City finalizes $160 million Sunrise St. Pete plan

A $160 million disaster recovery plan will begin benefiting some St. Petersburg residents in November, despite the ongoing government shutdown affecting other federally funded initiatives.

City Council members unanimously accepted the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant Oct. 2 and have already appropriated $13 million. They will further discuss parameters for residential programs at a committee meeting Thursday.

Officials have prioritized residential recovery and elevation, infrastructure mitigation and disaster relief reimbursement programs. The remaining Sunrise St. Pete Action Plan initiatives will launch in early 2026, as previously planned.

“A lot of people are on edge over what’s happening at the federal level,” said Councilmember Brandi Gabbard. “So this relief, I think, is even more timely.”

However, she also cautioned that the disaster recovery funding will “go very, very quickly.” Gabbard noted that the state didn’t manage expectations “very well” when launching the Elevate Florida initiative, and constituents “still have a lot of questions.”

Council members also voted to appropriate the remaining $146.9 million to previously approved programs. The city, according to HUD guidelines, must dedicate at least 70% of the $159.88 million total to households earning up to 80% of the area median income, which is $75,150 for a family of three.

Aubrey Phillips, strategic initiatives and grants director, said the city doesn’t want people who are unlikely to qualify for funding to “go through an application process only to find out they are not eligible.” She said administrators are exploring alternatives for those residents, including the We Are St. Pete Fund.

Over 100 of those applicants had storm damage that exceeded the immediate relief fund’s resources and are now in the queue for Sunrise St. Pete. Amy Foster, housing and neighborhood services administrator, called Thursday’s committee meeting a “really good opportunity for us to dig into some of those details with council members.”

She agreed that setting expectations is critical, as the $35 million allocated to residential recovery and elevation would only support about 100 homes. “We really want to dig into that and help council members understand the prioritization schema of how that’s going to work,” Foster said.

Gabbard, in a nod to Shore Acres, said some flood-prone neighborhoods “don’t really understand how HUD kind of guides all of this.” Recent rhetoric centers around the idea that city officials should prioritize areas most impacted by an unprecedented 2024 hurricane season and prior storms.

“This is not necessarily neighborhood-focused,” Gabbard continued. “There will be some for individuals over that 80% (AMI), but really, this is 80% and under. And I think that message right there – it’s getting a little lost.

“We’re trying to build a program, and people are kind of starting to poke holes in it before we even launch it.”

The first three initiatives will launch in November. Image: City documents.

Phillips said 324 people, including contractors and community groups, have signed up for Sunrise St. Pete updates. The citywide initiative must support storm victims who have a clear link to Hurricanes Idalia and Helene. Officials have requested guidance from HUD regarding Hurricane Milton.

Phillips said data would drive outreach plans and tough decisions, as over 12,000 homes received storm damage last year. “We know where we have households that were impacted, and we know where low-to-moderate-income households are located within the city.”

The city is developing a toolkit for nonprofit and community partners to help “spread the message” as a “trusted source of information.” Phillips said staff spent September working on program guidelines and outreach materials.

She noted the city is working closely with Pinellas County to coordinate messaging, as many people who live in unincorporated areas have a St. Petersburg address. Phillips said Thursday’s committee meeting is “critical to helping finalize those plans before we start communicating to the public.”

“We’re on track to be able to launch the first of the programs – that’s the residential recovery and elevation program and disaster relief payments that will primarily help our tenant residents – as early as November,” she added.

Professional services firm Horne is overseeing both the county’s and city’s disaster recovery action plans. Phillips said the company would help direct applications and officials are “really on board with having no wrong front door.”

For more information on Sunrise St. Pete, visit the website here.