The Long-Term Recovery Group says they’ve served the community more competently than the county’s Resilient SRQ.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: March 12, 2025
Host: A coalition of non-profit, business and government organizations says they have outperformed the Sarasota County government in recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian. Now they are asking the county to give them the lead in the recovery from last year’s storms, as Ramon Lopez reports.
Ramon Lopez: On Tuesday, the Sarasota County Commission got an update on how the county and a coalition of government, faith-based, and business groups are supporting hurricane-ravaged residents.
The commissioners were briefed on how $202 million the county got back in 2023 for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts is being spent—cash from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.
LTRG banner via the United Way of South Sarasota County website.
The county leaders are also planning how to spend a new batch of federal disaster relief funds for last year’s trio of devastating hurricanes. The county expects to receive another $210 million to help residents impacted by Debby, Helene and Milton.
The $202 million already in the pot to rebuild and repair wrecked houses is part of the county’s ongoing Resilient SRQ Hurricane Ian Housing Recovery Program. It is headed by Steve Hyatt, Resilient SRQ Division Manager. The county’s project contractor is DSW Homes.
The non-profit coalition separately providing aid to devastated families is headed by the United Way of South Sarasota County. The Long Term Recovery Group, or LTRG, is led by the United Way’s chief operating officer, Chris Johnson.
Steve Hyatt said the federal funding has been slow in coming to the county due to numerous federal hurdles and red tape. And his office is limited as to what it can provide.
Steve Hyatt.
Steve Hyatt: This program is designed for rehabilitation, reconstruction, reimbursement services, so it is not broad case management-type services. In certain circumstances, when we run into a homeowner that is unfortunately behind on their mortgage, or there’s some additional need that they may have, our program’s not designed to provide mortgage assistance. It’s not designed to do utility assistance. It’s not designed to do these sorts of things. It’s designed strictly to do rehab and reconstruction. Non-profit organizations in the community, United Way being one of them—they are referred to those services for assistance.
RL: Chris Johnson told the county commissioners that some low- to moderate income residents, including senior citizens on fixed income, without cash to make house repairs or relocate, remain in damaged homes or are being threatened with ejection from the Resilient SRQ Hurricane Ian Housing Recovery Program.
Chris Johnson.
Chris Johnson: We had one call regarding a gentleman—I’ll call him John. He’s a 65-year-old North Port homeowner with cognitive difficulties who lost his home to Hurricane Ian. In August of ‘23, Idalia hit, further damaging his home. John’s house later caught fire, forcing him to live in his metal shed with only cold running water—no air conditioner and no hot water. Now, for 18 months, despite being the first approved applicant for Resilient SRQ’s rebuild program in June of 2024, delays and shifting requirements and lack of coordination have left him living in his shed for 18 months and prevented his rebuild. Over those past 18 months, while living in his metal shed, he suffered a heart attack and severe neuropathy while waiting, yet, repeatedly, Resilient SRQ has directed him to the United Way for documentation-gathering and other services.
United Way was asked to provide a dumpster for John so debris could be removed from his property and rebuilding could commence. We were told that, if we didn’t provide a dumpster, he would be dropped from the program. We agreed, of course—we want to put the client first—so we agreed. We paid for a 20-yard dumpster to be placed on his property and then removed once it was full. We understood this to be a one-time event but later got an email stating they were ready for the second dumpster, or he would be dropped from the program. Clients like John should not have to live under that threat of being dropped from what they’re hoping will be the resolution of their trauma.
The LTRG’s community partners via the United Way of South Sarasota County website.
An 80-year-old woman living at 14 percent AMI who had been approved for rebuild and was told everything was in order. She had been three months behind on her mortgage from the moment she was accepted into Resilient SRQ. She was already behind because of the hurricane because of a loss of income. It was never brought up as an issue. Just as the final rebuilding approvals were being completed, United Way received a call stating that, if she was not brought up to date on her mortgage, then she would be disqualified from the program and that the Resilient SRQ case managers could not reach out to Seasons of Sharing or other entities to resolve the mortgage issue—that we would have to. We were told this was the last step in her process. Once she was caught up on her mortgage, she would be fully ready for rebuilds. We stepped in; we paid, personally for her to be caught up on her three-month mortgage delinquency. We received an email on Friday this last week stating that she was suddenly dropped from the program due to a supposed lack of receipts despite having submitted them at the beginning of the process.
This reversal devastated her. We don’t offer hope without opportunity, because that’s just cruel. That’s what she’s facing now: hope without opportunity.
I say all this not to speak disparagingly against county staff. I always give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they’re doing the best that they can at the time. These issues just reveal that the county may not be the best to run case management.
RL: Steve Hyatt defended his organization’s track record.
SH: From my experience working in this day to day, these are one-off circumstances. The dumpster example, I think that happened only once to my knowledge. There are going to be homeowners that simply fall out of the program. They simply just don’t qualify. It’s really just an unfortunate thing. That’s heartbreaking for my staff—for myself—to deal with that, but the rules are the rules. Unfortunately, that’s what we have to operate within. There are always going to be one-off, unusual circumstances, but what we do hear about are the homeowners that we are working with that we have awarded funds that are truly thrilled about this opportunity and what assistance they’re going to be getting.
Joe Neunder
RL: Sarasota County Commission Chairman Joe Neunder is glad to see the joint efforts getting people back into their homes.
Joe Neunder: This is all—I’m not going to say “free federal money,” because this is all taxpayer money; we are all very well aware of that—but certainly a blessing to the people in our community. We need to get that money out, in my humble opinion, expeditiously to help.
RL: This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
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