Millions of dollars in federal disaster recovery grants are available to Fort Lauderdale homeowners who were damaged by the April 2023 flood, but only 241 people have applied since May, according to the city’s figures cited in CBS News Miami’s report.
More than 2 feet of rain fell on the city that month. In the Edgewood neighborhood, floodwaters pushed through the home of Anthony O’Gorman and caused about $80,000 in damage. He said many neighbors are afraid that letting an inspector in could lead to higher property tax assessments or fines for unpermitted repairs.
City officials say the inspections only look at flood-related damage. Rachel Williams, the city’s housing and community development manager, said the grant also covers after-the-fact permits and the cost of bringing unpermitted work up to code, so homeowners would not pay out of pocket for those items.
Some residents say the paperwork is the bigger obstacle. Corrina Montes, also of Edgewood, paid $58,000 out of pocket for repairs. She described the process as cumbersome, saying her case manager has asked her to redo documents repeatedly and that FEMA and SBA are hard to reach. Even so, she said the effort is worth it to recover her losses.
Residents can find application materials and more details on the city’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery page.
