Recovery FAQ

• Rebuild Florida is a partnership of FloridaCommerce and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which approved funding to local communities for Florida’s long-term recovery efforts after the 2023 and 2024 Storms.
• Priority funding will be provided to the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, those with disabilities, families with children under the age of 18, and families with low household incomes. For more information on Program eligibility, please see the section “Housing Repair and Replacement Program Eligibility” in our Program Guidelines.
• The Rebuild Florida program offers reconstruction, manufactured housing unit replacement, or rehabilitation for homes damaged by 2023 and 2024 storms. To be eligible to apply, you must have owned the home when the qualifying storm(s) impacted the area, and the damaged property must have been your primary residence, you must still own the home, and you must provide all necessary documents to complete an eligibility review and award determination. Rental property owners may apply as well but single-family homeowners will be prioritized. More information can be found on the program website, by visiting a Rebuild Florida intake center, or by calling the Rebuild Florida program line.

• The Rebuild Florida Repair and Replacement Program for the 2023 and 2024 Storms will manage and complete construction on behalf of eligible and awarded homeowners. No payments will be made to the property owner directly. The program will offer repairs, stick-built reconstruction, and manufactured home replacement.

• The eligible counties for the Rebuild Florida 2023 and 2024 Storms Program were determined by HUD and the State of Florida based on the severity of damage from the qualifying storm(s). If you live in one of the eligible counties, you may apply for assistance under this program. If your county is not listed, it is not included in this round of funding. We encourage you to check with your local county or municipality to see if other disaster recovery resources are available.

• This Program cannot support the purchase of a new home or subsidize rent payments, but you can visit the Florida Resource Directory where you may find additional resources.

• Rebuild Florida provides grant funding, not a loan. However, recipients must agree to live in the home for at least 3 years. As part of the grant agreement, homeowners sign a 3-year unsecured, forgivable promissory note. If the home is sold or the assisted household abandons the property as a primary residence before the 3-year period ends, a prorated portion of the grant may need to be repaid to the State.

• You can call our call center 1-888-530-3025 and you will be assisted by program staff, or you can submit a question on our Contact Us form.

• Yes, translation and interpretation services will be provided as needed or requested. We have program staff at each of our recovery intake centers that are fluent in Spanish, and translators for additional languages can also be made available to applicants with limited English proficiency upon request.

• No, there is no application fee or participation fee to join the program. However, depending on your individual situation, you may be responsible for certain personal costs.
• If there is a duplication of benefits funding gap (for example, if other assistance you received must be deducted), you may be asked to contribute funds to cover that gap to move forward with the project.
• If your home requires repairs or reconstruction that make it temporarily unlivable, you are responsible for arranging and paying for temporary housing. Many homeowners choose to stay with friends or family or find a short-term rental at their own expense.
• The program will provide a mobile storage unit if household items need to be removed during construction, but you are responsible for packing, moving, and storing your belongings.

In cases of extreme hardship, the program may offer temporary relocation assistance on a limited, case-by-case basis, following program guidelines.

• If you are unable to apply in person, or do not have access to transportation or a computer, you may apply over the phone or reach out to a Rebuild Florida Service Center for alternate accommodations.

No, the application portal will remain open until the budget is fully committed or exhausted. When the application period closes, we will post an announcement on this website.

• The program does not reimburse funds already spent.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides guidance on household income limits that are unique to household size and geographic area. In short, household income is calculated by adding the combined income of all adult residents that reside in the household. We encourage you to visit the HUD website to review the income limit information based on your household size and county or reach out to the program for more information.

• Applicants in this situation are encouraged to apply. Because of the complexity of the situation, each case must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Each application will be reviewed to determine if previous assistance awarded to the applicant was used as intended, and if any funds were received for the same purpose. Your application must demonstrate that a “duplication of benefits” would not occur based on the assistance you are qualified to receive, and this is determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Our case managers will help you in reviewing your unique situation, and if there is a gap in funding created by a duplication of benefits from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant or other Federal or private source that was not used for repairs, there is still a possibility of eligibility if the gap in funding is able to be fulfilled through other means, such as a homeowner providing their own funding, or a potential reduction in the scope of work.

• Being a recipient of public assistance does not weaken your opportunity of receiving assistance. If you are a recipient of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), your monthly benefit will be calculated as income.

• The home you are requesting assistance with must currently be your principal residence and must have been your principal residence at the time that the qualifying storm(s) impacted the area. Vacation and second homes are ineligible.

The Program can accept your information in the way that works best for you, such as physical copies, quality color photographs or electronic copies.

Rebuild Florida Customer Service Center staff can connect you with a case manager, and if you have already been assigned a case manager, the call center staff can look up the information and connect you. If you don’t remember the name or phone number of your case manager, you can always call the Rebuild Florida Customer Service Center toll free 1-888-530-3025 and you will be assisted by one of our available case managers.

• Homeowners are expected to secure temporary living arrangements while construction is underway on their property.  For example, homeowners may stay with friends and family while construction is underway or may elect to find a short-term rental if they desire but would be responsible for the cost. In certain circumstances where extreme hardship may be demonstrated and documented, temporary relocation may be offered on a limited case-by-case basis in accordance with the program guidelines.

• Moving and storage assistance may be offered on an extremely limited basis in accordance with the program guidelines.

• Your property taxes may increase if a new home is built, especially if the new structure is larger or more valuable than the original. However, your monthly utility costs may decrease due to the use of energy-efficient materials and systems.
• To help manage potential tax increases, Florida offers the Save Our Homes (SOH) benefit. This program caps the annual increase in assessed value of a homesteaded property to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. This can significantly reduce long-term property tax growth.
• You should apply for the Homestead Exemption and ensure the Save Our Homes cap is applied. These benefits are not automatic after reconstruction—you must reapply with your county property appraiser once the home is complete

Recommendation:
After your home is rebuilt, contact your local county property appraiser to:

• Re-establish your Homestead Exemption
• Ensure the Save Our Homes cap is applied
• Explore any additional exemptions you may qualify for (e.g., senior, veteran, disability)

This may help minimize your future property tax burden.

• Applications should be made based on current, verifiable information. Please make your Rebuild Florida case manager aware of any changes from what you reported on your application.

• The best way to understand your ineligibility is to contact your assigned case manager, whose contact information is included in the letter. They can provide specific details about the reason for the determination.
• If you disagree with the decision, you have the right to file an appeal. Instructions for how to appeal are included in your ineligibility letter. Be sure to review the letter carefully and follow the steps outlined within the specified timeframe.

• If you have a mortgage on your home, the lien will be transferred to the new property. We will work to coordinate and ensure the rehabilitation, replacement or reconstruction is approved by your lender.

• If you are in a flood hazard area you will be required to maintain flood insurance coverage in perpetuity. The program may pay for the first-year insurance coverages as appropriate and upon request. While homeowners’ insurance for individuals not located in a flood hazard area is not a requirement, assisted applicants are encouraged to maintain insurance on the assisted property.

• The application process requires the collection and verification of several documents. This process can take several rounds of communication between case manager and homeowners. You may always check the status of your application by calling your case manager.
• Once the application has been approved, we must coordinate efforts between the State, the Contractor, the Homeowner and any other necessary parties. Sometimes this coordination of efforts can seem slow, but please understand that we will do our best to provide honest and reliable communication throughout the process. You are always welcome to reach out to your assigned case manager should you have any concerns.

• If you have any questions, please call your case manager at their direct number or the program general number 888-530-3025. Updates regarding the progress of your application will be provided via email and/or phone call from your case manager.  Additionally, you can create an account and log onto the application system under My Account to view the status of your application.

• The Program takes the security of your personal information very seriously. All information, whether provided over the phone, in person, or electronically, is stored securely.

• Yes! During the application and eligibility process we will work with all homeowners with unique circumstances to understand special needs such as disabilities or mobility or sensory impairments. Program homes may include reasonable accommodations to accommodate disability, when a homeowner completes required documentation in this regard.

• No. The Program does not match square footage, layout, or model of the original home. While every effort is made to replace the same number of bedrooms, reconstructed homes are built to standardized designs that typically include two bathrooms.

This means:

• The overall size (square footage) of your new home may be smaller or different than your previous home.
• Specific floor plans, manufacturers, or additional rooms (like extra living areas or dens) cannot be guaranteed.

The Program’s primary goal is to provide a decent, safe, and sanitary home that meets basic living standards—not to replicate the original structure.