Pasco County says disaster recovery program is accelerating, reports $46.8 million in housing awards

Pasco County staff told the Board of County Commissioners on April 7 that the county's CDBG-DR "Better Future" disaster recovery program is moving from setup into delivery, with individual housing awards accelerating.

"We've calculated awards totaling $46.8 million," Chuck Lane, director of the Office of Disaster Recovery Resources, said during the quarterly briefing on the program. Lane said that figure represents roughly 25% of the $205 million the county originally budgeted for individual housing assistance and that the program is moving more applications into construction.

Why it matters: the package of programs funded by federal CDBG-DR money is intended to help Pasco homeowners, small businesses and infrastructure recover from Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Commissioners pressed staff on implementation details, timelines and potential local impacts as staff speed outreach and application processing.

Staff overview and schedule

Lane said the county has launched the individual housing program and will open a broader housing solicitation for shovel-ready projects in May or June after a limited solicitation for immediately ready projects. He said the action plan currently budgets $100 million for construction of affordable housing and $206 million for infrastructure and mitigation projects.

Lane summarized application metrics: "The volume we're seeing is still accelerating," he said. "We're 4 months into the program, and we're approaching the 25% mark of the $205 million that were originally budgeted." He said about 300 applications have been approved and 69 denied (three of the denials were converted to approvals). Staff noted many applications in the county's queue are incomplete and case managers are assisting residents to finish filings.

Process and timing

Technical steps add time, staff cautioned. "After an inspection occurs ... positive awards move into the environmental process," consultant Tim LaGoochie said. He said environmental review typically takes about 60 days (it can be done in 30 or extend toward 75 days) and that homes older than roughly 45to 50 years require State Historic Preservation review, which lengthens processing.

Program design and equity adjustments

Lane said staff expanded eligibility last week to include households with a child 5 or younger, a senior 62 or older, or a person with a disability so some displaced households above strict income caps can receive help. He also said staff will propose setting aside $20 million from the housing construction pot for potential buyouts (mobile-home and RV parks), noting buyouts require careful relocation planning and can be costly to execute.

A board member asked directly about the cost of elevating homes. Staff responded that the program can allow up to an additional $100,000 toward elevation in some cases and acknowledged that raising existing houses can run into the "two to three hundred thousand" range depending on site and code needs.

Obstacles and coordination

Commissioners and staff discussed several practical barriers to getting money into homes: some residents were shown to be noncompliant with FEMA flood-insurance requirements, which can make a property ineligible for certain federal or county funds. Lane said many residents were unaware FEMA could pay flood insurance for three years as part of assistance packages.

Staff also said they will meet with Rebuilding Together Greater Florida, which told the board it has a $3 million American Red Cross grant targeted to Pasco residents but is seeing few applicants from the county. "They have limited funding," Lane said, and staff want to explore where the nonprofit can fill gaps the county cannot.

Procurement, multi-family and buy-in questions

Commissioners pressed for clearer cost estimates before awarding larger multi-family subsidies or broadly opening the housing RFP; several said they worried about high per-unit subsidies and the county's obligations to provide services to new subsidized developments. Purchasing staff advised commissioners that an RFP on the street is under the county purchasing ordinance and a cone of silence applies.

Next steps

Lane said policies and procedures required by HUD are on schedule, a planning program will be launched later in the month, and a public-services component will roll out over the summer. He forecast peak application and construction volume by the next quarterly report in July and said staff are focused on reducing cycle times while remaining HUD-compliant.

The board did not take a final vote on program-level allocations at the meeting; several commissioners asked staff to return with cost-per-unit estimates, buyout options and additional detail on infrastructure projects before committing large sums to multi-family or buyout efforts.