. This survey gave communities the opportunity to provide us with their remaining recovery needs.

· Continued to work with the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program. More than 1,100 award letters have been issued to homeowners impacted by Hurricane Irma and $36.3 million awarded for repairs to their homes.

· Issued an Invitation to Bid to bring more contractors on board to increase capacity during the construction phase of the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program.

These are just a few recent accomplishments from the Rebuild Florida team. In the coming days, there will be even more exciting updates to share, so stay tuned for additional updates!

Sincerely,

Ken

IN THE NEWS

$ $14 Million in Awards for Workforce Recovery Training

On February 26, Governor Ron DeSantis announced more than $14 million has been awarded to seven organizations through DEO’s Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program. The program, administered by DEO, is designed to train Floridians in construction trades necessary to support disaster recovery efforts.

Learn more

PROGRAM UPDATES

Hurricane Irma Housing Repair & Replacement Program

The Rebuild Florida program has issued award letters to more than 1,100 Hurricane Irma-impacted homeowners and continues to accept registrations for the program.

Registration can be completed online at RebuildFlorida.gov, in person at a Rebuild Florida center, or by phone by calling 844-833-1010.

Learn more

Hurricane Michael Public Workshops and Webinar

After hosting nine public workshops throughout Hurricane Michael-impacted communities, DEO hosted a public webinar to seek additional feedback as it develops the State Action Plan for CDBG-DR funding. The webinar has been recorded and posted online. Watch it below.

DEO Issued Invitation to Bid for Additional Contractors for Rebuild Florida Housing Repair & Replacement Program

DEO issued an Invitation to Bid to bring more contractors on board for the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program to increase the program’s capacity of construction.

The requirements of this Invitation to Bid will not only increase the number of contractors approved for Rebuild Florida projects but also ensure that those contractors have greater capacity to handle large groups of projects simultaneously.

Learn more