Florida Realtors® Thanks Gov. DeSantis, DCF for New Rental Assistance Portal

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May 13, 2021, 10:15 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Realtors® President Cheryl Lambert issued the following statement on Thursday thanking Gov. Ron DeSantis and Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Shevaun Harris for the launch of a new program to provide rental assistance relief to Florida housing providers and families facing economic hardship because of the pandemic.

"Florida Realtors recognizes the hard work done by the governor, DCF and so many more who have been trying to get this rental relief into the hands of the families and property owners across the state who so desperately need it," says Florida Realtors President Cheryl Lambert. "This assistance will be a lifeline for many people who have been struggling because of the pandemic and barely hanging on for far too long."

Called OUR Florida, or Opportunities for Utilities and Rental Assistance, the program is accepting applications for families in need of aid, no matter where they live in Florida, at OURFlorida.com. It focuses on low-income renters whose household income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which varies by county. OUR Florida will prioritize renters with income at or below 50% AMI and/or families who have experienced unemployment within the past 90 days. More than $800M is available to the program from federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funding.

"The OUR Florida program is the culmination of a months-long effort to bring relief to low-income Florida renters and the housing providers who have been supporting them throughout this pandemic," says Danielle Scoggins, Florida Realtors vice president of public policy. "We applaud the efforts of Governor DeSantis and Secretary Harris to make this program a reality and look forward to working with them to spread the word about its availability."

For more information about eligibility, how to apply and documentation requirements, go to OURFlorida.com.

Florida Realtors® serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to about 200,000 members in 51 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.

SOURCE Florida Realtors