Update from Rebuild Florida …………………

Released by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity …

Late 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

In these challenging times, I want to assure our community partners and Rebuild Florida participants of our continued commitment to their recovery from recent disasters as we make their safety and well-being our number one priority. Despite the impact COVID-19 has on our state and those around the world, we remain committed to achieving our mission of helping Floridians recover and rebuild their lives following disasters. Below, you can read a few updates:

· Rebuild Florida remains fully committed to assisting Program participants with their applications or registration. However, for your safety and the safety of our employees, we have closed all Rebuild Florida Centers to the public. Homeowners can still contact the Rebuild Florida Customer Center at 844-833-1010 or their Rebuild Florida Specialist during this time.

· Our team has posted the State Action Plan for Hurricane Michael Recovery for a 30-day public comment period. The deadline to submit public comments is April 10, 2020.

· DEO has issued an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for mobile home manufacturers for the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program. The application period will end on April 7, 2020.

· We have posted a Substantial Amendment to the Hurricane Irma Action Plan online for public comment. The public comment period will end on April 17, 2020.

· My team has continued to make further progress with the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program. More than 1,200 award letters have been issued to homeowners impacted by Hurricane Irma totaling over $36.4 million for repairs to their homes.

As we continue to closely monitor COVID-19 and take measures to ensure the safety of our staff and participants, we will keep working hard to help Florida communities recover from past disasters and become more resilient to future disasters.

Sincerely,

Ken

IN THE NEWS

Draft Hurricane Michael Action Plan Posted for Public Comment

DEO posted the draft State Action Plan for the $735 million in federal funding available to Florida through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program for Hurricane Michael long-term recovery efforts. The State Action Plan provides a high-level strategy for how the funding will be used to address the unmet, long-term disaster recovery needs for eligible Panhandle communities.

All Floridians are encouraged to review the State Action Plan, and submit comments to DEO by April 10, 2020.

Learn more

PROGRAM UPDATES

Rebuild Florida Center Closures Due to COVID-19

In order to ensure the safety of Rebuild Florida Program participants, all Rebuild Florida Centers are temporarily closed to the public to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Rebuild Florida is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees, Program participants and community members. Safety remains our top priority as we diligently monitor COVID-19. Our team of Rebuild Florida representatives will continue to work remotely and stand ready to assist. Program participants may continue to contact our Rebuild Florida Customer Center at 844-833-1010 or their Rebuild Florida Specialist during this time.

We will continue to update our partners and will post any status updates on the Rebuild Florida Centers page. Our team appreciates your understanding and looks forward to continuing to assist you on your road to recovery. For more information, please visit RebuildFlorida.gov.

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Hurricane Irma Housing Repair & Replacement Program

The Rebuild Florida program has issued award letters to more than 1,200 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.

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Hurricane Michael Webinar

Floridians interested in learning more about the CDBG-DR process for Hurricane Michael as they review the State Action Plan are invited to watch the recording of the Hurricane Michael Recovery webinar that DEO hosted. Please click the link below to learn more!

DEO Posted Draft of Substantial Amendment 9 to Hurricane Irma Action Plan for Public Comment

Last week, DEO posted a draft of Substantial Amendment 9 to the Hurricane Irma Action Plan online for public comment. This amendment reflects an additional allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address remaining unmet infrastructure needs caused by Hurricane Irma.

Floridians are encouraged to review the amendment and submit any comments to DEO by Friday, April 17, 2020.

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DEO Issued Invitation to Bid for Mobile Home Manufacturers for Rebuild Florida Housing Repair & Replacement Program

DEO issued an Invitation to Bid (ITB) to bring qualified companies, developers, manufacturers and contractors on board to perform the rehabilitation and replacement of Mobile Housing Units for the Rebuild Florida Housing Repair and Replacement Program. The application period will end on April 7, 2020.

Learn more