Cape Coral homeowner may withdraw from Elevate Florida program

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—More than 12,000 people across the state have applied to the Elevate Florida program, with some waiting more than a year for an answer on the grant that will help elevate their homes. 

Thomas Safar, a Cape Coral homeowner says after getting accepted, he believes the program isn't what he thought it was, and he most likely will be taking another avenue to elevate his home.

Like thousands of Florida homeowners, Safar applied for Elevate Florida with the hope of rebuilding and elevating his home after it was wrecked by Hurricane Ian. Safar said he was relieved when he was finally accepted into the program, but he's unhappy with the lack of progress. 

"We're a year and a half in since I applied with Elevate Florida, and we still have not broken ground, and they told me after the inspections that it would be 30 days to be approved or the paperwork done by Florida, and then 60 days to be the paperwork finished up by FEMA," Safar said. "We're pretty much almost past that point already."

Not only has Safar been living in a rental home while still paying his monthly mortgage, he says continuing the process with Elevate Florida would cost him three times the amount than going with a private contractor who'd be able to fully renovate his home. Safar said the program's standard builder-grade materials don't match his custom home's original quality.

"They do standard builders grade, and this house was custom, we had tile throughout, custom kitchen, you know, fancy bathrooms, you name it, and they're going to give me no solid surfaces for mica counters, store-bought cabinets, just vinyl planking, cheap," Safar said. "She said 'builders grade, nothing, nothing with what I had.'"

Safar says he's possibly starting from scratch. If Elevate Florida doesn't change from elevation back to mitigation reconstruction, he's going to pull out and repair the house himself with the plans that the township has approved prior to the acceptance in the program..

"We've pretty much on our end decided we are not going to elevate with them if that's their final decision," Safar said.

Safar says Elevate Florida's contractors are scheduled to come out in a few months for a final walk-through and decision on reconstruction and elevation.