ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As another hurricane season begins, some Pinellas County homeowners say they’re still anxiously waiting for a state program that was supposed to help protect their homes from future flooding.
Tampa Bay 28 has spent months following delays with Elevate Florida, a state-run program that uses federal funding to help elevate flood-prone homes after storms like Hurricane Helene.
WATCH: Homeowners still waiting on Elevate Florida as hurricane season nears
Back in March, the Florida Division of Emergency Management told Tampa Bay 28 that FEMA had approved four Elevate Florida projects statewide, but many others were still awaiting federal approval before construction could begin.
In Shore Acres, homeowner Sheena Suhr says she’s still waiting roughly eight months after she was told her application had been accepted.
“It feels like I’m sitting in limbo, and you don’t know what decision to make,” Suhr said.
Suhr says Helene sent several feet of water crashing through her garage.
“Because it came in with such force through the garage, it didn’t creep in slowly; it punched through walls,” said Suhr.
Parts of her home, including the garage and a bathroom, remain unrepaired while she waits to learn whether elevation work will move forward.
“It sounds wonderful in theory, but it has not been everything that they sold it to be,” Suhr said.
She says every update email from Elevate Florida now brings more frustration than reassurance.
“If you get an email from Elevate Florida, you’re like, ‘Is this it?’ And no, it’s just another update,” Suhr said.
State officials previously blamed delays on FEMA approvals and federal funding obligations tied to the Department of Homeland Security.
Even with new leadership now overseeing DHS, roughly half a dozen Pinellas homeowners Tampa Bay 28 has spoken with say they still have little clarity about when, or if, their homes will finally be elevated.
Without the help of Elevate Florida, Suhr says paying to elevate her home out-of-pocket would simply be too expensive.
As another hurricane season arrives, she says that uncertainty has become one of the hardest parts.
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