Hillsborough commissioners approve $709 million HUD disaster-recovery action plan amid public calls for clearer storm-resilience projects

County commissioners on July 16 approved a final Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery action plan and authorized the chair and county administrator to execute and certify documents needed to access the $709,324,000 allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Tom Fessler, the county’s chief financial administrator, told the board, "it was January 21 when the county received notification of an allocation from HUD of $709,324,000."

The board’s approval sends the plan to HUD for review; HUD will have a 45‑day window to approve or comment on the submission, and staff said the county will use that window to issue requests for proposals to hire consultants for implementation. The action matters because at least 70% of the funds must be used for low‑ and moderate‑income residents and projects generally must demonstrate a direct tie to the storms Helene and Milton.

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