Pinellas County officials are urging residents to apply for hurricane recovery assistance, as a significant portion of an $813 million federal grant remains unspent.
The funding, distributed through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development community block grant, is intended to help homeowners and renters recover from Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. Eligibility is generally income-based, covering households earning up to 120% of the area’s median income.
The county launched five programs — collectively called the “People First Hurricane Recovery Programs” — covering homeowner rehabilitation and reconstruction, homeowner reimbursement, landlord support, homebuyer assistance, and disaster-relief reimbursement for expenses like rent and utilities.
As of this week, the county had received roughly 6,600 applications. To boost that number, Pinellas Recovers held a pop-up outreach event in Gulfport last week, generating about 40 new applications. More pop-up events are planned across the county in the coming weeks.
Program manager Erica Henry said the county has six years under HUD guidelines to spend the full $813 million and is motivated to move quickly. “We want to get it out into the community and where it needs to be,” she said.
Residents can apply online or visit one of two full-time help centers — one in Clearwater and one in St. Petersburg — open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at recover.pinellas.gov.
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