The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded more than $800 million to Pinellas County for long-term hurricane recovery efforts. This federal grant is aimed at enhancing prolonged hurricane resilience and addressing the unmet needs of residents.

St. Petersburg, within Pinellas County, was also granted $159.9 million, making it the only city in Florida to receive such funding from this allocation.

The funding comes in response to the aftermath of Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, with the latter two causing significant back-to-back damage to the Tampa Bay area last year, complicating recovery efforts.

Announced on January 7, Florida will see over $925 million for storm recovery, with Pinellas receiving the largest share among 10 counties.

These funds are part of HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. Assistant County Administrator Matthew Spoor noted that while Pinellas typically receives annual CDBG funding, this grant is specifically for disaster recovery.

“This is a different form of CDBG funding,” Spoor explained, highlighting that the $813.8 million will focus on resilience and unmet needs.

With the clock starting on January 21, Pinellas has 90 days to draft an action plan, engaging with residents and partners to assess needs. After HUD’s approval, there will be public hearings to gather community input.

Spoor emphasized the importance of reaching the “10% of the county” still struggling post-disaster. “We really need to hear from those people,” he said, indicating a focus on those whose recovery efforts are ongoing.

During the County Commission meeting on January 28, specialists in disaster recovery will be chosen to assist with the action plan. Spoor anticipates that this recovery funding will be a recurring topic in future meetings.

David Thompson, St. Petersburg’s director of government affairs, underscored the necessity of transparency and community involvement. “It’s a lot of money, and community feedback is going to be really, really important,” he said, noting ongoing engagements with HUD and internal staff-level meetings.

Both Spoor and Thompson cautioned that the full distribution of funds might take five to six years. In the interim, officials are focusing on immediate needs like housing and rehabilitation, funded through federal reimbursements.

New websites will soon be launched to provide information on the CDBG-DR grant action plans, and both officials encourage residents to stay informed and participate in the public hearings to voice their recovery needs.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Google, & X

(Image credit: Stephanie Colombini/WUSF)