Key West The Newspaper

Rebuild Florida Bus to Help Keys Homeowners Register for Hurricane Irma Assistance

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Rebuild Florida bus will be in Monroe County the week of December 3 to help pre-register Keys residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

The Rebuild Florida bus will be at the following locations on December 3-8 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM:

·      December 3-5: Baby’s Coffee Shop, 3180 U.S. Hwy. 1 (MM 15 – Saddlebunch Key), Key West, FL 33040

·      December 6-8: CVS – Tavernier Towne Center, 91410 Overseas Hwy, Tavernier, FL 33070

The schedule for the Rebuild Florida buses can also be found online at RebuildFlorida.gov. Keys homeowners may also register online at RebuildFlorida.gov, by phone at 844-833-1010, or in-person at the Rebuild Florida center: State of Florida Office Building, 2nd Floor, 2796 Overseas Hwy., Marathon, FL 33050. Florida homeowners have until December 23 to register.

About the Program

Rebuild Florida is a federally-funded, state run program to help Floridians recover from Hurricane Irma.

The Federal Government appropriated funding through the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) to respond to Hurricane Irma impacts. Florida is slated to receive $616 million in the first round. This money will help families/residents whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged by Hurricane Irma repair or rebuild their homes. The GREAT NEWS: $90 Million has been set aside for the Florida Keys in the first round.

The funding is being administrated through the State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s (DEO) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Program (CDRG-DR). DEO has prepared an action plan for these funds.

HUD also has announced that Florida will receive an additional allocation of $791 million in the next round. It is anticipated that a portion of this funding will go to the Infrastructure Repair and Mitigation Program.

Who is eligible in the first round of funding?

Rebuild Florida is a program open to residents with low income who own their homes and also to owners of rental properties who rent to residents with low incomes. The 2017 maximum levels in the Keys to meet low and moderate income are as follows, based on the size of the household. Note: 2018 numbers are not available yet.

1 person: $51,450
2 people: $58,800
3 people: $66,150
4 people: $73,500
5 people: $79,400
6 people: $85, 300
7 people: $91,150
8 people: $97,050

How can I register?

There are four ways Monroe County residents can register for Rebuild Florida:

1. Call 1-844-833-1010
2. Go to www.rebuildflorida.gov RebuildFlorida.gov Opens a New Window.
3. Go to Rebuild Florida Center, 2796 Overseas Highway in Marathon, Mondays – Saturdays, 9 am. to 5 p.m. (more information below)
4. Visit a Mobile Rebuild Florida Bus