TAMPA, Fla. — The city of Tampa is about to hand out their first round of hurricane relief funds.
It’s a process they say has been available to Tampa residents for only a week and thousands have already applied.
Some Forest Hills neighborhood residents in north Tampa said they’ve already been denied despite living in communities hit hard by the storms.
What You Need To Know
- Some Forest Hills neighborhood residents in north Tampa said they’ve been denied despite living in communities hit hard by last year's storms
- Homeowner Marilyn Menendez-Arnett said she has a long list of repairs needed from storm damage
- Menendez-Arnett and many of her neighbors were denied funds
- For more information on storm damage help visit tampa.gov/hurricanerelief
- PREVIOUS STORY: “A complete gut": An oral history of Hurricane Milton’s fury and flooding in Forest Hills
Marilyn Menendez-Arnett said she has a long list of repairs needed from storm damage.
“The next person that comes in is going to do all the finishing on the drywall,” Menendez-Arnett said of her storm-damage home. “And someone has to come in and do the mud. Now I have to furnish a three-bedroom home on my own.”
She said she was hoping to get money from Tampa’s disaster assistance program until she got an email this week, denying her any aid.
“It says thank you for submitting your pre-application for the city of Tampa homeowner disaster assistance program,” Menendez-Arnett said, reading the email. “Based on the information you provided, you are not eligible for the current phase.
“I was devastated. If you feel this decision was reached in error, please contact us for further explanation.”
Menendez-Arnett lives in Forest Hills, the same community where pumps failed at the largest pond in the city with no generator providing backup protection.
Marilyn Menendez-Arnett said she has a long list of repairs needed from storm damage. (Spectrum News)
That caused flood waters to flow into nearby homes for days. The water sat for four to five days.
Menendez-Arnett said all of her neighbors got the same rejection letter.
She was hoping what they went through would help get them assistance, but city officials say the program doesn’t work that way.
“There are income requirements,” said Abby Freely, with the city of Tampa’s Development and Economic Opportunity Administration. “Because these are state housing funds. And those funds that come from the state require the set asides (contracts for certain individuals or small businesses) and require they serve different income levels.”
Tampa residents have to qualify based on their income.
For those who barely missed the cutoff, there might be some hope. City officials said this is the first round for the money they’re distributing to those who qualify.
Officials said residents who were denied could still get some of that money.
