PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) — Palm Bay homeowners whose primary residence was damaged by the November 2026 flooding can now apply to the city’s Disaster Relief Assistance Program. The money is about $1 million in city SHIP funds, assistance is capped by the available funding, and intake began on November 6.
The program started at the November 5 council meeting, where the council, at Councilman Kenny Johnson’s initiative and by consensus with no formal vote, directed City Manager Matthew Morton and the city’s SHIP housing staff to activate the SHIP Disaster Relief Assistance Strategy and redirect approximately $1 million in unencumbered SHIP funds to it, pivoted away from competitive nonprofit sub-grants. SHIP is the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, the state housing program the city administers.
Who qualifies
The home must be within Palm Bay city limits. The applicant must have owned and occupied it as a primary residence for at least 12 consecutive months before the disaster, and have a designated exemption. Household income cannot exceed 120 percent of Area Median Income by household size; the release range is $83,760 for a one-person household to $138,720 for a six-person household. Mortgage, property taxes, and utilities must be current, and a flood-zone home must have flood insurance in place.
Coverage, caps, and the lien
The program covers roof repair, insurance deductible help, weatherproofing, water extraction, removal of water-damaged materials, emergency plumbing or electrical work, temporary structural stabilization, and other reasonable and necessary actions to protect the home from additional damage.
Total eligible repair costs cannot exceed $80,000. Deductible assistance runs up to $10,000, and insured applicants provide proof of their deductible. Uninsured applicants are eligible for up to $10,000, with proof of damage and repair costs. Assistance over $20,000 requires a lien: a 0 percent interest forgivable mortgage lien for 5 years. Manufactured homes, pools, hot tubs, and illegal or non-permitted work are not eligible.
How to apply
Start with the pre-qualification form linked on the city’s housing page. Submitting it places your household on the program waitlist; it does not guarantee eligibility or approval, and a full application packet is required afterward. Intake began in person at the November 6 flood recovery sessions at City Hall and the Tony Rosa Community Center, so the line is already forming. Questions go to the Housing and Community Improvement Division at (321) 726-5633 or HCDinfo@palmbayfl.gov.
What the city has not said
The city has published no application deadline or closing date, has not stated whether the waitlist is strictly first-come, and has not stated how much of the approximately $1 million remains uncommitted. No document checklist is published beyond deductible proof for insured applicants and damage and repair proof for uninsured applicants. One gap stands out: the council’s November 5 direction covered homeowners and renters, but the announced program is for homeowners only, with no published path for renters. The program page does not name its funding source; the SHIP source and the $1 million figure come from the November 5 council record.
This story is also published at The Palm Bayer.
