Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that $1.4 billion in emergency rental assistance to Floridians is on its way as part of the federal COVID-19 relief legislation signed into law on Dec. 27.
The governor’s office said cities and counties with a population of 200,000 and greater will receive funds directly from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The state of Florida will be in charge of administering the remaining roughly $850 million.
Households meeting the following criteria will be eligible for assistance:
- Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19.
- Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
- Has a household income at or below 80% of the area median income, with priority given to households below 50% of the area median income.
Details on how the aid can be applied for is expected in the coming weeks.
A December AdvisorSmith report found 15.6% of Florida’s renting households were at risk of eviction within two months.
AdvisorSmith, a small business research website, looked at U.S. Census data and then calculated the percentage of households that are behind on their rent payments, which was combined with data on the percentage of late-paying renters who expect to be evicted.
People who’ve fallen behind on their rent have a little more breathing room because a federal eviction moratorium has been extended to the end of January.
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