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City outlines funding and vendor plan to help residents hit by flooding after Hurricane Milton
Summary
City staff told council about a package of disaster-recovery tools: $3 million in SHIP program income, a SHIP disaster allocation and a large federal allocation to the county; the administration plans to use a third-party vendor to distribute funds and will return with an agreement and public intake timeline.
Tampa city staff on Jan. 9 outlined an initial package of housing and disaster-relief funding and a plan to use an outside vendor to manage distribution for residents whose homes were damaged or flooded during Hurricane Milton.
Director-level staff described three immediate sources the city is preparing to deploy: roughly $3 million in SHIP (State Housing Initiative Partnership) program income the city can target, a forthcoming SHIP disaster allocation (about $213,000 noted by staff) and broader federal disaster relief announced Jan. 7–8 that included large sums directed to Hillsborough County. City staff said they were in early discussions with county officials about coordinating an expected $700 million county allocation from a federal disaster package.
Abby Feeley, administrator of Development and Economic Opportunity, told council the city is negotiating with a third-party administrator (staff referenced ICF as a vendor under consideration) to run an intake and payment system so the city does not overburden internal staff and to reduce duplication across jurisdictions. Feeley said any contract with an outside administrator would be presented to council for approval.
‘‘We don’t want the website or application to crash or to duplicate county services,’’ Feeley said. She said the city is structuring eligibility to prioritize lower-income households and those with greatest damage and that program details will be posted publicly before applications open.
Brenda McKenzie, director of workforce partnerships, reported results from the city’s returning-citizens employment initiative, which has been run through community partners: 253 people enrolled, 207 completed a mandatory six-week professional development course and 164 have obtained employment so far. Council members and staff discussed making the returning-citizens effort permanent and discussed the possibility of an Office of Returning Citizens to coordinate placements, services and employer engagement.
Staff also confirmed operational steps to help residents with storm-damaged homes: building-permit fees for storm repair were being waived and city inspectors and code staff are prioritizing substantial-damage assessments. Staff pointed residents to a dedicated email address (floodfocus@tampa.gov) and said permits tied to storm damage would be expedited.
Why it matters: Hundreds of households in parts of Tampa experienced storm damage and flooding after Milton. City and county coordination will determine how quickly homeowners and renters get temporary assistance and longer-term hazard mitigation help. The use of a third-party administrator is intended to speed assistance but will require council approval of contracts.
What’s next: Staff said it will return with a vendor agreement (targeting Jan. 23 or early February for a council agenda item) and described a tentative schedule to make applications available in early February once contractual and administrative steps are complete.
Ending: Council members praised early results for the returning-citizens employment program and urged prompt, transparent deployment of relief funds and clear public instructions on how to apply for aid.
