{"id":125137,"date":"2026-01-20T17:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/125137\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:47:18","slug":"st-petersburg-outlines-who-could-qualify-for-disaster-recovery-aid-buyouts-as-demand-surges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/125137\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Petersburg outlines who could qualify for disaster recovery aid, buyouts, as demand surges"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Voluntary Voluntary buyout program for flood-ridden homes<\/a> <\/p>\n

St. Petersburg is getting ready to roll out its $162M disaster recovery plan aimed at helping storm-effected families stay housed or move out of harm\u2019s way and some of it includes money for a buyout program. FOX 13\u2019s Genevieve Curtis reports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – St. Petersburg is preparing to roll out the second phase of its $160 million disaster recovery plan, aimed at helping storm-affected residents either rebuild or move out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

During a committee meeting, city staff revealed new details about who may qualify for the programs, including down payment assistance, affordable housing funding, and a voluntary buyout initiative \u2014 as well as how overwhelming the demand has become.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

Housing officials said they were surprised by how many homeowners are still waiting for help more than 15 months after major storms.<\/p>\n

“I just really wanted to underscore how many people we have that are hurting, that this assistance coming urgently is important,” said Amy Foster, the city\u2019s housing and neighborhood services administrator.<\/p>\n

Reconstruction requests far exceed expectations.<\/p>\n

When applications opened, staff anticipated most homeowners would be seeking reimbursement for repairs already completed. Instead, the city received more than double the expected number of applications for reconstruction.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

As of mid-January, officials said they had received 466 reconstruction applications, even though the city\u2019s original action plan anticipated serving just 98 households.<\/p>\n

Homeowners like Tammy Marshall say the wait has taken a financial toll.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ll seek any kind of assistance I can get at this point,” Marshall said.<\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

Despite the surge in applications, city leaders warned homeowners may still be waiting.<\/p>\n

Following the federal government shutdown, officials say the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is revisiting the city\u2019s grant agreement \u2014 delaying when funds can actually be distributed.<\/p>\n

Foster told council members it could be two to three months before homeowners see any money.<\/p>\n

A key component of the plan is a $5 million voluntary buyout program, which would allow the city to purchase about 14 of the highest-risk storm-damaged properties and convert them into open space or flood-mitigation areas.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

But the buyouts would be limited to designated disaster-risk reduction areas and prioritize low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, based on federal guidelines.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, whose district includes large coastal areas, cautioned against policies that could unintentionally push residents out.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re not giving up,” Gabbard said. “We want to adapt. We want to be able to maintain our neighborhoods.”<\/p>\n

She also warned that climate gentrification remains a real concern as rebuilding costs rise and flood risks expand.<\/p>\n

READ: Neighbors push back as century-old Mirasol redevelopment heads to Tampa City Council<\/a><\/p>\n

City maps show the buyout zones are narrowly defined, and it appears that Shore Acres, one of the city\u2019s most flood-prone neighborhoods, would likely not qualify under the current criteria.<\/p>\n

That outcome is something Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf said wouldn\u2019t really work for their neighborhood anyway\u00a0 when the program was first discussed last spring.<\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

All program details, including buyout boundaries and eligibility requirements, must still be approved by the full city council.<\/p>\n

The city is still taking applications but anticipates that will continue through February.<\/p>\n

The Source: Information for this story was provided by FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg<\/a>Housing<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Voluntary buyout program for flood-ridden homes St. Petersburg is getting ready to roll out its $162M disaster recovery…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125138,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[47,1644,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628],"class_list":{"0":"post-125137","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-fl","9":"tag-housing","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pinellas","12":"tag-st-pete","13":"tag-st-pete-headlines","14":"tag-st-pete-news","15":"tag-st-petersburg","16":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","17":"tag-st-petersburg-news","18":"tag-us"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}