Pinellas receives $813M storm recovery fund, largest in Florida
Related video: 41k Pinellas County homes were damaged by Hurricanes Milton, Helene
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Pinellas County leaders are seeking public input on how to allocate $813 million in storm recovery funds.
The money was awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is the largest amount awarded to a local government in Florida.
Through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, a total of $12 billion is being allocated to local governments across the country to aid in the recovery from federally-declared disasters.
Pinellas County is receiving funds to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricanes Milton and Helene in 2024.
The county said the funds can be used to rebuild or repair homes and businesses, provide rental assistance, repair damaged infrastructure or otherwise address the needs of the community.
All Pinellas County cities are eligible to receive funding, with the exception of St. Petersburg, which received its own recovery fund.
The county has published an online survey for residents to make their voices heard on how the money should be spent, and is planning a series of public meetings to finalize a plan.
HUD requires the majority of money to be spent assisting low-to-moderate income households and that its used specifically to address unmet needs caused by the devastating storms.
At the end of April, Pinellas County will publish a draft plan for the fund and allow 30 days for public comment before submitting the plan to HUD this summer. Recovery programs will begin once the plan is approved, which could be as early as this fall.
All information regarding the storm recovery fund and public meeting dates can be found at recover.pinellas.gov.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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