Volusia County presents $133.5 million CDBG‑DR Action Plan for Hurricane Milton; public raises repair, buyout concerns

Volusia County staff on Monday presented a proposed Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) Action Plan allocating $133,500,000 to respond to damage from Hurricane Milton and outlined how the money would be divided among housing, infrastructure and mitigation programs. County staff said the plan will go to the Volusia County Council in May for review and then to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for approval.

The Action Plan identifies $116,100,000 for unmet‑need recovery activities and roughly $17,400,000 set aside for mitigation, and staff said the county must spend all funds within six years. "The County of Volusia received $133,500,000," a County staff member said during the public hearing, summarizing the HUD allocation and the requirement that at least 15% of funds be used for mitigation. Staff also said 70% of program dollars must benefit low‑ and moderate‑income persons to meet HUD national objectives.

Why it matters: CDBG‑DR funds are intended as last‑resort recovery dollars where insurance, FEMA, the SBA or other sources do not fully cover needs. County staff said the program is designed both to address immediate…