St. Petersburg launches $160 million hurricane recovery effort

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St. Petersburg announced almost 160 million dollars of federal funds are coming to the city for disaster recovery. 

The money will be put towards aiding the impact of hurricanes.

The initiative, called Sunrise St. Pete will come from a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is aid for recovery, housing, and infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Amy Foster is the Housing and Neighborhood Services Administrator for St. Pete. 

“It’s very rare for cities to receive this kind of fund. It typically goes to counties, states and others,” Foster told WMNF.

And Foster and her team is looking for community feedback. They’re asking St. Pete residents what recovery efforts they’d like to see 

“It really, you know, once you start thinking about it, doesn’t go as far as you would think. So we want to make sure the decisions we make with this are informed by data, and are the most impactful that they can be for our citizens that are still hurting from those recent storms,” Foster said.

Foster said affordable housing, homebuyer assistance for those displaced by the storms, and disaster relief non-profits could see a boost from the funds. 

It could also help displaced employees, like people who worked at the baseball stadium Tropicana Field. 

“If people were displaced, like the workers that were working at the Trop that now have nowhere to provide those services because their business has shuttered, we will be able to put some of the funds towards that,” Foster said.

The funding will also aid those impacted by Idalia, which hit in 2023. 

The funds have yet to arrive, and Foster says they “are cautious but hopeful” that they will amidst federal layoffs spurred by the Trump administration.

The disaster funds will mainly be used towards long-term recovery efforts like housing development, infrastructure improvements, and mitigation. 

It’ll also go towards nonprofits that support citizens affected by the hurricane. 

Amy Foster is the Housing and Neighborhood Services Administrator for St. Pete.

The city is also looking for public feedback. 

From St. Petersburg Communications:

The City will host an in-person, community pop-up during Mayor Welch’s City Hall On Tour event for residents to learn more about the funds and provide their input on the spot. The event will be Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the Coliseum (535 4th Ave. N). Details on upcoming public input opportunities will be forthcoming.