Pinellas County wants input on how to spend $813M in storm relief funding

County asks how to spend federal funds

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports on Pinellas County, asking residents for input on how to spend the $813 million they received from the federal government for storm relief.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - There could be hope on the horizon for victims of Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton. Pinellas County received millions of dollars from the federal government and now wants input from residents on how to use it.

The county has a lot of options when it comes to spending $813 million, and it's in the early stages of developing that plan. But, the county is already approaching it with a people-first mindset.

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Dig deeper:

"That it is a lot of money, and it's one of the largest grants given," said Barry Burton, the Pinellas County administrator.

The $813 million comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and can be used for housing, mitigation, economic development and more to help the county and cities within the county – except St. Petersburg, which received its own award.

Seventy percent of the program's funds benefit low-to-moderate-income households, which is around $76,000 for a family of four in Pinellas County. The county wants residents' thoughts on how to spend the money and will host four community meetings to get public input.

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"I don’t want it so cumbersome that a person gives up before they get to the end of the process," said Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers.

"I really like the people first proposal," said Pinellas Commissioner Chris Latvala.

But, they’ll have to designate specific programs on how to use the money, because it certainly isn’t limitless.

"Elevating homes that’s $300,000 times 2,700 homes, that would be it. All the money would be gone, you can run out of money quickly," said Burton.

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What you can do:

The county has also launched a survey and will host four community meetings plus two Zoom meetings.

Here are the public meetings that are scheduled:

6-8 p.m. on Monday, April 7, at Lealman Exchange in the Ray Neri Room, located at 5175 45th Street North in St. Petersburg.
6-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, at the City of Dunedin's City Hall in the Commission Chambers, located at 737 Louden Avenue in Dunedin.
6-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in the Harbor Hall at the White Chapel, located at 1190 Georgia Avenue in Palm Harbor.
9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, at the Board of County Commission Meeting in the Palm Room, located at 333 Chestnut Street in Clearwater.

Here are the Zoom meeting scheduled: