City council approves $159.8 million 'Sunrise St. Pete' CDBG‑DR action plan to fund housing, infrastructure and recovery supports

The St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved the Sunrise St. Pete Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) action plan on June 12, 2025, authorizing staff to pursue the $159,800,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address unmet recovery needs from Hurricanes Idalia and Helen.

City and consultant presenters told council the plan is built around HUD requirements that at least 70% of funds must benefit low‑ and moderate‑income (LMI) households and that a 15% mitigation set‑aside is required. Consultant Ryan Flannery of Horn described the unmet‑needs analysis showing housing as the largest category (about 73% of unmet needs), with infrastructure, the economy and public services making up the remainder. Flannery said HUD requires projects be ‘‘tied back’’ to the designated storms and explained the difference between unmet needs (repair/recovery) and mitigation (forward‑looking resilience).

Why it matters: The plan is the city’s required roadmap to receive and spend federal disaster dollars. It outlines programs to repair and replace storm‑damaged housing, build affordable rental units, reimburse homeowners and provide nonprofit recovery services and mitigation projects to reduce future storm damage.

Key elements and programs - Total award announced by HUD: $159,800,000 (includes a 15% mitigation allocation). - Priority: At least 70% of funds…