How to Apply for Manatee County’s Home Recovery Program: Step-by-Step

Manatee County’s Home Recovery Program pre-application window is open from May 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026. The program is funded by the $252,711,000 federal CDBG-DR grant Manatee received from HUD for the 2024 hurricanes (Debby, Helene, and Milton). This post walks through the actual application steps so you can position your file for approval.

Read the full Home Recovery Program overview →

Watch the official Manatee County walkthrough

Before you start the pre-application, watch the county’s own walkthrough video. It’s the most accurate, up-to-date guide:

This guide complements the official walkthrough with the homeowner-facing process broken down into steps, plus what to do while you wait.

Step 1 : Confirm you meet the four eligibility criteria

Before you start the pre-application, confirm all four:

• The damaged property is in Manatee County.
• You owned and occupied the home during the 2024 hurricanes (Debby, Helene, or Milton).
• The home is your primary residence : single-family or manufactured (not a second home, vacation rental, or investment property).
• Your household income falls at or below 120% of the Manatee County Area Median Income (AMI).

If any of those four are “no,” the Home Recovery Program is not the right path. Lasting Manatee is rolling out four other programs (Rental Recovery, Buyout and Safe Housing, IRRP, and an admin program). See lastingmanatee.org/pages/programs for current status.

Step 2 : Submit the pre-application before June 30, 2026

The pre-application is a short intake form on Manatee County’s recovery portal. It captures the basics: property address, household composition, income range, hurricane(s) involved, and a high-level damage description. The pre-application is not the full application : it is a triage step that puts you in the queue and tells the program team to follow up with the full application.

Pre-application portal: LastingManatee.org → click “Apply for the Home Recovery Program.”

Important: The pre-application window closes June 30, 2026. If you miss it, you may not be able to apply for HRP funding.

Step 3 : Wait for the full application invitation

After pre-applications close on June 30, 2026, Manatee County reviews all submissions and processes them in phases based on:

• Household income tier
• Whether household members are under 18, over 62, or have a disability

This means higher-need households may move through the queue faster, regardless of pre-application timestamp. The county will reach out by phone, email, or mail to begin the full application : be patient and respond quickly when contacted.

Step 4 : Submit the full application with documentation

The full application requires significant documentation. We cover the official Application Document Checklist in a separate post. Key categories:

• Proof of property ownership (deed, mortgage statement)
• Proof of primary residence (FL driver’s license, utility bills)
• Proof of household income (tax returns, pay stubs, benefit statements)
• Insurance claim documentation (denials, payouts, settlement letters)
• FEMA Individual Assistance documentation (approval, denial, payout)
• Damage documentation (photos, contractor estimates, inspection reports)

The official Application Document Checklist is published at lastingmanatee.org/pages/hrp.

Step 5 : Damage assessment and program scope of work

If your application moves forward, the county or its contracted assessor will inspect your property to define an official scope of work : the line-item list of repairs HRP will fund. Available assistance is up to $250,000 for repairs or up to $450,000 for reconstruction or elevation per qualifying home.

Step 6 : Contractor selection (from County-screened list)

The HRP program design has homeowners choose a contractor from the County’s approved/screened contractor list. The County pays the contractor directly : you do not pay out of pocket and seek reimbursement. Construction starts after contracts are signed and required environmental review is complete.

How long does the whole process take?

Plan for a multi-month timeline from pre-application to construction start. The Bradenton Herald reported in April 2026 that more than a year after Manatee received the $252.7M grant, distribution was still ramping up. Translation: do not expect repairs to start within weeks.

What WrightWay can do during the wait

If you’d like a contractor estimate of the unmet repair scope on your home : useful as supporting documentation in your application file : call WrightWay at (941) 379-8669 for a free assessment. We provide Xactimate-formatted estimates that match the format CDBG-DR program scopes use.

Need help with the application itself?

Contact Lasting Manatee directly:

• Phone: 941-742-4787 (Mon-Fri 8 AM – 4 PM)
• Email: info@lastingmanatee.org

Always verify current program steps at LastingManatee.org.