Pinellas accelerates storm recovery: permit-fee waiver, SDE rechecks and $813 million CDBG-DR planning

Pinellas County commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 25 to continue fee relief for residents rebuilding after the 2024 storms and to move the county closer to accessing federal Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) aid. County officials gave an update showing the number of substantially damaged properties has fallen as reassessments proceed while planners laid out a draft process to spend roughly $813 million in federal CDBG-DR dollars.

County Administrator and recovery staff said the waiver of local building permit fees will remain in place during the recovery period and that the county intends to end its local state of emergency once the waiver and related steps are in place. That waiver was approved by the commission as a resolution on Feb. 25.

The county’s recovery leader, Kevin McCandrew, director of Building and Development Review Services, said program staff have focused on reassessments of initial substantial‑damage (SD) determinations and on processing permits so residents can rebuild. “The percentage of substantially damaged single family homes continues to decline,” he told commissioners, noting 446 dwellings had initial SD findings, 63 of those have been reversed and the current SD share is about 11.5 percent. “Seventy percent of the 446 property owners have filed for a reassessment,” he added.

Why it matters: the reassessment and permitting work determines whether homes can be repaired in place and how they qualify for state or federal recovery programs. The county is also preparing a formal action plan that HUD must accept before it can obligate CDBG‑DR funds to homeowner, rental, infrastructure and mitigation programs.

What officials said and proposed - Kevin McCandrew gave operational numbers: more than 100 condominium permits were issued in the prior two weeks, roughly 3,000 storm repair permits will have been issued by the end of the day on Feb. 25, and mobile/manufactured home reassessments continue in batches prioritized by flood exposure. On mobile homes McCandrew said roughly 1,200 had been processed through FEMA’s SDE (substantial damage estimation) tool and many of those were substantially damaged, with staff continuing in‑person assistance at a hub to speed reviews. - County Administrator Byrd told the commission that the waiver of building permit fees is intended to help residents who face reconstruction costs and that the county will likely absorb those lost fee revenues. He confirmed the waiver and related steps are part of the county’s plan to end the local state of emergency. - On CDBG‑DR, consultants from Horn (selected to help the county write the action plan) said Pinellas will draft an action plan, publish it for 30 days of public comment, then submit it to HUD. The federal review period is 45 days after submission. The county’s draft timeline shows public meetings in April–May, submission late May, HUD review in June–July and an anticipated grant agreement in Q3 2025, with programs starting in the fall.

Programs and constraints described - The CDBG‑DR allocation to Pinellas is approximately $813 million. HUD rules and the federal notice impose limits and priorities: about $707 million is for unmet disaster recovery needs directly tied to the storms; up to 15% (about $106 million) can be used for mitigation projects; and roughly 5% may be used for grant administration. HUD requires that 70% of program dollars (after admin and planning) benefit low‑ to moderate‑income households. Consultants said the county will build a data‑driven unmet‑needs assessment (FEMA, NFIP, SBA and local data) and use that to design housing, infrastructure, mitigation and economic programs that match local needs. - Consultants recommended “people‑first” programs: homeowner repair/reconstruction, manufactured‑home assistance, renter relief and reimbursement programs for out‑of‑pocket repairs, small business and nonprofit recovery grants, and a small‑landlord program for mom‑and‑pop rental units to preserve affordable housing. They also described a mitigation planning process to allocate the 15% set‑aside to local high‑value resilience projects.

Local actions taken Feb. 25 - The commission approved a resolution waiving local building permit fees for storm reconstruction and repair (motion by Commissioner Eggers; second by Commissioner Nowick; unanimous vote). County staff said the waiver aids residents bringing structures into compliance and may not be reimbursable by FEMA. - Commissioners also approved a technical amendment to Pinellas’ local building code language (item 14) intended to clarify how flood damage and “substantial improvement” will be handled; that resolution passed unanimously.

Implementation notes and next steps - Horn and county staff described five public meetings (North/Mid/South/virtual) and additional outreach to cities and stakeholders. Staff said they will draft an action plan in April, publish it for public comment in late April–May, then submit to HUD; HUD has 45 days to review. The county will use an outreach and intake design to create a single‑point application where possible and will aim for programs that are administratively efficient to implement, per HUD compliance rules. - Staff warned commissioners that CDBG‑DR funds are large but finite, that many program designs will compete for funds and that compliance/audit requirements will influence program choices.

Clarifying details - Substantial damage: 446 initial single‑family SD determinations; 63 reversed to date; 11.5% of the original set remain classified as SD. About 70% of property owners have applied for reassessment. - Permits: More than 100 condo permits issued in prior two weeks; the county expected to surpass 3,000 storm repair permits by end of Feb. 25. - CDBG‑DR allocation: roughly $813,000,000 total; ~$707M targeted to unmet disaster needs; 15% mitigation set‑aside (~$106M); 5% cap on administration (~$40M). HUD requires 70% of program funds benefit LMI households; LMI threshold for a family of four was noted as about $76,000/year.

What’s next: staff will return with refined program design options and a draft action plan for public comment. HUD approval will be required before the county can obligate funds.

Ending note: Commissioners and staff said they sought to strike a balance between rapid distribution of aid and the detailed compliance and public‑input process HUD requires.