Pinellas County commissioners this week approved a $29 million federal grant to repair five waterways left severely eroded by Hurricane Milton’s historic rainfall.

The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service under its Emergency Watershed Protection Program, will fully cover construction and oversight costs for repairs to Joe’s Creek, Curlew Creek, Jerry Branch, Bee Branch and Channel R, according to Pinellas County Public Works Director Kelli Hammer-Levy.

Crews must still secure environmental permits before heavy machinery can begin stabilizing the damaged creek banks, county officials said.

The damage stems from the extreme rainfall Milton dumped on the region. Maya Burke of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program said some areas saw more than 20 inches of rain in less than 24 hours during the storm. That volume of water badly weakened stream banks across the county, she said.

The erosion has had cascading effects beyond the creek banks themselves. Burke explained that trees along eroded banks have toppled into the waterways, and the resulting debris blocks water flow — a problem that can actually worsen flooding downstream rather than relieve it.

Residents living near the affected creeks have felt the impact firsthand. Rolando Moreno, who has lived near one of the creeks for about six years, said floodwater from a recent hurricane rose to street level, higher than he had ever seen it.

County officials say the federal funding will pay for both the construction work and the oversight needed to complete the restoration, with the goal of protecting nearby infrastructure and reducing the risk of future flooding once the projects are complete.

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