Voluntary Home Buyout Program 

BY MAGGIE KLEIN

KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER 

After Hurricane Irma struck the Island, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity issued $15 Million of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Funds to the Monroe County Voluntary Home Buyout Program. The program had a little over 60 people interested in selling out their property and they were taken in as tentative applicants. The first struggle that the organization faced was the fact that they were 4 years after Irma, and were just getting to the point where they could make offers, so, over the past couple years, applicants were dropping out. 

However, the program has newly reopened the application process, and there’s a couple reasons why this is beneficial. Christine Hurley, the Executive Director of Monroe County, states, “If you have damages to your home and don’t have enough insurance coverage, this program allows us to pay market value for the structure and land. Another plus is that some homes, because time has lapsed since Irma, might have certain code enforcement issues, or could have been considered unsafe, and this program will erase code fines that were levied because of Hurricane Irma damage.” This should be a relief to many Key West residents, considering they will be able to take advantage of this program. The goals are to acquire properties that are in high flood-risk areas, help relocate residents to lower flood risk areas, and reduce the impact of future flood related disasters. 

According to their website, monroecounty-fl.gov, “These funds will allow Monroe County to purchase the property and the home of voluntary sellers who were impacted by Hurricane Irma. The home will be demolished and the land will serve as open space in perpetuity.” If the Voluntary Home Buyout Program is used in conjunction with the County’s Sustainability Infrastructure Rebuilding Program, the County will be able to approach a “managed retreat” to build a stronger community. The Program registration is re-opened from October 20, 2021 until November 19, 2021. The County is actively seeking applicants to provide county residents the opportunity to express interest in participating in the program. If you are interested in the Voluntary Home Buyout Program, head over to their website, where you can access the online form! 

In order to be eligible for participation in the program, the applicant has to also be the owner of the property, as well as willing to give all development rights. There will be more information regarding the program, as well as how to apply for it, on their website. 

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