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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – Millions of dollars will soon be available to help Pinellas County residents recover and rebuild from Hurricanes Idalia<\/a>, Helene<\/a> and Milton<\/a>.<\/p>\n The $813 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is the largest federal storm grant given to any local government in Florida after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.<\/p>\n What they’re saying:<\/p>\n “We’re all very, very proud to be able to offer this assistance to our residents,” Brian Scott, Chair of the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners, said. “Last year was unprecedented. I mean three, we got three hurricanes: Debby, Helene and then Milton. I’ve lived here 42 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it. So, the fact that we are able to win this grant from HUD is phenomenal for our county, it’s phenomenal for our residents, and you know, we’re going to be going through this money for a number of years,” Scott said.<\/p>\n Starting Oct. 20, Pinellas residents can apply for the People First Hurricane Recovery Programs. 70% of the grant has to be spent on residents with low to moderate incomes. Help is available, though, for residents who make up to 120 percent of the Area Median Income. For one person, that\u2019s about $87,600.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re going to make it as painless and seamless as possible. If you qualify, we want to get money in your hands. I mean, this is going to be a huge economic lift for this county,” Scott said.<\/p>\n “These events were absolutely tragic last year, but we may look back at this a few years from now and say in some communities, this could have been, the outcome could have been very, very positive. That could be the silver lining to this, particularly in the mobile home communities, because some of those had been there for a long time, and they did not meet modern standards in any way. So, this is going to make us a heck of a lot more resilient in the future,” Scott said.<\/p>\n Scott says once county officials can prove they\u2019ve met the need in the low to moderate income category, they can ask to move the money into other income categories.<\/p>\n “Our number one goal, objective right now, is get money in people’s hands by Christmas. Let them start rebuilding, let them start recovering and feeling whole again,” he said.<\/p>\n Dig deeper:<\/p>\n The five programs include home rehabilitation and reconstruction, repair reimbursement, homebuyer assistance, disaster-related reimbursements for costs like rent, mortgage or utilities, and support for landlords to make repairs to then rent units as affordable housing.<\/p>\n The homeowner rehabilitation and reconstruction and homeowner repair reimbursement programs are for income-eligible homeowners who lived in the home during the hurricane(s).<\/p>\n The homebuyer assistance is to help income-eligible homebuyers purchase a safe home outside flood zones.<\/p>\n “The homeowner down payment assistance program is up to $80,000 in homeowner assistance for any applicant who is purchasing a home. So, they don’t have to be a first-time homebuyer. They just have to not own a home or a property now. So, think of renters or individuals that might live with family that were here during the storm and impacted during the storm, and they’re looking to purchase their first property, they can get up to $80,000 for closing costs,” Matt Spor, the Assistant County Administrator, said.<\/p>\n It will take 60 to 90 days for your application to be reviewed.<\/p>\n “Flood insurance may or may not have covered everything. So, this can help to cover those gaps that perhaps insurance didn’t cover. Or if they’ve applied for other programs, even if they got some FEMA assistance and maybe even some Elevate Florida assistance, you know, that money may not have covered all of their expenses. So, this could be used as kind of gap funding as well,” Scott said.<\/p>\n READ: Manasota Key residents still working to rebuild, restart one year after Hurricane Milton<\/a><\/p>\n St. Pete residents can\u2019t apply because the city got similar funding for a program<\/a> starting in November.<\/p>\n Starting Oct. 20, Pinellas residents can call 727-606-3307, visit recover.pinellas.gov<\/a> or meet with a case manager at 2600 McCormick Drive, Suite 100, Clearwater or 5000 Park Street, Suite 4, St. Petersburg for help. Case managers will also be visiting community centers and other locations countywide at pop-up sites Tuesdays and Thursdays in November and December. Check the county\u2019s website for dates and locations, or text “RECOVER” to 888777 for updates.<\/p>\n “We\u2019ve got this done, really in government terms, this is lightning speed to be able to do this a year after the event. We’re going to be taking grant applications and getting money in people’s hands by Christmas. In government world, that’s pretty quick,” Scott said.<\/p>\n While most of the grant is for residents, some of it will be for small businesses and nonprofits affected by Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton. A small portion will also go to infrastructure projects for municipalities. Officials say they\u2019ll talk more about that in 2026.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE:>>> Follow FOX 13 on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n The Source: This story was written with information provided by Pinellas County officials.<\/p>\n Pinellas County<\/a>Hurricane Debby<\/a>Hurricane Helene<\/a>Hurricane Milton<\/a>Hurricanes<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. 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