Taylor County officials discuss allocating roughly $10.5 million of HMGP money to Elevate Florida

Taylor County commissioners and staff on March 25 discussed pledging a portion of the county's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocation to the state'run Elevate Florida program to help residents elevate or rebuild homes.

County staff said the county was allocated about $31.8 million in HMGP-eligible funds and proposed reserving approximately $10.5 million — calculated as support for 35 homes at $300,000 each — for Elevate Florida. Greg, a county staff member, said the $10.5 million figure represents about 32.5% of the county's HMGP allocation and noted that eligible projects still require a 25% local match and benefit-cost analysis review.

The proposal matters because Elevate Florida provides up to 75% of eligible project costs while homeowners must provide a 25% match. Greg told the commission that some residents may be reluctant to participate because the program can require maintaining flood insurance on the property. He also said about 50 residents have applied so far and that the county estimates roughly 35 of those applicants might be approved through the state process.

County staff and commissioners emphasized that the recommended allocation would be a pledge or percentage to the state process, not an immediate expenditure. Greg said the county must still apply through the federal/state NOFO process and that the state had roughly $600 million set aside for Elevate Florida applicants statewide; county-pledged funds would supplement, not replace, that pool. He also said that if the county earmarks funds for Elevate Florida and they are not used because of insufficient applicants or selections, the money would be returned to the county.

Commissioners and staff discussed alternatives and competing uses for HMGP money, including other mitigation projects identified by the county and city that might also meet HMGP eligibility and benefit-cost criteria. Staff noted the county's RFI (request for information) process for the broader HMGP allocation remains incomplete and that projects still must pass benefit-cost analysis, a potential barrier for some applications.

Several commissioners asked about timelines and next steps. Greg said the agreed percentage would be communicated to the state this week in a letter and that staff would follow up with documentation and any required agreements with the state, noting return provisions if the state does not use the county's earmarked funds. Commissioners also discussed the county's plans to appeal denials for properties in certain flood zones (the transcript references appeals to the Florida Division of Emergency Management and FEMA).

The discussion recorded in the transcript does not show a completed vote on a specific percentage or the final outcome of any motion to approve the allocation; the record shows staff seeking direction and saying they would send a letter once the board decided on a percentage.

Implementation details and constraints

- County HMGP allocation discussed on the record: about $31.8 million (staff-provided figure). - Staff proposal example: support for 35 homes at $300,000 each = $10,500,000 (staff-calculated example). - Local match requirement: 25% for projects receiving HMGP/Elevate Florida funds (staff stated). - Participation conditions: residents selected for Elevate Florida must generally carry flood insurance for the property (staff stated). - Selection and funding: state-level selection still required; staff said the state has other funds and a statewide pool of roughly $600 million (staff stated).

Next steps noted in the meeting record were that the board would indicate a percentage to staff and staff would send required letters and documentation to the state; staff also said final project approvals remain subject to benefit-cost analysis and state/federal review.