A program representative told the Lee County Fiscal Court that a federal property buyout program linked to FEMA and a USDA follow-on could reimburse the county for buyout costs and that some commercial parcels may be considered.

The matter was presented to the court by a program representative who said the county previously managed a large acquisition program and that the federal process is lengthy. “I work the county for their property acquisition program for the E R 3663, which is closed back in Morrisville Street,” the representative said, adding that about 120 of roughly 170 properties have been purchased to date.

The program representative told the court that, in the consultant’s model, the consultant’s base services are billed first and, after acquisitions begin, the consultant would receive 5% of the total cost of each property. “After that after the acquisition start, it'll be 5% of the total cost of the property,” the speaker said. The representative said the county pays invoices first and FEMA reimburses the county afterward: “What I do is I submit an invoice to the judge or to the court. It'll be paid. Then after that, I send off what I've asked for and the county is paid to FEMA. They reimburse you.”

County officials asked how reimbursements are handled. One official asked, “How are you paying?” and the program representative confirmed the county acts as a pass-through and that typical reimbursable costs include legal and appraisal fees. The representative noted the program can be slow and paperwork-intensive: “The program is not a, fast program by any means. It's long and drawn out. There's a lot of paperwork, a lot of things that has to be done.”

The presenter said the program is primarily residential but that staff and the consultant would try to evaluate some commercial properties for eligibility. “I think there's 7. The rest of them are commercial properties. So she and I are gonna try to figure out if we can purchase those commercial properties because this program is mostly a residential,” the representative said.

The consultant also referenced a larger example to illustrate budget flow: in a prior county (Knox County), the program required a temporary budget increase of about $25,000,000 in 2022 for cash flow while FEMA reimbursements were processed.

The court asked the representative to coordinate next steps with county staff and to keep the court informed. The representative said paperwork received that day would allow work to begin immediately: “She sent me the paperwork today. So I'll get started on that tomorrow if it is please the court.”

County officials and community members were offered follow-up opportunities to meet the consultant for more information and to begin voluntary sign-ups; the representative described a form of voluntary participation that initiates eligibility review and appraisal.

The court did not adopt a final, binding authorization during the presentation; the discussion focused on program mechanics, budget passage-through and next steps for paperwork and eligibility screening.