It was announced in January that hurricane-impacted communities across the greater Tampa Bay region would receive federal disaster dollars to assist with long-term recovery efforts.
That's according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Biden-Harris administration, which is no longer available on the federal department's website.
Five counties — Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota and Manatee — and the city of St. Petersburg are slated to receive a total of $2.7 billion through HUD's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. The funds can be used to help residents repair homes, rebuild affordable housing in the community and more broadly support economic recovery, with 70 percent of the money required to target low- to moderate-income households.
In February, reporting by the New York Times uncovered Trump administration plans to make "deep cuts" to the staff within HUDs Office of Community Planning and Development. Documents show the office has been targeted for an 84% staff reduction by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which reported the agency had $1.9 billion in “misplaced funds” and $260 million in “wasteful contracts.”
Last month, a HUD spokesperson said that the disaster recovery funds would not be slashed.
"Disaster recovery efforts are a top priority and will not be impacted. HUD’s mission to serve all communities — especially following tragedies — remains unchanged," Kasey Lovett said in a statement.
The news has sparked conversation and concern among Tampa Bay leaders about whether the proposed changes might slow or halt the distribution of anticipated disaster relief. At this point, there's no sign the funds are at risk.
Community block grant funding comes with strict spending rules and a long approval process. Before the money is dispersed, local governments have to draft action plans, hold public hearings and get approval from HUD. Local governments across the greater Tampa Bay region are at different parts of the process.
Hillsborough County
Tom Fesler, Hillsborough's budget director, asked commissioners on Wednesday to approve a 90-day extension to provide an action plan to HUD. Fesler said the county also hired a consultant this week to assist with the creation of the plan. The county will have up to six years to use the hurricane recovery money.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who voted against the extension, asked if the county has received an update from federal officials on the status of the grant funds.
"Do we actually know yet ... if we're actually getting this money?" he said.
At a Feb. 19 metting, Commissioner Harry Cohen echoed the concerns but recommended the county take a hopeful, but aggressive, approach.
"If [the money] gets pulled back, that's beyond our control, but until we hear otherwise, I think we should go full steam ahead," Cohen said.
Officials in Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee counties said they have been in touch with HUD officials and have no indication that their allocations are in jeopardy.
Pasco County
Last month, the Pasco hosted five officials from HUD who oversee the CDBG-DR funds for a full-day technical assistance visit, according to county public information officer Sarah Andeara.
The county has established the Office of Disaster and Recovery, which will be dedicated to managing the grant. The county is still working on an action plan. It's not yet available online, and public hearings for feedback have not been advertised.
Pinellas County and City of St. Petersburg
Pinellas, which has published a website for the funds, is still early in the planning process.
"Pinellas County plans to move forward with developing an action plan for our $813 million CDBG-DR grant over the next several months with an aim to get the plan approved by HUD as quickly as possible so we can use the funds to help our community. We have not received any guidance from HUD to suggest that our CDBG-DR grant funds will be reduced or delayed due to changes in the federal workforce," county communications project coordinator Josh Boatwright said.
He said the county will be announcing public outreach events to learn about the community's unmet needs in coming weeks.
The City of St. Petersburg, which is slated to receive nearly $160 million dollars in hurricane grant funds, is continuing to monitor guidance and directives from the federal government, according to the city's public information officer Samantha Bequer.
"We understand the uncertainty regarding federal funding can be frustrating for our community, but we remain focused on recovering from recent hurricanes and working across all levels of government on behalf of our residents," she said in an emailed statement.
Sarasota County
Resilient SRQ, the county's dedicated office for federal disaster recovery funds, is the farthest along in the planning process compared to other counties in the region.
Officials have said they are eager to move quickly and draw from experiences with the same program after Hurricane Ian in 2022.
"We are actively working with HUD to ensure continuity in disaster recovery efforts and to keep our projects moving forward. Our focus remains on delivering the support our community needs, and we are committed to keeping the public informed as we move ahead," said Resilient SRQ division manager Steve Hyatt, who oversees the block grant.
To develop an action plan, the county worked off residents' responses to an unmet-needs survey. The replies showed an overwhelming need for infrastructure and housing assistance among single-family homeowners, who comprised 80 percent of the respondents.
The draft action plan is available online, and the country is accepting feedback on it. Residents can submit comments online through April 3 or attend a public hearing. Another meeting for public input is scheduled for March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Sarasota County Administration Center (North), 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.
Manatee County
Manatee is fielding "submission requests for the CDBG-DR, while organizing a series of meetings to engage stakeholders," according to public information officer Bill Logan. Manatee has approved an extension until June 30 to complete an initial action plan.
"There has been no discussion of cuts of funding recission. Plans are moving forward as normal," Logan said.
