A new program, Elevate Florida, launched by the Florida Division of Emergency Management this year, could help save people’s homes during hurricane season.
It is the state’s first residential mitigation program aimed at enhancing community resilience by protecting homes from natural disasters.
The program will help homeowners in coastal communities, like Fort Myers Beach, who deal with the rising threat of floods.
Oscar Villeda, Power Block Builders president, said they're building multiple elevated homes there.
He and his teammate, Chad Lowden, make sure homes are hurricane-proof.
"It gives you a great view of the waters, but structurally, you avoid having feet of storm surge inside your home," he said.
Lowden said buying an elevated home improves quality of life.
"We walked down the streets after Milton and Helene, and they're out there drinking coffee," Lowden said. "Then there are other people that are on the ground level, and they're having to rip out their kitchens and throw out their sofas."
Villeda walked us through Ryan Walsh’s home, who lives on Fort Myers beach part-time.
"We bought a lot after the hurricane, and I have a family that lives in Estero," Walsh said. "They were on the first floor. They had water up to the top of their garage, on the other side of the bay, miles away.
Walsh said elevating his home is especially important because he may not be near his home when a storm hits.
"In my scenario, it's kind of a must because I'm not going to be there overseeing the property," Walsh said. "At the same time, I would say if I was a full-time resident, I would also say that it's a must because then you're going to be displaced."
However, buying an elevated home can be pricey. Lowden said they have models that cost up to a million dollars.
That’s where Elevate Florida comes into play. Federal grant funding will cover at least 75% of an elevated home project. In fact, some of Oscar and Chad’s customers have already applied for it.
"That's relatively new," Lowden said. "We have a couple of them in Matlacha that actually don't have a lot of money to rebuild their homes, so they need to use Elevate Florida to help support them and get them funding."
If you want to sign up for Elevate Florida, representatives will be in Charlotte and Collier counties on Wednesday.