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The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) notified the City on Friday, August 9, 2019 that they would be extending the original grant submittal deadline for the Voluntary Buyout Program from August 15 to October 1. The grant application extension allows the City to reach out to additional property owners that did not initially have time to apply to the program based on the condensed timeline.
As a reminder, following Hurricane Irma in 2017, the City of Bonita Springs has been focusing on specific neighborhoods where substantial flooding took place. One of the ways to support the City’s number 1 strategic priority of Stormwater Management is to focus on reducing or eliminating future flood damage and risks to our citizens by implementing a floodplain buyout program.
The City is applying for state funds through the FDEO for U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) in order to voluntarily purchase individual residential homes/mobile homes in the Quinn/Downs Streets area as well as other areas of the City located in a flood prone area.
City staff will be available on September 5, 2019 at an Open House at City Hall, 9101 Bonita Beach Road from 6:00pm to 7:30pm to explain the program, address questions, allow for the collection of additional information and the ability to have additional participation in the program.
The City understands this is an important decision for you and your family so we would like to provide additional time and an opportunity to address any additional questions you might have on the process before making a decision. The deadline to submit your participation form or to supplement information you have already submitted is extended to Monday, September 16, 2019.
Again, it is critical to remember that the City will only purchase your property on a voluntary basis. If you do not wish to sell your property, the City will no longer contact you.
After acquisition, the City would demolish the structure(s) on the property and the purchased land will remain the City’s property indefinitely. The property may be used for future potential mitigation projects.
The City has not been granted funding but must identify specific structures willing to voluntarily sell so when funding is awarded; we can move quickly to complete the acquisition. Please understand there is no guarantees that funds will be available in the future to buy your property. Funding remains up to FDEO for consideration.
City staff, Elly Soto McKuen, Senior Project Manager at (239) 949-6246 or through email at
[email protected] can address any questions, comments or inquiries.
Please understand that there is no guarantee that funds will be available in the future to buy your property. This is a voluntary program intended to provide you a Fair Market Value for your property. The power of eminent domain will not be used to acquire property should you choose not to participate voluntarily.