Fort Lauderdale, Florida, still has $12.4 million in recovery grants available for homeowners hit by a historic flood. But many residents are walking away from the money because they fear an inspection could lead to higher taxes, permit headaches, or fines.
Here's what to know
As CBS Miami detailed, more than 2 feet of rain fell on Fort Lauderdale in April 2023, swamping homes and leaving many owners with major repair bills. Yet only 241 people have applied for the city's disaster recovery funding.
In the Edgewood neighborhood, homeowner Anthony O'Gorman said floodwaters rushed through his house and caused $80,000 in damage. In his view, fear is a major reason applications remain low.
"I think people are afraid to even come forward for the money," O'Gorman told CBS Miami.
The money is meant to help residents with the financial fallout from the flooding, but concerns about inspections and compliance appear to be keeping eligible homeowners on the sidelines.
More background
O'Gorman said he hears from neighbors that letting an inspector inside could lead to questions about a home's value or bring attention to repairs that were never permitted.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"Imagine if they came in and re-evaluated my entire home and said, 'Hey, wait a second,'" he told CBS Miami. "'It's not a $300,000 house. It's a $500,000 house. Now you're going to pay taxes on $500,000.'
"They come in and inspect it on me now. Now filing fees or anything else they're going to hit me with."
Some residents say the paperwork is a major barrier. Corrina Montes said she has already paid $58,000 out of pocket for repairs and described the application process as exhausting.
"It's just cumbersome," Montes said, according to the station. "The case manager keeps coming back, with us having to redo paperwork over and over again and contact FEMA and SBA for every single page, and they are hard to contact."
What's being done?
According to Rachel Williams, Fort Lauderdale's housing and community development manager, inspectors look at flood-related damage and do not re-evaluate properties for tax purposes.
She told CBS Miami that the program is meant to assist residents.
"If you did unpermitted work, we can help you," Williams said.
The funding can cover retroactive permits as well as the work needed to bring unpermitted repairs up to code so homeowners have no out-of-pocket costs for those fixes.
Despite the bureaucratic hurdles, Montes said applying was still worth it to recoup her financial losses.
Where can I learn more?
Storm recovery often runs into insurance pressure, approval hurdles, and funding gaps.
• In Florida, officials rejected multimillion-dollar federal funding meant to prepare communities for future disasters.
• Residents in a hurricane-hit community said a FEMA road repair donation was unused by their HOA.
• After Hurricane Helene, Florida's insurance crisis threatened homeowners.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
