VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County will spend up to $20 million to buy properties that have flooded multiple times. The money is part of a $135 million grant from the federal government meant to help the area recover from Hurricane Milton and prepare for future storms.
The program could be a game-changer for people in Midtown who are still recovering from past storms. Homes still sit empty nearly three years after Hurricane Ian, and those who were able to make repairs finally started to move back in last year, only to be met with more flooding from Hurricane Milton.
“I just moved back into my home about a month or two ago and right now I am scared to death,” said long time Midtown resident Cynthia Slater.
Slater who is also the president of the NAACP in Daytona Beach has gutted her house five times and like many of her neighbors, is running out of resources to rebuild or relocate.
“We are stuck where we are unless we sell the house, but again, who is going to buy a house that has been known to flood three, four, five times?” said Slater.
Help could be on the way for homeowners in her situation. Volusia County leaders have plans to spend $20 million to purchase properties that habitually flood.
They’ll then be demolished and turned into retention ponds or open space.
The county will provide up to $400,000 for buyouts. The amount given to homeowners will be based on the property’s pre-storm appraisal value.
Slater said at this point, anything would put people in a better situation.
“They didn’t have the money to get things done. I mean it’s been 8 months now and people are still tearing out walls, throwing out furniture, it’s really sad,” said Slater.
It’s not clear which cities will get this funding or how individual homeowners will be selected. But the county hopes to have a better idea once it gets some applications together in the coming months.
Click here to find more information about how the county will allocate the rest of the funds.
A Hurricane Milton recovery plan approved by the Volusia County Council during its May 6 meeting will direct $100 million of federal grant funds into stormwater improvements, future storm protection, and voluntary buyouts to support flood-impacted homeowners.
The $133.5 million plan, funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, focuses on long-term resilience and helping the community rebuild stronger. Approximately $80 million will be invested in infrastructure and mitigation projects that strengthen stormwater systems, upgrade outdated drainage, and reduce vulnerability to future storms. These funds will be used to partner with Volusia County municipalities and nonprofit organizations to repair damage caused by Hurricane Milton and build infrastructure that helps protect communities across the county from future disasters.
Another $20 million will be used to fund a voluntary buyout program to assist property owners in high-risk areas who have experienced repeated storm damage. Once acquired, the land will be preserved as open space or used for floodplain restoration, reducing the risk of future damage while contributing to long-term community resilience. In addition, $20.2 million is set aside for a repair and replacement program to help eligible low- to moderate-income homeowners rebuild their lives.
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