Information to Help You in the Aftermath of Hurricane Idalia

Resources to help you recover and rebuild.

A message from the Florida Realtors® president: Click to watch the video.

Federal disaster declaration: President Joe Biden approved a federal disaster declaration to help state and local recovery efforts after Category 3 Hurricane Idalia slammed into North Florida’s Big Bend region and caused widespread damage. The disaster declaration will make federal money available for people affected by the storm in Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee, and Taylor counties. Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning in the Keaton Beach area of Taylor County before sweeping north into Georgia.

How to speed up aid: Click here for strategies to help Hurricane Idalia survivors get federal aid faster.

Housing help

Florida Housing: This free state resource for renters and property managers in Florida features dynamic search options that can help you find available rental housing that fits your needs and income.

HurricaneHomes.org: Local Realtor associations are building a safe platform for the community to access rentals for temporary housing in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, and Marco Island. The website, HurricaneHomes.org, will be available in the coming days and provides listings for housing whose properties have been vetted as reliable, safe, and clean. The listings are given by Realtors in the area.

Operation Blue Roof: Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Operation Blue Roof provides homeowners and permanently occupied rental properties in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until arrangements can be made for permanent repairs.

Legal questions

Click here for an overview of key bad weather provisions in the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar “AS IS” Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase revised in October of 2021, along with one reference to the casualty provision contained in the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.

Landlord-tenant concerns: Click here for answers to common questions about rental properties from the Florida Realtors legal team.

© 2023 Reprinted with permission Florida Realtors®. All rights reserved.