{"id":4195,"date":"2026-06-23T08:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4195"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:34:18","slug":"elevate-florida-program-lawmakers-homeowners-demand-action-on-home-elevation-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4195","title":{"rendered":"Elevate Florida program: Lawmakers, homeowners demand action on home elevation grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>Some homeowners in St. Pete are still waiting for funding to raise their home after it flooded during Hurricane Helene.<\/p>

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One couple is still waiting for an update on their application to the Elevate Florida program \u2014 after about a year with no progress.<\/p>

PREVIOUS: <\/strong>Thousands denied in first round of Florida’s new home elevation program<\/strong><\/p>

<\/div>

Elevate Florida program delays<\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

Jason and Carrie Nash’s home in Shore Acres had about four feet of water inside after Hurricane Helene. It solidified their decision to raise their home.<\/p>

The Florida Division of Emergency Management opened the Elevate Florida program following Helene. The program is expected to cover approximately 75% of the costs to lift homes using federal grant money from FEMA. The homeowner would be expected to cover the remaining 25% of the cost.<\/p>

The couple applied to the program and received an email last summer from Elevate Florida, saying the stat\u200be had sent their application to FEMA for further review. Jason Nash says in November, they still hadn’t heard anything.<\/p>

RELATED: <\/strong>Mixed reactions as Shores Acres awaits ‘Elevate Florida’ decisions<\/strong><\/p>

He says they got an email from Elevate Florida in March, explaining that FEMA processing has been repeatedly delayed by factors outside the control of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Elevate Florida. Last week, Pinellas County state lawmakers signed a letter to congressional leaders, calling on them to urge federal agencies to expedite the grant approval process.<\/p>

“To put some more staffing, expedite the awards of these programs,” Rep. Lindsay Cross said.<\/p>

Cross says that because the grant money being awarded is coming from federal funding, they don’t have direct control at the state level.<\/p>

“Once that award comes, there’s still the stages of designing and permitting and getting people temporary housing in some cases,” she said.<\/p>

Read more Eustis Hit-and-Run: 20-year-old motorcyclist left with severed muscle speaks out after crash<\/a><\/p>

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\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

According to the Elevate Florida website, federal grant requirements added extra review steps in June of last year, which could impact the timeline of the program.<\/p>

St. Pete housing gridlock<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

Nash and his wife haven’t been able to live in their home for almost two years. The couple has been renting, while they wait to hopefully get awarded a grant from Elevate Florida.<\/p>

“We not only have double rent, double bills, double everything, but on top of that, we’re paying for a storage unit to house all of our belongings in,” Nash said.<\/p>

Nash says he’s reached out to leaders on the local, state and federal level, but feels like he isn’t getting answers.<\/p>

“The worst thing that somebody can tell you in life is ‘Maybe’, because it still gives you hope,” he said. “And that’s all we’re getting, is ‘Maybes.'”<\/p>

Stalled federal grant awards<\/h2>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

It remains unclear exactly when FEMA will finalize the remaining applications. Nash says they received an email from Elevate Florida last week, saying 16 projects had been awarded funding, and that FEMA was continuing to award grants and would update homeowners.<\/p>

FOX 13 reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management and is waiting for a response.<\/p>

The other side:<\/p>

On Monday night, a FEMA representative shared the following statement:<\/p>

“FEMA\u00a0obligates Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to the state, not homeowners directly. Elevate Florida is a state-managed mitigation program. Questions should be sent to the Florida Division of Emergency Management.”<\/i><\/p>

FEMA also directed people to its latest updates on funding awarded in Florida here.<\/p>

Read more Carlos Mencia pleads not guilty to 12 felony charges of failure to pay taxes<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some homeowners in St. Pete are still waiting for funding to raise their home after it flooded during Hurricane Helene.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[356,256,144],"tags":[357,257,145],"class_list":["post-4195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hurricane-helene","category-hurricane-safety","category-st-petersburg","tag-hurricane-helene","tag-hurricane-safety","tag-st-petersburg"],"yoast_head":"\nElevate Florida program: Lawmakers, homeowners demand action on home elevation grants - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=4195\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elevate Florida program: Lawmakers, homeowners demand action on home elevation grants - 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