The Brief
Shore Acres residents packed into a community meeting hoping for answers — and for relief from the state’s new home-elevation program.
More than 550 homeowners in Shore Acres applied for the state’s pilot program, Elevate Florida, but only about 20% of applicants from the neighborhood are expected to be accepted or placed on a wait list.
Residents are expected to receive notifications within the next two weeks.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s hurricane season again, but in one of St. Pete’s hardest-hit neighborhoods, recovery from Hurricane Helene is still far from complete. In Shore Acres, residents packed into a community meeting hoping for answers — and for relief from the state’s new home-elevation program.
The backstory
More than 550 homeowners in Shore Acres applied for the state’s pilot program, Elevate Florida, which helps raise homes out of flood zones. But state officials said only about 20% of applicants from the neighborhood — between 100 and 150 homes — are expected to be accepted or placed on a wait list.
RELATED: Thousands denied in first round of Florida's new home elevation program
"I know a lot of people were denied and are upset about that, but 100 to 150 homes in Shore Acres are going up. That is amazing — a win," said Kevin Batdorf, the president of the Shore Acres Civic Association.
Residents are expected to receive notifications within the next two weeks. For many, those letters will determine whether they can afford to stay in the neighborhood.
Local perspective
"We want to stay here, but we can’t stay here, because if it’s going to continue to flood, then our house needs to be raised," said Shore Acres resident Ashlen McIntire.
READ: Treasure Island LIFT program and NAMI Pinellas offering hurricane fatigue mental health classes
But while the program offers hope, the rollout has been slow and riddled with questions. Some homeowners have already received denial letters, sparking frustration over how applications were evaluated.
State officials outlined the key criteria:
Homes with three or more repetitive flood losses
Properties deemed substantially damaged
Homes in FEMA special flood zones
Homes that flooded most recently during Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton
What they're saying
State Rep. Lindsay Cross says she shares residents’ concerns about transparency.
"How those priority factors are being used to determine who is being awarded or not … making sure the ones with the biggest needs are the ones getting fast-tracked — we are going to keep asking those questions," she said.
MORE: Crews install AquaFence around St. Pete’s most critical lift station
Big picture view
Across Florida, more than 12,000 applications were submitted. Pinellas County alone had 3,676 — more than any other county in the state. Initially, the program aimed to help 2,000 homeowners, but state officials have not confirmed whether that target still stands.
Meanwhile, St. Pete is preparing to roll out its own home elevation program, backed by about $100 million in funding, to help residents who were not approved by the state. That program has not yet started taking applications.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis.
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