Through the program, his roof, flooring and walls were replaced. His kitchen was completely renovated with new cabinets, countertops and appliances. Beyond the necessary storm repairs, his home was also made wheelchair accessible with wider corridors and doorways, along with a new accessible shower.<\/p>\n
In February 2026, after staying with family during the renovation, Turner was handed the keys to his newly renovated home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I won the lottery,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has made me whole again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s Community Development Block Grant\u2013Disaster Recovery Program<\/a>, Orange County Recovers provides grants to low-to-moderate-income homeowners with unresolved damage from Hurricanes Ian and Milton. The program helps fund repairs, renovations or replacement of storm-damaged homes. The program is available to homeowners throughout Orange County, including those who live within its municipalities.<\/p>\n The application portal remains open at OrangeCountyRecovers.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n To date, Orange County Recovers has completed repairs on 33 hurricane-damaged homes, with 60 additional homes moving forward with construction and another 218 applications in the pipeline.<\/p>\n For the team behind Orange County Recovers, those numbers represent more than homes repaired or projects underway. Each represents a homeowner working to regain the safety, stability and independence a storm took away. Turner\u2019s experience is one example of that impact.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to see Turner come back to a fully rehabbed home and return to self-sufficiency has been a great story for the Orange County Recovers program,\u201d said Sherry Julien, project manager with Orange County\u2019s Housing & Community Development Division. \u201cRehab is a passion of mine. I\u2019ve done this for 27 years with the County, and so I get to see behind the scenes, the before-and-after pictures. To be able to see the homeowner get the keys to their totally renovated home brings them to tears and me to tears. It\u2019s great to see these families restored.\u201d<\/p>\n For Turner, that restoration is something he experiences every day. On a recent Tuesday morning, he rolled through his newly renovated home, moving easily through spaces redesigned with his independence in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cThe County really came in and made a difference in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI just throw my hat off to them because they really came in and made a difference in my life. They made it so easy for me to live here. I thank them for everything they did.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about Orange County Recovers or determine program eligibility, visit Orange County Recovers Program.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-11-152806-300x175.png\")
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