Sarasota County is confident that hurricane recovery funds will continue to flow despite shakeups in the federal bureaucracy.

Local officials are depending on the U.S. government’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to address the housing and infrastructure needs caused by the trio of hurricanes—Debby, Helene, and Milton—that struck the area in 2024. This program is overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development.

According to a New York Times report, the Trump Administration plans to cut the staff at this HUD office by more than 80%, reducing personnel from 936 to just 150. HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett did not dispute the report and assured that hurricane recovery efforts would remain unaffected.

“HUD’s mission to serve all communities, especially following tragedies, remains unchanged,” Lovett told the Times.

Emily Blaine, spokesperson for Sarasota County’s hurricane recovery program, Resilient SRQ, stated in an email to the Herald-Tribune that HUD had informed Sarasota County of a “workforce restructuring.” The county will now collaborate with a new representative in the department.

“In an email to us, HUD emphasized their commitment to customer service and continued collaboration,” Blaine said. “We are actively working with HUD to ensure continuity in disaster recovery efforts and to keep ongoing projects moving forward.”

Sarasota County officials remain confident they will receive the $210 million allocated for the post-2024 storm season rebuild. The county has less than 90 days to submit a spending plan to HUD for approval. Whether a significant staff reduction could complicate or delay that process is yet to be determined.

The Resilient SRQ program began when the county received a $201 million CDBG grant for Hurricane Ian recovery. In January, Sarasota County announced another round of funding and the continuation of the program to distribute it.

Federal regulations require that 70% of the new grant benefit households with an income of $64,506 or less, and 85% must be used to address storm impacts or build resilience for future storms. All funds must be used within six years of project approval.

The county received a similar amount for recovery after 2022’s Hurricane Ian.

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

(Image credit: Mike Lang/Herald-Tribune)

PIE-Sun.com: local St. Pete-Clearwater news