St. Pete City Council approves disaster recovery action plan
Share and Follow


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The St. Pete City Council approved its disaster recovery action plan.

It will allocate nearly $160 million to help residents rebuild over the next six years.

“I think it’s going to do two really big things,” said St. Pete City Council Chair Copley Gerdes. “One, it’s a direct injection of capital to single family and multifamily homes for mitigation and resiliency — and even reimbursement for some of the things that happened during the storms — and it’s also $20 million in infrastructure.”

Out of $159,884,000, 70% will go toward housing, 17% toward infrastructure and 13% to public services.

The plan specifies Hurricanes Idalia and Helene being covered, but what about Hurricane Milton?

“We all know, having experienced these storms, they were 10 days apart,” said St. Pete Strategic Initiatives and Grants Director Aubrey Phillips. “We are not going to be trying to distinguish was it ‘Storm A’ or ‘Storm B,’ because we would end up in an endless cycle of red tape.”

So with the majority of funds going toward housing, what does that really look like?

Here’s a breakdown.

Residents would see:

  • The rehabilitation of 98 storm-damaged houses
  • Reimbursements for repairs made at 288 homes
  • Assistance for 70 first-time home buyers
  • 582 new affordable housing units
  • Housing reimbursements for 784 people displaced after the storms
  • The city would buy and demolish 14 homes severely damaged by the storms
2025-06-12-Agenda-Packet-w.-Updated-AddsDeletesDownload

That money that will come from the federal government as a reimbursement to the city.

St. Pete City Council Member Brandi Gabbard asked, “We’re looking at a program that is $159 million; where are we going to get that money?”

“Well, thankfully, we won’t be spending $158 million all at once, so the programs will be set up to spend out over a period of six years,” said St. Pete Assistant City Administrator Tom Greene. “It’s set up as a line of credit, and so when we incur the expense, we will submit that to HUD for reimbursement so the flow would be, you know, three days.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Trump’s Flight to Davos Economic Forum Faces Unexpected Delays: Latest Updates

DAVOS – On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to join…

Bangladesh’s Historic Election: Voters Prepare for Landmark Post-Hasina Era

DHAKA – On Thursday, Bangladesh entered a pivotal phase as political campaigning…

Prospective Tenant for ‘I-4 Eyesore’ Goes Silent: What’s Next for the Notorious Site?

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Will this be the year that the long-vacant…

Orlando to Host Florida Premiere of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ – Find Out the Date

ORLANDO, Fla. – The enchanting world of Harry Potter is casting its…

2026 Veterans’ Salute and Military Update: Savannah Chamber of Commerce Honors Service Members

SAVANNAH, Ga. — In a heartfelt tribute to those who serve, the…

Tenants Push for St. Pete to Acquire Morgan Apartments Amid Foreclosure Crisis

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Morgan apartments in St. Petersburg are…

Second Teen Apprehended in Ongoing Investigation of 2025 Shooting Death of Tranard Sheppard

WARRENVILLE, S.C. () – Authorities from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office announced…

Rising ICE Operations in Maine: Heightened Concerns Among Immigrant Communities

PORTLAND, Maine – The Trump administration has set its sights on Maine…