PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 When most people think about hurricanes and storm recovery, Christmas isn\u2019t the first thing that comes to mind.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Christian Piccion was the first Pinellas County recipient of the People First funds for hurricane recovery But this year just a couple days before Christmas, a Seminole man got a delivery that was part of an $813 million pot of money from Pinellas County.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s all because of what his family had to endure during those back-to-back storms last year.<\/p>\n A knock at the front door isn\u2019t exactly how Christian Piccion told his kids a stranger would deliver a massive Christmas present. In this case it wasn\u2019t Santa \u2014 it was Pinellas County Commission Chair Brian Scott.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the very first recipient of the people\u2019s first recovery program, which is part of the $813 million Pinellas County was awarded after last year\u2019s storms,\u201d Scott said.<\/p>\n Poccion said the unexpected gift came as a check, paid for by the sacrifices his family made last year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very stressful. I\u2019m surprised my wife didn\u2019t go into labor early because of the stress,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Four days after Hurricane Helene, Piccion said their family had the ability to move from their previous home to a rental home \u2014 only to be hit by Hurricane Milton.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were sitting here. The lights had just gone out, and at 10:30 I went to step down and there was six inches of water in here with us inside,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Piccion never thought they would flood in Seminole. But he said the storm drain system in their backyard was inundated with water and caused the flooding.<\/p>\n All of their belongings were still in boxes, so Piccon, his wife, who was nine months pregnant, and their toddler had to find somewhere to live. That was tough since their close family was also hit by the storms.<\/p>\n \u201cLiving out of suitcases and bags for 30 days, it\u2019s an experience I\u2019ll never forget for sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n They were eventually able to move back into their Seminole home, and this October he was first in line to apply for one of several hurricane recovery programs being offered by the county. This week, he was the first to get a check.<\/p>\n \u201cNow it\u2019s kind of like a breathing room kind of thing. We can put it back in our savings, and we can have back our emergency fund again,” Poccion said. “I\u2019m hoping we will not have to do this ever again and not have to do this for a very long time.”<\/p>\n So far, more than 3,700 have applied to what\u2019s called the People First program. And there is plenty to go around, with more than $813 million available for people who suffered financial hardship or damage to their homes from recent hurricanes.<\/p>\n The grants in the People First program are available to people who lived in Pinellas during hurricanes Idalia, Helene or Milton who still need help rebuilding homes to meet codes, reimbursement for code-compliant repairs and support for lost income or storm related expenses.<\/p>\n And there are even more ways to qualify. Down payment and mortgage assistance for homebuyers and a program for local landlords to repair units for affordable housing are also available.<\/p>\n If you want to apply for the programs but don\u2019t want to do it online, help is available in-person Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at these locations:<\/p>\n 2600 McCormick Drive, Suite 100, Clearwater
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So far, more than 3,700 have applied, and there is plenty to go around, with more than $813 million available for people who suffered financial hardship or damage to their homes from recent hurricanes
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All Pinellas County residents can apply except for city of St. Pete residents, because\u00a0the city launched its own disaster assistance program<\/a><\/p>\n
\n5000 Park Street, Suite 4, St. Petersburg<\/p>\n