Everglades City
by Tony Pernas
Everglades City Council
Driving through the low-lying communities of Everglades City, Plantation Island, and Chokoloskee in southwest Collier County, you see that many of the homes are lifted up on pilings to mitigate against storm surge. However, there are still many homes at ground level. As a result, storm surge from Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Ian in 2022 caused widespread damage to ground-level homes.
For many families, the only long-term solution is to lift the house. However, the lifting of a home can be expensive, and many low-to-moderate-income families cannot afford it.
The Communities of Everglades Disaster Recovery (CEDR) is a non-profit organization that was formed after Hurricane Irma to bring together government, civic, and faith-based organizations, businesses, and volunteers to make our community more prepared, resilient, and self-sufficient.
After Hurricane Ian, CEDR, with funding from the Collier Community Foundation and Volunteer Florida, initiated the Elevating Homes Program. The program’s goal is to raise homes in Everglades City, Chokoloskee, and Plantation Island for low-to-moderate-income homeowners affected by Hurricane Ian.
In 2023 (April to May), CEDR accepted pre-applications followed by applications for families that met the qualifications of the program (i.e., primary residence, low-to-moderate income, veteran, etc.). Families were then notified that they have been selected for the program.
Three families will be receiving elevated modular homes to replace ground-level mobile homes, and four families will have their homes elevated. Demolition has started on the mobile homes, and we expect all of the elevated modular homes to be completed in the next few months. Elevation of homes will start in the next couple of weeks as well. For additional information, please visit: http://www.cedrvoad.org
