Orange County rolls out $219M Hurricane Ian recovery programs; launches 'Orange County Recovers' homeowner aid on March 5

Orange County staff on Tuesday outlined plans to spend federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds allocated after Hurricanes Ian and Milton, and set a March 5 public launch date for homeowner assistance dubbed "Orange County Recovers." The county also described a compressed timetable for funding tied to Hurricane Milton.

Lede: Orange County has received $219.7 million from HUD for Hurricane Ian recovery and more than $33 million for Hurricane Milton recovery; county staff said they will begin accepting applications for the homeowner rehabilitation and reconstruction program on March 5 and estimated they could serve roughly 150'00 homes from the initial $35 million allocation.

Nut graf: County officials said the CDBG-DR funds will support housing repair and replacement, infrastructure and mitigation, and public services, and stressed the programs are subject to HUD—ompliance rules: at least 70% of funds must benefit low- and moderate-income people and at least 15% must be used for mitigation. Staff announced an online application portal and a broad outreach campaign to reach seniors, mobile-home residents and people with limited internet access.

What the board heard: Mitchell Glasser, the county—DBG-DR housing manager, led the briefing. He said Orange County nd community stakeholders developed an action plan approved by the board and the HUD grant agreement. Highlights:

- Funding totals and deadlines: Orange County warded $219,712,000 for Hurricane Ian with a grant expiration and close-out timetable that gives the county until April 2030 to expend funds. After Milton, HUD allocated $33,000,000 to…