City of St. Petersburg hosts hurricane recovery forum
In a comprehensive forum held to address hurricane recovery and rebuilding efforts, residents of St. Petersburg gathered to engage with city officials, state and federal agencies, and community organizations. The Nov. 13 meeting aimed to provide clarity on assistance programs, permitting processes and long-term resilience planning following the unprecedented impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton earlier this year.
Mayor Ken Welch opened the forum by acknowledging the severity of the storms, which brought record-breaking storm surges, rainfall and winds. He emphasized the city’s commitment to a long-term recovery, noting the dual challenges posed by Helene’s coastal flooding and Milton’s intense rainfall and winds.
- Helene: Produced a storm surge of 7.1 feet (NAVD), marking the highest levels recorded in St. Petersburg’s history. Thousands of homes were flooded, including many that had never experienced flooding before.
- Milton: Delivered over 18 inches of rainfall in a single day, shattering previous records and causing widespread freshwater flooding, property damage and prolonged power outages.
Amber Bolding, the city’s emergency management manager, described the two hurricanes as a “one-two punch,” with their effects compounded by occurring just weeks apart.
Recovery Assistance Overview
Representatives from FEMA, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and local officials detailed the resources available to impacted residents.
FEMA Individual Assistance
Millie Diaz from FEMA outlined the agency’s support, including grants for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster-related needs. She urged residents to register for assistance by the following deadlines:
- Hurricane Helene: November 27, 2024
- Hurricane Milton: December 11, 2024
FEMA also provides additional services such as crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance and legal aid.
SBA Disaster Loans
Julie Garrett of the SBA explained that homeowners and renters can apply for low-interest loans to cover uncompensated losses, with terms up to 30 years. Loans can also be used for mitigation efforts such as home elevation or installing sump pumps. Businesses and nonprofits may apply for up to $2 million in loans for physical and economic injury.
Local Support
The City of St. Petersburg is waiving permitting fees for disaster repairs through March 27, 2025. Affected residents can apply for state-funded grants of up to $8,000 and loans up to $100,000, pending legislative approval.
Permitting and Compliance
St. Petersburg’s Floodplain Manager Hannah Rebholz discussed the city’s enforcement of the 49% rule, which requires substantial damage or improvement to properties to comply with floodplain regulations. Key points included:
- Permits are required for all repairs, including emergency repairs.
- The city does not look back at prior permits but evaluates each repair permit independently.
- A post-disaster priority system is in place to expedite permits, with a target turnaround of one week.
Residents were encouraged to pull permits as soon as possible, as noncompliance could result in violations.
Debris Removal Efforts
Debris removal dominated the public Q&A session. Residents expressed frustration over the pace of cleanup, particularly in neighborhoods like Northeast St. Petersburg. Welch acknowledged the challenges but highlighted the city’s efforts:
- Over 921,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed in four weeks, more than triple the combined total of the last three hurricanes.
- The city is targeting a 90-day completion for debris removal, with January 11, 2025, set as the goal to secure 100% federal reimbursement.
Future Resilience and Infrastructure
Climate and marine science experts, including Dr. Gary Mitcham from the University of South Florida, highlighted the growing risks of sea level rise, extreme rainfall and intensified hurricanes. The city is addressing these challenges through:
- A five-year capital plan allocating $740 million to stormwater and wastewater improvements.
- Elevating wastewater treatment plants to withstand higher storm surges.
- Accelerating stormwater infrastructure projects to mitigate flooding in vulnerable neighborhoods.
Welch also called for collaboration with county, state and federal partners to secure additional funding for long-term resilience projects.
Community Concerns
Residents raised concerns about several issues, including delayed financial assistance, insufficient hotel accommodations for displaced families, and infrastructure deficiencies in non-flood zones. Officials committed to addressing these challenges and emphasized the importance of communication and community feedback.
Resources and Contact Information
Residents are encouraged to visit stpete.org/recovery for updates and detailed information on available resources. Key contact numbers include:
- FEMA Helpline: 1-800-621-3362
- SBA Customer Service: 1-800-659-2955
- City Water Dispatch: 727-893-7261
The city also provided resources for mental health support, legal aid and housing assistance, ensuring a comprehensive approach to recovery and rebuilding.
The forum and presentations can be viewed on YouTube here.
SB
November 17, 2024at1:53 pm
The $75 Million Insurance Fiasco: How St. Petersburg Taxpayers Are Paying the Price
In March 2024, St. Petersburg city officials made the fateful decision to reduce insurance coverage for Tropicana Field from $100 million to just $25 million. The aim was to save money on premiums, but that choice backfired spectacularly when Hurricane Milton tore through the region in October, causing severe damage to the stadium. The roof alone sustained an estimated $75 million in damage, leaving taxpayers to make up the difference.
How Much Will This Cost Taxpayers?
St. Petersburg has a population of about 258,000 residents. However, not all of them are taxpayers—children, retirees, and non-working individuals aren’t included. Assuming approximately half of the population contributes to the city’s tax base, that leaves about 129,000 taxpayers to shoulder the burden.
When you divide the $75 million shortfall across 129,000 taxpayers, it means each taxpayer could face a cost of approximately $580. But this doesn’t account for the fact that city officials are bragging about seeking state and federal funding to help cover the costs. While this might sound like a relief for local taxpayers, it’s important to remember that local taxpayers are also state and federal taxpayers. Whether the funding comes from FEMA or state coffers, the financial burden ultimately falls back on taxpayers—just through different channels.
A Disaster of Poor Planning
This wasn’t an unavoidable catastrophe—it was a decision rooted in poor judgment and shortsighted cost-cutting. The insurance reduction happened just months before hurricane season, during a year when the Gulf of Mexico reached record-high temperatures, creating the perfect conditions for stronger, more destructive storms. Experts had warned of these risks, but city officials chose to gamble, prioritizing short-term savings over long-term security.
When the hurricane struck and the damage became evident, it was clear this gamble had failed. The city’s leaders now find themselves scrambling to explain how this happened and attempting to spin the situation as a win by securing funds from other government entities.
Shifting the Burden to Every Taxpayer
City officials have repeatedly highlighted their plan to secure funding from state and federal programs to cover the shortfall. But this doesn’t fix the problem—it just shifts the burden. Taxpayers in St. Petersburg not only fund their local government, but also contribute to state and federal budgets. When the city relies on FEMA, state disaster funds, or other programs, it’s still the taxpayers—both locally and nationally—who end up footing the bill.
This approach to funding is not a relief; it’s an extension of the same waste. For St. Petersburg residents, it’s a double loss: they’re paying for this disaster through local taxes and again through their contributions to state and federal taxes. For taxpayers outside St. Petersburg, it’s yet another example of being forced to bail out poor decisions made by local governments.
An Extravagant, Wasteful Decision
Reducing insurance coverage for a key public asset during hurricane season, with clear warnings about an intense storm season ahead, was nothing short of reckless. It’s a reminder of what happens when leaders prioritize short-term savings over responsible planning. The $75 million shortfall didn’t need to exist. Adequate insurance would have prevented this disaster from falling squarely on the backs of taxpayers.
But now, every taxpayer in St. Petersburg—and taxpayers across the nation—are paying the price for a decision they had no control over. City officials gambled with public funds and lost, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess.
Taxpayer Waste Is Taxpayer Waste
Wasteful spending is wasteful spending, no matter who is technically footing the bill. Whether the funds come from local taxes or are spread across state and federal programs, it’s still the taxpayers who lose. Every dollar wasted on decisions like this is a dollar that could have gone toward pressing public needs—whether in St. Petersburg, Florida, or anywhere else.
This is more than just a local issue. It’s a glaring example of how poor decisions at one level of government ripple outward, creating waste and frustration across all levels of taxpayer contributions. The $580 estimated cost per taxpayer in St. Petersburg is only part of the story—taxpayers across the state and the country are also paying for this extravagance. Waste like this is unacceptable, and taxpayers everywhere deserve better accountability and leadership.
The Path Forward
This fiasco must serve as a wake-up call. For St. Petersburg, it’s a reminder that proactive, responsible planning is critical in an era of intensifying climate risks. For taxpayers, it’s a lesson in the importance of holding public officials accountable—not just for the immediate costs but for the broader waste and inefficiency their decisions create.
The bottom line? Cutting corners when it comes to public assets is a gamble no one can afford, especially when taxpayers are the ones who always end up paying the price.