Sarasota County this week began the process of distributing more than $200 million in federal funds for long-term recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian.
The money is coming to the county through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the form of a disaster recovery block grant. It is designed to address the unmet needs that persist in an area after a hurricane when other funding sources, like FEMA and SBA, have been exhausted.
Sarasota County leaders started a program called Resilient SRQ to administer the $201.5 million.
“HUD is really … the last funding source to come in and help with some of the most vulnerable populations that may not have been able to recover,” Resilient SRQ program manager Laurel Varnell said.
Read more: Small business owners share obstacles to recovery as SBA disaster lending in Florida hits $1 billion
After nearly a year of planning and public input, county leaders launched the first program under Resilient SRQ on Tuesday.
“We are very excited to have our first one off and running and we hope to launch many more,” Varnell said.
The Infrastructure and Public Facilities Program, which is now accepting applications through Mar. 18, earmarks $45 million of the disaster recovery block grant for projects related to unmet infrastructure needs and financial support for local nonprofits.
The county is accepting initial applications from nonprofits and public entities to determine eligibility. Projects eligible for funding should serve low- to moderate-income areas.
Final applications, once submitted, will be scored by the Resilient SRQ team before the Sarasota County Commission makes official funding decisions, according to the program website.
“We heard from a lot of nonprofits … who either had damage directly to their buildings, or nonprofits who saw a need from … before the hurricane that was exacerbated because of the hurricane,” Varnell said.
Varnell said that several other programs under Resilient SRQ are set to launch this year that address the two remaining funding priorities, including housing impacts and economic recovery.
Varnell estimates that programs to address unmet housing needs, like hardening homes and bolstering affordable housing options, will begin rolling out in March.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay region for WUSF. She's also a Report for America corps member. Here’s how you can share your story with her.
