REDINGTON SHORES, Fla. — For months, hundreds of homeowners across the Tampa Bay area have been waiting for their homes to be lifted through the state’s Elevate Florida mitigation program.
However, according to emails forwarded to Tampa Bay 28, not a single home has been elevated under the program so far.
WATCH: State says 'unanticipated' federal directive is delaying program meant to lift flooded homes
With hurricane season just three months away, frustration is growing.
“There are days when you just feel so defeated, and you know, I just go in the house and break down," said Pauline Daninos, who lives in Redington Shores and expected the program to start lifting her home months ago.
Now, a state email obtained by our newsroom sheds new light on the reasons why roll-out of the program is delayed.
State points to federal approval bottleneck
In an email sent Tuesday to Belleair Beach City Councilman Frank Bankard, a Florida official with the state’s Division of Emergency Management said Elevate Florida projects cannot move forward without final approval from FEMA, and that the approval process is currently backed up.
According to the state, three major factors are contributing to the delay:
- Reductions in FEMA staffing
- The current Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse and partial government shutdown
- A policy implemented last summer by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requiring her personal review and approval of any DHS grant or contract award over $100,000
Elevation projects typically involve construction costs that can exceed that threshold.
In the email, the state official wrote that the secretary’s additional review was an “unanticipated change from DHS” and has “significantly increased the obligation timeline of all FEMA funding.”
Initially, the program projected that the FEMA review process would take an average of four months, based on historical timelines,” Laura Dhuwe, FDEM’s Chief of Mitigation, writes in the email. “However, due to multiple partial federal government shutdowns, the timeline has been repeatedly delayed.”
Senate report finds nationwide delays
Florida is not alone in raising concerns.
On Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) released a report examining the impact of Secretary Noem’s directive.
Based on internal tracking data cited in the report, the senators found that at least 1,034 FEMA grants, contracts, or disaster assistance awards have been delayed or left pending under the review process. The report found average delays of roughly three weeks, with some taking longer.
The report also states that the directive is being implemented through an ad hoc review process with no required deadlines.
The senators are calling on Secretary Noem to rescind the policy and provide Congress with a full accounting of any delays caused by it.
In a hearing on Wednesday, Noem was pressed about the policy, which she said only applies to FEMA contracts.
“FEMA is dispersing funds on grants and relief and public assistance and individual assistance twice as fast as it ever has in its history,” Noem contended to lawmakers.
Political tension over DHS funding
Meanwhile, DHS remains partially affected by a federal funding lapse.
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) told us he has contacted FEMA for an update on Elevate Florida’s status, but does not anticipate “immediate movement” until DHS funding is approved by Congress.
So far, lawmakers have not reached a deal amid broader disagreements over immigration enforcement and funding for agencies under the DHS umbrella, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
At a Senate hearing this week, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) also criticized Secretary Noem’s leadership and called for her resignation. Tillis raised concerns about how DHS is handling federal operations, including disaster response.
Like much of Tampa Bay, portions of his state, namely western North Carolina, were also devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Homeowners still waiting
In communities like Belleair Beach and Redington Shores, the delays are not abstract.
Some homeowners are still not back in their houses more than a year and a half after Helene.
They were told Elevate Florida would help lift their homes above future flood levels.
As of today, no homes have been elevated.
With another hurricane season approaching, many are still waiting and still asking when the work will begin.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to Governor Ron DeSantis's office to ask whether the governor has taken steps to advocate for movement on behalf of Florida homeowners. As of publication, the office has not given an answer.
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