St. Petersburg outlines $1.1 million We Are St. Pete Fund and launches housing, small-business disaster aid

City officials on Feb. 20 detailed the structure and planned rollout of the We Are St. Pete Fund, which will finance several disaster-assistance programs for residents, city employees and small businesses affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Housing and Neighborhood Services senior operations analyst Jess Bridal told the council the fund, administered through Pinellas Community Foundation, has raised about $1,019,000 to date and that the city had initially seeded the fund with $200,000. Council previously appropriated up to $400,000 of settlement and fund dollars for a Housing Disaster Assistance Program; staff also outlined allocations for city employees, small businesses, rapid resolution and administrative costs.

The funding summary presented to council (and previously appropriated in December) allocates $400,000 for resident housing disaster assistance, $200,000 for nonresident city employees, $200,000 for small-business disaster aid, $100,000 for rapid resolution, and up to $100,000 for administrative costs (administration said much of that admin set-aside is expected to be reallocated to direct relief). Bridal noted the city had received about $1,089,000 in opioid-settlement dollars separately but confirmed the We Are St. Pete Fund figure is roughly $1.02 million in philanthropic gifts and the city's seed amount.

Housing Director Dr. Avery Slicker described the housing program's eligible uses: tree removal (limit $30,000), home-structure and interim repairs, insurance deductible assistance up to $5,000, and rent/utility arrears up to three months or a $10,000 limit. Certain funding sources (SHIP, HOME, ARPA) require beneficiaries at or below 80% AMI while the We Are St. Pete Fund assistance will target 40% AMI. Applicants will use a single application through Neighborly; staff will offer paper and in-person help. Staff said contractors must be licensed, insured and registered with the city's vendor system and that payments (including deductible assistance) will be made to contractors, landlords or utilities rather than directly to residents.

Economic and Workforce Development Director Brian Caper outlined the Small Business Disaster Assistance Program, which uses a tiered grant structure: $2,500 for equipment/inventory replacement for shared-space or home-based businesses; $5,000 for brick-and-mortar equipment/inventory; up to $10,000 for structural damage (including relocation costs); and combined awards up to $15,000 when both structural and equipment losses are present. Eligible businesses must operate in city limits with no more than 50 employees and have been in operation since Sept. 15, 2024.

Staff said the housing application will launch March 11 and the small-business application will open in mid-March after outreach. Council voted to approve the program funding and implementation plan; the clerk announced the motion passed unanimously with one member absent. Staff said award agreements will run March 1, 2025'Feb. 2026 for opioid-settlement grants (separate program) and noted Pinellas Community Foundation will approve each reallocation between fund buckets and the city will notify council.

Councilmembers praised staff for tailoring eligibility to include home-based businesses and for streamlining application assistance; several asked staff to keep the council updated on application numbers and shifting need levels as recovery continues.