DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Homeowners and business owners in the city of Daytona Beach could soon qualify for financial help to recover from Hurricane Milton damages.
Members of the Daytona Beach City Commission announced this week that up to $1.5 million in grants will be available from the American Rescue Plan funds to help homeowners and business owners recover from Hurricane Milton.
Business owner Glenna Doyle said she is still working to recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Milton at her Salon 230 in Daytona Beach.
“We got flooding, about 4 inches in here ... and then the paint on our floor, that’s bubbled up from the water," she said.
She said she couldn’t get back into her business for a few days after Milton. Instead, Doyle said she asked friends who live nearby to send her videos showing the water levels and the damage.
“This is out back in our patio," she said, going through photos of the damage on her phone. "It blew the screens over — broke them in half, four of them. And we’re lucky that that’s all the damage back there."
City officials said $1 million of the grant money will go to homeowners, and $500,000 will be set aside for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
“I definitely would qualify for that," Doyle said. "I have less than 10 right now, so we would definitely qualify for that. And that would be a big help in repainting the floors and the walls and doing the electrical to get us back up and running again."
City officials say funds can be used to cover business-related expenses and losses, including repair costs. Grant awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds run out.
City officials said they plan to award the grants quickly so people can start recovering.
The grant program will be administered through the City’s Redevelopment and Neighborhood Services Department by third-party agreements with Mid-Florida Housing Partnership and Greater Hope Community Development.