Pasco County officials want their residents to have a say in how roughly $585 million in federal funding for hurricane relief is spent.
The county received the Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in January, but it was paused after a federal funding freeze.
The money was finally released in March, prompting officials to set up a series of public workshops for residents to share how they want the money to be used.
Spokesperson Marcy Esbjerg said the first three meetings, which will be held in April, will be brainstorming sessions. At the subsequent four meetings in May, county officials will seek feedback on a draft of their action plan.
"We are looking to really hear from our residents to hear what they see in the community and what they see as priorities,” Esbjerg said.
ALSO READ: Tampa distributing $3.2 million in hurricane relief for homeowners
The first meeting will be hosted at 6 p.m. on April 14 at the J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex.
The second will be at 6 p.m. on April 17 at Hudson Library, and the third will be at 6 p.m. on April 21 at Moore-Mickens Education Center.
Esbjerg said 70% of the funding will go toward “low and moderate income households and low and moderate income areas."
Directing these funds to those areas will help what Esbjerg called “vulnerable” and “hard hit” communities.
Ahead of the public workshops, county officials consulted data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration, as well as HUD.
So far, the biggest need has been for housing, Esbjerg said. They are hoping to figure out what kind of housing has the highest demand during the meetings.
She added that they’ve also seen a need for infrastructure, including improved roads for evacuations and stormwater management.
Pinellas County received $813 million from the same grant and is spending 70% of that on low and moderate-income communities as well.
Over 2,400 people have completed an online survey to share their needs after the storms. The survey, offered in English and Spanish, will be open through April 18.
Pinellas has also hosted two public meetings and has one more scheduled at 6 p.m. on April 24 at Harbor Hall in Palm Harbor. The County Commission will review the Draft Action plan at its meeting at 9:30 a.m. on May 6.
Following those, they will also hold two virtual meetings at 11 a.m. on May 13 and 6 p.m. on May 15.
“These funds are to be used for unmet needs, the long-term recovery needs that remain after considering all other recovery sources such as FEMA, SBA, insurance, etc.,” according to the county’s website.
After the community reviews the draft plans, both counties expect hurricane recovery projects to begin in the fall.
