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ALISA ULFERTSBush names a group to propose affordable housing solutions for many who remain displaced by storms.
TALLAHASSEE - Florida didn't have enough affordable housing before its worst hurricane season.
Since Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have left behind $11-billion in damage, it has even less.
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed a panel of business, government and nonprofit leaders Wednesday to develop a plan for providing permanent affordable housing for displaced Floridians to use after emergency relief ends.
The recommendations will be submitted by Feb. 18.
The idea is to leverage as much one-time federal housing money as possible to trigger the development of safe, affordable homes that would need repairs - not reconstruction - following major hurricanes.
"We need to make sure when the emergency funding stops that these people have viable housing options," Bush said Wednesday. "Now it's time to focus on what the world is going to look like in our great state 18 months from now."
Several thousand people are still awaiting temporary housing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, such as a mobile home they can park on their property while they rebuild their homes. The American Red Cross says more than 25,000 homes in Florida were destroyed and more than 40,000 had major damage because of the storms.
The Hurricane Housing Work Group will propose ideas for permanent housing. The mission has some wondering if the work group could lead to the demise of mobile homes in Florida.
"There is certainly a place and a need for manufactured housing in Florida. With that said, I think this group ought to look at the placement and safety of these homes," said work group member Dan Gilmore, president of the Florida Home Builders Association.
Mobile home residents are the first to be ordered to evacuate before a storm. Manufacturers and residents say mobile homes are the only viable option for many low-income residents in a state where home prices are soaring.
"Irrespective of the storms, we have an affordable housing challenge," Bush said.
While state officials say they would like to see people living in sturdier structures, they said mobile homes tied down and built after tougher standards took effect in 1994 did much better during the hurricanes than older models.
Mobile homes are "a viable, affordable option but one we need to make sure is a safe, affordable option," said Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, who will lead the group.
The group will recommend to Bush and the Legislature how to restore the affordable housing market, particularly for the elderly and migrant farm workers. It also will suggest how to cut red tape for builders.