A federal paperwork error is being corrected, and St. Petersburg stands to receive $173 million in Hurricane Milton recovery money that Mayor Kenneth Welch says went to the wrong place.

Welch announced the funding Friday, on the storm’s second anniversary. He said a geocoding error at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sent the city’s share to Pinellas County. The city lobbied HUD to fix it with help from U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, a Democrat, and Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican. Luna said HUD has acknowledged the error and is moving ahead with the reallocation.

Of the new money, $126 million will go directly to housing recovery for residents. The other $47 million will go to infrastructure and mitigation projects in partnership with Pinellas County.

The city’s Sunrise St. Pete program had covered only Hurricanes Idalia and Helene. Residents affected only by Milton and denied help may now qualify. They won’t need to reapply. City staff are reviewing earlier denials and will contact eligible residents.

Amy Foster, the city’s community and neighborhood affairs administrator, said the program has three parts. One is disaster relief payments for renters and homeowners who paid for temporary housing. Another reimburses homeowners who already made repairs. The third is a rehabilitation program that can rebuild an entire home.

Resident Willie Maye Boone said Helene put several feet of water in her home near Clam Bayou, and Milton flooded it again less than two weeks later. She has been out of the house for two years, and the city plans to build her a new elevated home. City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd said Milton flooded his home too and that rebuilding took about a year.

Two years after the storm, residents are still waiting on a federal fix to a federal mistake. With $173 million now in play, taxpayers will want to see where the money goes and how quickly it reaches the people it was meant for.

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