St. Pete Beach officials outline $20 million preliminary storm damage, seek emergency state loan and FEMA aid

St. Pete Beach interim finance director Andrew Laflin and Public Services Director Camden Mills told the Budget & Finance Committee that preliminary storm damage from Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Milton totals about $20,000,000 and that the city has already incurred and encumbered multiple large recovery costs.

"Overall, our preliminary damage estimate is coming out to about, $20,000,000," Camden Mills said. Andrew Laflin said the city’s incurred costs for Helene are "about $1,000,000 about $1,500,000 more or less," and that encumbrances across storm-related work total roughly $6,200,000 with approximately $932,000 already paid.

Why it matters: officials said the scale of damage is concentrated in wastewater infrastructure and city facilities and will drive capital and budget priorities for the next several years. Staff presented a plan to assemble a single midyear budget amendment, seek interest-free state emergency bridge loan funding to cover operating shortfalls, and pursue insurance and FEMA public assistance for recoverable costs.

What staff reported and recommended - Damage and cost estimates: Camden Mills said preliminary damage estimates are from assembled damage assessments and are subject to change after insurer and FEMA reviews. Laflin provided a line-item summary of costs the city has logged so far, including a damage-assessment contract (listed in presentation as about $233,000), mold mitigation across facilities ($266,759), a sanitary-sewer bypass/pumping system (~$222,000), outsourced building inspections (~$167,000), landscape repairs (~$154,000) and a pool restoration (~$57,000). Laflin said some portions of costs are split between Helene and Milton. He said the sanitary sewer bypass monitoring was $355,000. - Encumbrances and cash: Laflin told the committee there is $6,200,000 in total encumbrances and about $932,000 paid to date. He said the city has received a state advance that covers roughly 50% of estimated Category A (debris removal) costs, which helps cash flow while federal reimbursements from FEMA remain slow. - Reserves and liquidity: Laflin said liquidity was not an immediate concern, citing about $15,900,000 shown in the city’s cash and investments slide, and that the city entered the storms with healthy reserves and a typical governmental-reserve target of roughly 20% of operating expenses. - Revenue impacts and relief options: Staff warned of revenue reductions, principally parking and ad valorem taxes, and estimated an illustrative 10% revenue reduction in some categories. Laflin said property owners can apply to the county property appraiser for tax relief using the form referenced in the presentation (DR-460/DR-465 was discussed in the meeting materials). To cover short-term operating cash needs, Laflin said he will bring a request to the commission to apply for the state emergency bridge loan program — "an interest free loan" with principal-only repayments over a multiyear horizon. - FEMA and insurance process: Mills described the two-step approach: submit damage estimates to insurance first, then FEMA Public Assistance. He said insurance adjusters have accepted about 85% of reported damages at some lift stations and the city is providing further documentation for remaining items. The city held a FEMA recovery scoping meeting in January, has scheduled site inspections and expects the FEMA obligation and reimbursement process to take months to years. - Capital priorities and timelines: Staff identified top priorities as wastewater and stormwater system repairs, followed by repairs to critical facilities (community center, fire stations) and Gulf Way roadway and seawalls. Mills said Pump Station 1 already had a capital rehabilitation planned; long-lead items are on order and the backup generator has an estimated delivery of about 70 weeks, making the project about 12–18 months to substantial completion. A potential replacement/parallel force main beneath Boca Ciega Bay was discussed as a longer-range project with an engineering-level cost estimate of $20 million–$30 million.

Discussion points and constraints Committee members pressed for more granular numbers showing Helene-only costs (separate from Milton) and for clarity about how long state appropriations or grants remain available. Mills and Laflin said some state construction appropriations are time-limited and that staff will track deadlines and request extensions where appropriate. Mills also said FEMA has been scheduling site inspections within roughly two weeks of request but that the inspections themselves can be time-consuming on site.

Votes at a glance (committee procedural actions recorded earlier in the meeting) - Nomination and appointment of committee chair: Motion to nominate John (last name not specified in the transcript) to serve as chair — motion carried. (Recorded yes votes by committee members: Allen, Polinowski, Greiger, Samiragic; tally recorded as carried in the meeting.) - Approval of amended agenda: Motion to approve the agenda as amended — motion carried by voice/roll call. - Approval of minutes for Nov. 6, 2024: Motion to approve the minutes as presented — motion carried by roll call.

What’s next Staff said it will prepare a single midyear budget amendment for commission consideration in late March or April, continue joint insurance and FEMA claims work, and move forward with capital projects already in design where possible (for example, Pump Station 1 rehabilitation and some seawall and walkover work). Mills said the city will prioritize system-wide cleaning and televising of stormwater and sanitary systems to identify damage and guide multi-year repairs. Laflin said he will bring the emergency bridge loan request to the commission on the next consent agenda and then submit the application.

Ending: Committee members thanked staff for the detailed briefing and asked staff to provide periodic written updates so the committee can advise the full commission on timing and budget implications.