In St. Petersburg, Fla., a redevelopment budget for Fiscal Year 2027 is now in place, but many longtime homeowners are less focused on future projects than on whether the funding will help them remain in the houses they already own.

New affordable units continue to move through the pipeline, even as residents in older homes say repair bills are getting harder to put off and harder to pay for.

Here’s what to know

After St. Pete City Council signed off on the Fiscal Year 2027 Community Redevelopment Area budget for South St. Petersburg, much of the spending plan remained centered on housing-related work. According to WFLA, the budget includes $15.1 million for Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, $11.6 million for the Affordable Housing Redevelopment Loan Program, and $180,000 for the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance program.

The issue is personal for Mahalia “Blue” Feliu, a South St. Petersburg homeowner who has lived in her house for 40 years. She told WFLA she intends to stay, but said the property has repairs that can no longer wait. “The ‘some point’ has passed. It’s due,” she said.

Seeing more homes rise nearby has also left Feliu wondering whether current residents will be able to benefit from that growth. “It’s great, but who can afford them?”

More background

More than 250 rehabilitation applications are already in progress, WFLA reported, even as pressure for additional affordable housing remains strong.

City Chief Community Impact Officer George Smith said the queue for future affordable units already reflects significant demand.

“There are currently more than $35 million in pending requests under review representing affordable units. And we expect more applications this coming fiscal year,” Smith said, per WFLA.

That leaves local leaders weighing how redevelopment dollars should be split. While building more housing can help ease supply shortages, residents in aging homes may still be left dealing with leaking windows, worn doors, and other expensive repairs that can make a house harder, and more costly, to live in over time.

For households on fixed or limited incomes, especially seniors, repair assistance can make the difference between staying in place and falling behind as neighborhoods change around them.

What’s being done?

Council member Gina Driscoll said the neighborhood’s existing residents should see more direct benefit from the money generated there.

“Where is this money coming from? The people who already live there, right? Yeah. Let’s give some of it back in the form of assistance,” she said, per WFLA.

The outlet also reported increases for single-family housing programs, down payment assistance, and facade improvements, changes that could expand both home preservation efforts and access to housing support.

Looking ahead, Feliu told WFLA she wants the council’s vote to raise awareness of the available programs and create an application process that works for seniors.

“I’m not the only one in the community that can utilize a service like that,” Feliu said. “An outreach that can help them to get to the point where they need to go, because there are a lot of homes in our city that need repair.”

Where can I learn more?

South St. Petersburg’s debate over who gets to stay in a changing neighborhood is playing out in other places, too.

• Across disaster-hit communities, older adults are struggling with affordable housing after climate-driven displacement.

• In Florida, Ayre Homes is building new luxury green homes as affordability concerns persist.

• Major cities are turning office space into apartments to expand affordable housing options.

• In Albuquerque, N.M., Gateway Recovery opened a new housing community for residents needing stability.

• In British Columbia, officials launched an affordable housing roadmap for climate-stressed families.

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