Flooding mitigation buy back program in Bay County

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Unincorporated Bay County homeowners who have experienced repetitive flooding may qualify for a program that allows money from FEMA to buy back their home.

The definitions per the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program include:

-Repetitive Loss Property: An insured property with at least two flood claims where the repairs equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure at the time of the flood event. Or, at the time of the second occurrence, the flood insurance contract must include an increased cost of compliance coverage.

-Severe Repetitive Loss: An insured property with a flood history of four or more separate claims of $5,000 each with a cumulative total exceeding $20,000 or at least two claim payments where the cumulative amount of two claims exceeds the market value of the structure.

FEMA has funding that’s available through a flood mitigation assistance grant program. The application period opened up Thursday, Sep. 30th and will be open through October 15th. The grant can provide 75 to 100 percent of the home’s value, and, per the program, the homeowner would be responsible for the remaining local match. This program is for people who live in unincorporated Bay County.

If the homeowner does decide to enroll in the program, their home will be turned into either a stormwater retention pond or used to mitigate floodwaters in other ways. We spoke with Bay County’s Public Information Officer, Valerie Sale, on the qualifications homeowners must meet in order to be a part of this voluntary program. “You must be the homeowner, and it must be your primary residence, and there are a number of other requirements. The best thing that folks can do to determine whether they may be eligible for this is to give us a call here.” Sale said.

She added they are happy to help in any way they can with this process.

Some of the qualifications are listed below:

The homeowner must provide documentation that the property is covered under the National Flood Insurance Program. (Provide a copy of NFIP Insurance Policy)
The property must be the homeowner’s primary residence.
The property must have flooded two or more times, and the homeowner must provide documentation supporting those claims.
Grants can be from 75 to 100 percent grant funding, and any match funding is the responsibility of the property owner.

To apply or for more information, please call Bay County Public Works at (850) 248-8301 or email Engstormwater@baycountyfl.gov before Oct. 15.