St. Petersburg’s leadership planned to open applications for a $160 million storm recovery program this month. The federally funded initiative became another casualty of the longest government shutdown in U.S. History.
Mayor Ken Welch’s final City Hall on Tour event of 2025, held Thursday evening at the Coliseum, highlighted local resources for residents struggling to make ends meet during the holiday season. They also received an update on Sunrise St. Pete.
City officials expect to help 98 households rebuild storm-damaged homes, assist 288 with eligible repairs and provide disaster relief reimbursements to an additional 784 once the program begins. Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, said they anxiously await a grant agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“They’ve let us know that they have 40 days of work that they need to do first,” Foster told the Catalyst. “We’ve done everything we need to do to open applications.”
Homeowners can receive $375,000 for reconstruction, including elevation, $100,000 for rehabilitation and $50,000 for previously completed storm repairs. The city will offer $15,000 for up to six consecutive months of rent, mortgage or utility payments to all eligible residents.
However, the initiative prioritizes tenants for relief reimbursements and the lowest-earning households, particularly those with age-dependent or disabled members, for rehabilitation and reconstruction funding. City council members approved the initial $61 million residential recovery program in early October.
Foster said Oct. 2 that the shutdown wouldn’t impede the city from launching Sunrise St. Pete hurricane recovery initiatives in November. She was less certain the following week.
“The HUD contingency agreement did say these programs would continue on while the government was shut down,” Foster said Oct. 9. “We may have heard information yesterday that that’s not accurate. So, we are trying to get to the bottom of that.”
When asked Thursday if the 43-day shutdown, which ended Nov. 12, was preventing the city from opening applications, Foster said, “Absolutely.”
The city has done its part. Foster noted the administration has hired program-specific staff and the Sunrise St. Pete Call Center is open, “even though we’re not being reimbursed for that.”
“Our stance all along has been to continue moving forward as if we are opening any day now,” she said. “People have been waiting a long time for recovery. The sooner we can get these dollars into people’s hands, the better.
“They’ve (HUD) had our grant agreement since October.”
Call center staff will help ensure residents have everything they need, including permits and financial documents, “to be successful in their application” and receive long-awaited assistance, Foster said.
The shutdown exacerbated ongoing affordability challenges. Approximately 155,000 federal workers were furloughed or went without pay in Florida.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay received 241 calls related to the shutdown; over 25% came from active duty military members or veterans. Nearly 97,000 Pinellas County residents rely on federal food benefits to eat.
While the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients should receive benefits this week, many local nonprofit leaders have warned that it will take time for people to adjust.
Now in its third year, the City Hall on Tour series allows residents to speak with the mayor and administrators from every city department. Multiple nonprofits, including the St. Pete Free Clinic, Daystar Life Center and Salvation Army, featured prominently at Thursday’s event.
“People are trying to decide, do I feed my kids or pay my rent?” Foster said. “And the SNAP benefits, in particular, were a big deal for many families.”
Welch said the “strength of this event is that you can connect people, not only to city departments but to outside partners who might be able to help, depending on the problem.” He also stressed the importance of “bringing government to the people, after work, with food, so they actually talk” with staff, St. Pete Fire Rescue or the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Deneen Wyman, the city’s new community engagement coordinator, told attendees that “we know the past few months haven’t been easy.” She said officials want residents to feel supported as the holidays approach.
“That’s why we partner with local nonprofits, who are here tonight, offering resources, services and care,” Wyman continued. “Their generosity is a reminder that even in tough times, St. Pete shows up for each other.”
For more information on Sunrise St. Pete, visit the website here.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
