Council approves $159.88 million HUD CDBG‑DR grant and staffing plan for storm recovery; residential program could launch in November

St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 2 to accept a federal Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and appropriate the remainder of the funds for storm recovery programs.

Aubrey Phillips, strategic initiatives and grants director, told council staff are seeking authorization to accept a CDBG‑DR award totaling $159,880,000 and to appropriate the remaining $146,930,000 that council had not previously budgeted. Phillips said council previously appropriated $12,950,000 and the grant carries a six‑year performance period.

"We're requesting today authorization to accept ... CDBG‑DR funds from HUD," Phillips said during the presentation. She said HUD had named Hurricanes Bridal and Helene as the qualifying storms for the allocation and that staff had asked HUD for guidance on residents affected by Hurricane Milton.

Phillips said the grant requires that at least 70% of funds benefit low‑ and moderate‑income households, and described priority programs in the Sunrise Saint Pete action plan: a residential recovery and elevation program, a public infrastructure mitigation program, and disaster relief reimbursements. She also described a staffing and implementation approach that combines new grant‑funded city hires with implementation vendors; the presentation named roles including a program manager, compliance officer, financial analyst and a construction/environmental officer and identified Horn as the vendor contracted to implement residential programs.

"To build capacity and facilitate the quick implementation ... we're recommending a hybrid model that uses a mix of new staff ... and the expertise of our implementation support vendors," Phillips said.

Phillips told council that, despite concerns about a federal government shutdown at the time of the meeting, HUD had issued guidance indicating the disaster recovery programs are funded through multi‑year appropriations and were not expected to be delayed.

Council members asked about outreach, intake and coordination with Pinellas County. Phillips and staff said they are developing targeted outreach materials and a partner toolkit and are coordinating with the county so residents can reach the appropriate intake portal. Staff said more than 300 entities have signed up for information; Administrator Foster said the city has more than 100 households already identified as potential applicants.

Staff said the city is working to finalize program guidelines and vendor agreements and is on track to begin the residential recovery and elevation program as early as November, subject to final design and procurement steps. Council approved the resolution, the staffing plan and related authorizations by unanimous vote.

The council vote recorded all present members voting in favor; the motion passed unanimously. Staff will bring program design details to the Housing, Land Use and Transportation Committee and continue outreach and intake portal design work ahead of program launch.