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City of Tampa approves millions of dollars to aid families, neighborhoods impacted by Hurricanes

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The City of Tampa has approved millions of dollars aimed at helping communities and families impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

In Thursday's City Council meeting, homeowners expressed their concerns.

"You can see the empty houses and the pods in the driveway if they're actually in a construction mode. But as you hear the damage, it's just really widespread in our area," said Bev Kieny, President of the Forrest Hills Neighborhood Association. "They're still broken, so most of run through their all their own resources, and now they're in a deep financial hole."

The City's $3.2 million package comes from the SHIP fund. Homeowners stand to gain up to $20,000. The money will go to people who need to pay their mortgage, so long as they're not behind insurance deductibles or repair costs.

There is a financial threshold to meet as well.

Details are still being ironed out, but the city hopes to open the application portal by mid-March.

The City also approved more than $10 million to go towards adding backup generators to all of the pump stations.


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