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Cocoa council opts to spread SHIP dollars across four to five rehabs rather than one large project
Summary
By a 4–1 vote, Cocoa’s council decided to use available SHIP funds to complete rehab projects on four to five homes rather than expend most funds on a single, potentially cost‑prohibitive property; council members cited bid uncertainty and the potential to help more households.
The Cocoa City Council voted 4–1 on Aug. 12 to use the city’s current SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) allocation to complete rehabilitation projects for four to five homes on the city’s waiting list rather than to commit most or all available funds to a single Montclair Road property that likely requires demolition and rebuild.
City staff presented three options: (1) use available SHIP funds to finish four to five projects on the list; (2) combine SHIP and city affordable‑housing set‑aside dollars to fully rehabilitate the Montclair property plus a smaller set of homes; or (3) use all SHIP funds on the Montclair property and perform no other rehabs until future allocations arrive. Staff reported that initial contractor bids for the Montclair house were approximately $202,000 but warned that hidden structural and environmental issues could push costs closer to $300,000 once work begins.
Council members who supported spreading the funds said the distribution would assist more families and mitigate the risk of a single project consuming nearly all program dollars. "Doing more homes with the money and having it spread out more seems to make more sense," said Deputy Mayor Weeks. One dissenting council member, Councilman Gorns, said he sympathized with the specific household but nevertheless voted against the motion to preserve resources for multiple rehabs.
Staff said they had reached out to Habitat and other community partners and could pursue additional grant or partner funding if the council later chose to pursue the Montclair project.
The motion to prioritize four to five rehabs passed on division with one recorded negative vote.
