Pinellas draws strong initial public input on $813 million storm fund

Pinellas draws strong initial public input on $813 million storm fund

Residents filled the Lealman Exchange on April 7, 2025, to give input on Pinellas County's new disaster recovery funds.

Residents filled the Lealman Exchange community center Monday night for the first public meeting on Pinellas County's upcoming $813 million disaster recovery programs funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

More than 2,400 people have also completed an online survey about the community's most pressing unmet needs over the past two weeks. The survey will remain open in English and Spanish through Friday, April 18.

A second public meeting for mid-county residents is coming up on Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at the Dunedin City Hall, 737 Louden Ave., Dunedin.

The meetings offer residents an opportunity to get a first look at initial plans for $813,783,000 awarded to Pinellas County through HUD's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.

At Monday's meeting, residents reviewed proposals for Pinellas County's CDBG-DR programs, including rehabilitating and repairing damaged homes, restoring damaged rental properties that provide local affordable housing, disaster relief payments for people who lost jobs or income, assistance for businesses and nonprofits and programs to restore damaged infrastructure and protect communities from future storms.

A final draft CDBG-DR Action Plan that includes proposed budgets and qualifications for the funds will be published for a 30-day public comment period from April 23 - May 23, 2025, at recover.pinellas.gov.

Once the plan is approved by HUD, the County will begin rolling out programs and projects by fall 2025 at earliest.

In addition to Thursday's meeting in Dunedin, the County will hold the following public meetings in-person and online over the next two months:

Thursday, April 24, 6-8 p.m. (North County)

Harbor Hall/White Chapel, 1190 Georgia Avenue, Palm Harbor

Tuesday, May 6, 9:30 a.m. (Board of County Commission Meeting)

333 Chestnut Street, Palm Room, Clearwater, FL 33756

Zoom Meetings

• Tuesday, May 13, 11 a.m.
• Thursday, May 15, 6 p.m.

Links at recover.pinellas.gov/meetings

The public meetings are part of an unmet needs assessment underway by the County which includes reviewing local, state and federal data and consulting with cities, community partners and residents.

Pinellas County's storm recovery funds will serve residents in all cities countywide except for the City of St. Petersburg, which received its own HUD CDBG-DR allocation.

The County plans to prioritize people first by making sure initial programs help local residents, businesses and workers rebuild their lives before focusing on public facilities and infrastructure.

For text updates on all storm recovery programs in Pinellas County, text the word "RECOVER" to 888777, or visit recover.pinellas.gov.