Pinellas County launching new programs to help residents recover from hurricanes

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Additional help is on the way for people living in Pinellas County who are still struggling to recover from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in new programs to help homeowners and renters recover will be available starting Monday, Oct. 20.

People can apply online through the county’s website, call, or go in-person to see a case manager.

These programs are targeted to help people struggling to repair their homes and recover financially after Hurricanes Helene, Milton, and even Idalia.

“We’re hoping to get money in people’s hands by Christmas,” said Brian Scott, Pinellas County Commission Chair.

Thanks to $813 million in HUD grants, the county’s answer to help is the five new programs:

• Homeowner Rehabilitation/Reconstruction: includes up to $375,000 in repairs and rehabilitation that have not occurred on the property, including replacing the home.
• Homeowner Reimbursement: get reimbursed for repairs or reconstruction work that has already been completed.
• Disaster Relief Reimbursement: get reimbursed for disaster-related expenses for residential needs like rent, mortgage, or utilities.
• Local Landlord Program: The county will provide support to landlords to repair or rebuild their rental properties.
• Homebuyer Assistance: up to $80,000 in homeowner assistance for any applicant who does not currently own a home or property.

County officials said to think of these grant funds as a way to fill the gaps that maybe insurance did not cover. Even if people got some FENA or Elevate Florida assistance, they can still benefit from these programs.

“There will be a duplication of benefits review for each applicant that comes in the door, and we will review with the applicant other funding sources that they may have received and that will play a role into the dollar amount that they can receive from HUD through Pinellas County,” said Matthew Spoor, Assistant County Administrator.

Leaders think these programs are going to be a huge economic lift for the county, with the majority of the grants going right back to the people who had damage to their homes and low-to-moderate income residents.

“We want to get money into people’s hands that need it right now, but we are going to have programs for businesses, for not-for-profits, and there is also 15% of the money that is set aside for resiliency infrastructure projects,” Scott said.

These five People First Hurricane Recovery Programs are available to everyone in the county, minus residents in St. Pete, because they are rolling out their own programs.

For more on the County’s People First Programs, click here.