The Elevate Florida program is providing funding to homeowners seeking to harden their homes against future storms.
Charlotte DeSoto Building Industry Association CEO Donna Barrett said in the case of elevating a house, the state-funded program will pay 75% of the cost while the homeowner contributes the remaining 25%.
To apply, the homeowner must be a U.S. citizen older than 18 and the owner of a residential property in Florida. Multifamily structures, such as duplexes, triplexes, condos, townhomes, semidetached homes, apartments and manufactured homes, may be eligible.
Several Punta Gorda residents said they began the application process.
Jeannine Polk, Dave Gammon and Marilyn Mizell all live in Punta Gorda’s Historic District and are no strangers to flooding. “It even floods during king tides,” Gammon said.
Jeannine and Michael Polk own two homes in the neighborhood. They are considering demolishing the house where their son was living and perhaps rebuilding their homestead on a large lot that could accommodate two houses. Both homes have been flooded over the years.
Elevate Florida also provides funding for reconstruction and wind mitigation, including alterations to the roof, windows and doors.
For those wanting to walk away from their property, Elevate Florida also offers an acquisition/demolition option where the structure is purchased from voluntary sellers, demolished and maintained by the community as open space.
A home isn’t required to have experienced flooding or damage in the past to be considered, but applications may be prioritized based on the history of loss.
In the three decades, Mizell and her husband have lived in Punta Gorda, their home built around 1924 wasn’t flooded until hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. She already has a caseworker assigned and said the Elevate Florida application process was rather easy.
Applicants must provide documentation, including photos, insurance coverage, claim information and income.
According to the state’s website, once the application is received it takes about a week for a caseworker to be assigned. Next, the application review takes from one to four months. The decision for funding eligibility takes another two to three months.
The construction phase is three to nine months, and the closeout takes anywhere from one to three months.
The state touts its Elevate Florida program as saving 75% on the cost of protection for their property. Residents also likely would benefit from reduced flood insurance costs with the property’s improved resilience.
The program provides end-to-end assistance, from the application to construction, including contractor services, temporary housing support and Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation.
The state also claims the improvements would strengthen the home’s value with long-term flood protection. But Carla Nix, broker with The Nix Team at Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty, said that might not be the case in Charlotte County, as an elevated home could be harder to sell.
She said the county has an older population and in order to reach the first floor of an elevated home, one would have to climb stairs equivalent to the second story.
Also, buyers still will consider the home’s interior. “A 1973 house that is built up is still a 1973 home,” and some might prefer a newer house that would already be at a higher elevation, Nix said.
