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County approves local housing funding to repair electrical grid at Regency Cove to preserve 431 senior homes
Summary
After extensive public comment from Regency Cove residents about storm damage and long outages, the board approved a Local Housing Fund agreement to help replace the park's electrical infrastructure and preserve 431 senior households, citing FEMA constraints and coordination with TECO.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted Dec. 17 to approve a Local Housing Fund agreement to replace electrical infrastructure at the Regency Cove mobile home community, a project county staff said will preserve housing for roughly 431 senior households affected by recent hurricanes.
Cheryl Howell, assistant county administrator for community impact, outlined the project and said the county's contribution is part of a three-party approach (the HOA, TECO, and the county) that covers the work from the home to the public/TECO infrastructure. Staff explained FEMA constraints limited some other post-storm repairs and that some communities originally considered proved infeasible under FEMA rebuilding rules or required elevation work with prohibitively high costs.
Residents from Regency Cove addressed the board in force during public comment, describing salt-water damage to buried electric wiring, intermittent power when it rains, meter boxes that smoked or caught fire, and estimates that per-unit pedestal and wiring costs could have been in the $10,000–$15,000 range. Multiple speakers pleaded for grant support to prevent displacement of elderly and low-income residents on fixed incomes.
In presenting the item, staff cited program eligibility and a countywide local housing fund source and emphasized outreach across affected areas. The requested amount appears in the backup; the transcript records the staff verbal figure as "This request is for approval of $3,000,764 $341" (backup exhibits should be consulted for the precise grant amount and line-item breakdown).
Commissioners debated transparency and geographic prioritization—one commissioner said earlier emphasis had been on South County communities but FEMA limitations required shifting to sites that qualify under the program. Commissioners asked staff to provide clearer briefings on site selection and to pursue other eligible projects across districts; staff said additional projects remain in the pipeline, including a separate District 4 project anticipated to come forward within weeks.
Motion: The board approved the local housing funding agreement for Regency Cove to support electrical infrastructure replacement and preserve affected households; motion carried 6 to 0.
Next steps: staff will finalize the funding agreement and proceed with contract and coordination steps with TECO and the Regency Cove HOA; staff also said they will continue to identify other eligible sites and return with updates.
