Pasco County wants residents’ input on how to spend over half a billion in federal disaster money

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Pasco County is set to receive over half a billion dollars of federal funding for hurricane disaster recovery, and the county wants to hear the public’s ideas on how to use it. 

The county will receive $585 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Pasco County Senior Program Administrator Marcy Esbjerg says it’s a record amount of money. 

“We expect that it’s going to be transformative, not only for recovering from the hurricane but really putting us in a position to be able to be more resilient for future storms,” Esbjerg told WMNF.

It’s for the community to recover from the impacts of Hurricanes Idalia, Helene, and Milton. 

“This is a community-driven plan and a community-driven program, and also it’s not immediate. It’s a long-term recovery effort that will most likely do some very transformative things for our community,” Esburg said.

Esburg expects it to be used for infrastructure improvement, affordable housing, and road repair.  

The County will use public input, combined with federal data, to submit a plan for the funds to FEMA in June. 

“We’re going to be looking at things through the lens of our residents. What do they think is important? What did they see right on the ground of where our needs are?” Esbjerg said.

If approved, Esburg expects programs to roll out in the fall or winter.

To find out how and where you can give your input, click here.