Thrive
Where does St. Pete stand a year after Helene?
“The work is not done, but as I look around, I can see the sun rising.”
A still storm-damaged Tropicana Field provided an ideal backdrop Friday morning as St. Petersburg officials reflected on progress and the work ahead a year following Hurricane Helene.
An unprecedented hurricane season highlighted vulnerabilities. Mayor Ken Welch, City Council Chair Copley Gerdes and Fire Chief Keith Watts stood in front of two of three new high-water rescue vehicles.
Gerdes said the sunny, “beautiful” morning contrasted with what people experienced Sept. 26, 2024. He also noted that many people are still relying on friends, temporary housing or a camper parked in their yard for a place to sleep.
Some residents did not live to see another day; 12 people died in Pinellas County – two in St. Petersburg – during Helene. The city attributed two additional deaths to Hurricane Milton, in October.
“I saw first-hand the damage these storms did to the hearts and souls of our community – not just their homes and property,” Gerdes said. “In a moment that could have felt dark and overwhelming, the best of humanity shone through in the City of St. Petersburg.”
Welch said the city has secured $40 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements and $13.9 million in insurance payments. His administration has also launched the Sunrise St. Pete initiative, which received $159.8 million in storm recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The city council will approve a final agreement with the agency Oct. 2. Welch said the first Sunrise St. Pete programs will launch in early 2026.
Those will include grants to rebuild and elevate homes. Residents can also receive disaster relief reimbursements; according to federal requirements, 70% of the funding must support low-to-moderate-income households.
The city, as part of the St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan (SPAR), has acquired an impermeable AquaFence for a downtown sewage lift station and installed flood barrier panels at the vulnerable Northeast Water Reclamation Facility. Officials have also launched a private lateral rebate program to mitigate wastewater overflows and stress on the system.
Administrators have issued over 14,500 post-disaster emergency permits, and storm victims have saved $2.9 million in waived fees. Private disaster-related construction costs have totaled $299 million, and the mayor said review times will return to normal by the end of this month.
St. Pete Fire Rescue (SPFR) saved 430 residents from Helene’s flood waters, despite relying on one high-water vehicle and ill-equipped trucks borrowed from other city departments. Personnel answered 1,744 emergency calls and responded to seven structure fires during the storm.
City council members unanimously approved the purchase of three additional remanufactured military vehicles for roughly $300,000 in April. The trucks can typically navigate three to four feet of water and feature exhaust snorkels, hoses to fight fires, pumps to utilize standing water and lift gates to accommodate people on stretchers or those in wheelchairs.
“These vehicles are true game-changers, designed specifically to meet the unique needs of our community in high-water conditions,” Watts said. “These multi-faceted vehicles dramatically improve our service.”
Fire Chief Keith Watts called the new trucks “game-changers.”
Watts said the rugged trucks also provide a “safer working environment for our responders.” SPFR will strategically deploy the vehicles using historical data, and captains can rapidly reposition high-water crews as conditions evolve.
SPFR is now more “capable, more flexible and more resilient.” Division Chief Brett Ciskoski said crews could remove fire pumps “at a moment’s notice” to transport additional flood victims.
Gerdes noted the city is still “finding its footing” following Helene and Milton, which struck 13 days later. While the latter storm lacked the former’s seven-foot storm surge, its over 100 mph gusts and 18 inches of rain severely damaged homes, businesses and the Trop.
Gerdes credited his city council colleagues for their ability to “come together, focus on the issues at hand and ensure our city recovers stronger than before,” and staff who dedicated their lives to helping the city recover – even as many were also rebuilding. He also called the extent to which neighbors helped neighbors “truly remarkable.”
“Our recovery has not been led by government alone,” Gerdes added. “The back-to-back hurricanes demonstrated the strength and resilience of the St. Petersburg community. Over the past year, many organizations have stepped up, finding innovative ways to support families, rebuild neighborhoods and reimagine what recovery looks like for all of us.
“The work is not done, but as I look around, I can see the sun rising. I can see things moving forward.”
