TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The City of Tampa has approved millions of dollars aimed at helping communities and families impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
In Thursday's City Council meeting, homeowners expressed their concerns.
"You can see the empty houses and the pods in the driveway if they're actually in a construction mode. But as you hear the damage, it's just really widespread in our area," said Bev Kieny, President of the Forrest Hills Neighborhood Association. "They're still broken, so most of run through their all their own resources, and now they're in a deep financial hole."
The City's $3.2 million package comes from the SHIP fund. Homeowners stand to gain up to $20,000. The money will go to people who need to pay their mortgage, so long as they're not behind insurance deductibles or repair costs.
There is a financial threshold to meet as well.
Details are still being ironed out, but the city hopes to open the application portal by mid-March.
The City also approved more than $10 million to go towards adding backup generators to all of the pump stations.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
