Tampa Bay homeowners say Elevate Florida funding delays have left them in limbo

Article Courtesy of News Channel 8 On Your Side

By Georgia McCarthur

Published March 19, 2026

TAMPA — A state program designed to help homeowners raise flood-prone homes is facing questions as some Tampa Bay residents say they are still waiting for answers about funding.

Homeowners accepted into Florida’s $400 million Elevate Florida program said delays in funding have left them in limbo.

Jason Nash said the wait has created major financial strain for his family.

“And so we’re spending over $10,000 a month just to maintain and live in a completely different location than our house,” Nash said.

Nash said that has been the reality for his family since 2024, while they wait for a long-term solution.

That solution appeared to come through Elevate Florida, a state program designed to help homeowners elevate or rebuild homes in flood-prone areas.

“We got accepted into Elevate Florida,” Nash said.

But Nash said the next step, approval for funding never came.

“Now our application from Elevate Florida is sitting somewhere up in FEMA where it has been sitting for over a year,” Nash said.

According to the state’s timeline, applications are reviewed and then sent to FEMA for funding decisions.

But Nash said many homeowners in his neighborhood are still waiting for answers.

“We made financial decisions with the hope that we were going to get this assistance to help elevate our house. And we can’t get answers for anyone from anyone,” Nash said.

News Channel 8 reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management and FEMA asking about the status of funding and when homeowners might receive decisions. As of publication, neither agency had responded.

However, Sen. Nick DiCeglie’s office shared a document from the Florida Division of Emergency Management that states the “final determination for funding by FEMA is outside of Elevate Florida programs and FDEM’s control.”

The document said FEMA must approve each project before federal funding can be released.

According to the state, federal policy changes, staffing reductions and concerns about potential government shutdowns may be slowing FEMA’s grant approval process.